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A review by katykelly
Fishbowl by Bradley Somer
5.0
A unique spin on multiple stranded stories. I couldn't quite manage Tales of the City when I tried it last year on audiobook, but can understand why now as it flitted from character to character. I may give it another go.
This book is compared to Maupin's - at the swimming (or falling) centre of things lies (plummets) Ian. A goldfish. He's going to die. Falling from the 27th floor balcony his story is interspersed with those of the residents whose apartments he is rapidly passing by.
So we share in the snippets of Ian's own rather dull life as a pet fish living with a snail and with the rather varied and frankly crazy people who live in his building. From a pregnant (and labouring) lady craving ice cream sandwiches to the boy who things he can time travel, each story is entertaining and gives us a glimpse of everyday life and lunacy.
I smiled most of my way through this. Ian's interjections reminded me a little of a whale in Douglas Adams, and I really enjoyed the episodic feel as we flit from one storyline to another, and to the shared experience as some of them connect through one chapter and character to another.
It's witty, it's uplifting, and it could be real life. A short read that you'll enjoy on a commute, a beach or a lunch hour. Not a heavy read, but one that will make you think about the connections between people, how we treat each other, and just what it might be like falling off a really big building...
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
This book is compared to Maupin's - at the swimming (or falling) centre of things lies (plummets) Ian. A goldfish. He's going to die. Falling from the 27th floor balcony his story is interspersed with those of the residents whose apartments he is rapidly passing by.
So we share in the snippets of Ian's own rather dull life as a pet fish living with a snail and with the rather varied and frankly crazy people who live in his building. From a pregnant (and labouring) lady craving ice cream sandwiches to the boy who things he can time travel, each story is entertaining and gives us a glimpse of everyday life and lunacy.
I smiled most of my way through this. Ian's interjections reminded me a little of a whale in Douglas Adams, and I really enjoyed the episodic feel as we flit from one storyline to another, and to the shared experience as some of them connect through one chapter and character to another.
It's witty, it's uplifting, and it could be real life. A short read that you'll enjoy on a commute, a beach or a lunch hour. Not a heavy read, but one that will make you think about the connections between people, how we treat each other, and just what it might be like falling off a really big building...
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.