rpapaluca 's review for:

Smart Ovens for Lonely People by Elizabeth Tan

4.0

adventurous dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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What a delightfully whimsical and witty short story collection!! Tan does a wonderful job of realistically describing reality whilst sprinkling in a bit of ~quirky magic~, like talking cat ovens, mermaids on the path to autonomy and clothes disappearing from washing machines nstionwide. These magical moments often provide a means of illustrating parts of the human condition (joy, sadness, mental health) or social commentary on current issues (capitalism, reliance on material goods, social media, relationship dynamics).

As with most collections, there are some stories that don't resonate with me. However, with this collection, this number is quite low (<5/20). Some of my favourites include 'Our Sleeping Lungs Opened To The Cold', 'Ron Swanson's Stencilled Stache', 'Yes! Yes! Yes You Are! Yes You Are!', 'Shirt Dresses that Look a Little Too Much Like Shirts so that It Looks Like You Forgot to Put on Pants (Love Will Save the Day)' and 'The Meal Channel'. gotta stop myself from listing the entire content list
I also really appreciated the inclusion of Australia, its cultural quirks and locations in some stories. 
Looking forward to rereading this, along with checking out Tan's other books, in the future!