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A review by onecheesetoasty
Here Until August: Stories by Josephine Rowe
1.0
TW: death and loss of every single kind
I know, I'm going to get a lot of heat for being "insensitive", or "she just doesn't get it." Child I get it, trust me. We've all dealt with pain, grief, and confusion. And I know that poetry and books about pain can help those going through it understand their feelings. Unfortunately, this book is not one of them no natter how hard it tries to be. Rowe sacrifices substance for run on sentences, absolutely no dialogue, and a dizzying amount of metaphors.
I have several issues with this book. First, the stories are written in the same voice, making it difficult to separate the stories one after another. You would think that the narrators would not have the same meter of speaking, especially seeing as every story takes place on completely different continents. I am left thinking these short stories are meant to be read under one collection, like a clothing line or poetry collection. If not, then this is a cognitive oversight-- a shortcoming. Authors and reviewers should refer to Stephen King's "If It Bleeds" for an example on voice.
This brings us to our next point: style of writing. Fans of some (notice I say SOME!) free verse poetry will be pleased to read this book. This book is what a computer program thinks a free verse book is. The ratio of actual story telling to mindless descriptive paragraphs is so one-sided I forgot what I was reading, even when some stories were as short as 7 pages.
Now to the final and most important issue: what each story is actually about. I'll tell you: Horrible things that happen in life. Each story is like the first third of a regular book or movie: you meet the characters and then something horrible happens. But unfortunately, that's where the similarities end. There is no wrap up, no resolution and don't even bother getting attached to any characters because the story will be over in 4 paragraphs (the last installment). So if you enjoy the catastrophes that set up stories the best, this book will give you 195 pages of it!
Below is the topic of each story so you can read your favorite kind of tragedy faster:
1. Child death
2. Career loss
3. Divorce
4. Cancer
5. Divorce part 2: this time they have young children
6. Miscarriage
7. Survivor's guilt: the return of death
8. Miscarriage part 2: the memorial
9. Divorce part 3: celebrity edition
10. Ice?
Perhaps the trigger warning is all that needs to be said about the contents of this book. That being said, "The Once-Drowned Man" was my favorite.
I know, I'm going to get a lot of heat for being "insensitive", or "she just doesn't get it." Child I get it, trust me. We've all dealt with pain, grief, and confusion. And I know that poetry and books about pain can help those going through it understand their feelings. Unfortunately, this book is not one of them no natter how hard it tries to be. Rowe sacrifices substance for run on sentences, absolutely no dialogue, and a dizzying amount of metaphors.
I have several issues with this book. First, the stories are written in the same voice, making it difficult to separate the stories one after another. You would think that the narrators would not have the same meter of speaking, especially seeing as every story takes place on completely different continents. I am left thinking these short stories are meant to be read under one collection, like a clothing line or poetry collection. If not, then this is a cognitive oversight-- a shortcoming. Authors and reviewers should refer to Stephen King's "If It Bleeds" for an example on voice.
This brings us to our next point: style of writing. Fans of some (notice I say SOME!) free verse poetry will be pleased to read this book. This book is what a computer program thinks a free verse book is. The ratio of actual story telling to mindless descriptive paragraphs is so one-sided I forgot what I was reading, even when some stories were as short as 7 pages.
Now to the final and most important issue: what each story is actually about. I'll tell you: Horrible things that happen in life. Each story is like the first third of a regular book or movie: you meet the characters and then something horrible happens. But unfortunately, that's where the similarities end. There is no wrap up, no resolution and don't even bother getting attached to any characters because the story will be over in 4 paragraphs (the last installment). So if you enjoy the catastrophes that set up stories the best, this book will give you 195 pages of it!
Below is the topic of each story so you can read your favorite kind of tragedy faster:
1. Child death
2. Career loss
3. Divorce
4. Cancer
5. Divorce part 2: this time they have young children
6. Miscarriage
7. Survivor's guilt: the return of death
8. Miscarriage part 2: the memorial
9. Divorce part 3: celebrity edition
10. Ice?
Perhaps the trigger warning is all that needs to be said about the contents of this book. That being said, "The Once-Drowned Man" was my favorite.