Scan barcode
A review by ninanesseth
Thunderstruck & Other Stories by Elizabeth McCracken
5.0
This is easily one of the best short story collections I've ever read.
Elizabeth McCracken's prose is just so on point that it makes you want to stop whoever happens to be nearby—stranger or not—and read them passages. Within the first few pages, I came across this gem: "The soul is liquid, and slow to evaporate. The body's a bucket and liable to slosh."
It's the kind of enviable writing that makes me almost angry that I never thought of such a simple, poignant metaphor myself.
The stories themselves are strong, although not nearly as memorable as the writing; they are almost all sad and suffusely human. The titular story, "Thunderstruck" is especially sad and, as the final story of the collection, left me unsteady and wanting a hug.
Elizabeth McCracken's prose is just so on point that it makes you want to stop whoever happens to be nearby—stranger or not—and read them passages. Within the first few pages, I came across this gem: "The soul is liquid, and slow to evaporate. The body's a bucket and liable to slosh."
It's the kind of enviable writing that makes me almost angry that I never thought of such a simple, poignant metaphor myself.
The stories themselves are strong, although not nearly as memorable as the writing; they are almost all sad and suffusely human. The titular story, "Thunderstruck" is especially sad and, as the final story of the collection, left me unsteady and wanting a hug.