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A review by lostcupofstars
Picnic in the Storm by Yukiko Motoya
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Women & Identity is the key theme throughout these stories.
The Lonesome Bodybuilder - 4/5
I liked the theme of identity in this and how it was brought forward.
Fitting Room - 5/5
This was so weird but I loved it! Weirdly relatable in a lot of ways lol. What does it mean to be a woman?
Typhoon - 5/5
Another great story. It said so much in such a short span of pages. And I will never really complain about the presence of magic realism. Hope, possibility, community.
I Called You by Name - 4/5
Intriguing. I felt like I could really imagine what the curtain looked like. Identity, belonging, loss, paranoia.
An Exotic Marriage - 3.75/5
This was a strange one. I think it could have done with being a little more concise. What I did love about it was the relationship between San and Kitae. A story about identity, individuality, codependency, sacrifice, temptation, freedom - so many themes in this one and I reckon I will be thinking about it for weeks to come.
Paprika Jiro - 2/5
This one was perhaps a little too abstract for me? Wasn’t really sure what it was trying to say. Maybe like a tooth fairy type deal where it only works/happens if you believe in it. Could be about the strength of belief/acceptance/fear etc but in general it fell flat compared to its predecessors.
How to Burden the Girl - 2/5
I think this would have worked better for me if it wasn’t a conversation. Interesting enough story but it was too much tell and too short to build anything else.
The Women - 3.5/5
The phrase ‘too little too late’ springs to mind here. Bit of a weird one but there are so many interesting things to interpret from this.
Q&A - 4/5
The saddle answer sold this for me lol. It was a bit random but it brought something a little lighter than the other stories. Absurd but honest. About who you are, who you think you should be and who you want to be.
The Dogs - 3/5
This one had a bit of a Shirley Jackson feel to it. I liked the eerie, isolated atmosphere and the townspeople being shifty peaked my interest. I guess this could also be interpreted a number of ways.
The Straw Husband - 3.5/5
Not sure this was the right story to end on, but I liked it. The magical realism made it more interesting to read and added a lot of dynamics in a short space. The representation of anger made sense to me.
Overall this was a mixed collection, a much stronger start than finish, but I imagine I’ll be thinking about these stories for quite some time.
Side note - the synopsis doesn’t reflect the contents very well.
The Lonesome Bodybuilder - 4/5
I liked the theme of identity in this and how it was brought forward.
Fitting Room - 5/5
This was so weird but I loved it! Weirdly relatable in a lot of ways lol. What does it mean to be a woman?
Typhoon - 5/5
Another great story. It said so much in such a short span of pages. And I will never really complain about the presence of magic realism. Hope, possibility, community.
I Called You by Name - 4/5
Intriguing. I felt like I could really imagine what the curtain looked like. Identity, belonging, loss, paranoia.
An Exotic Marriage - 3.75/5
This was a strange one. I think it could have done with being a little more concise. What I did love about it was the relationship between San and Kitae. A story about identity, individuality, codependency, sacrifice, temptation, freedom - so many themes in this one and I reckon I will be thinking about it for weeks to come.
Paprika Jiro - 2/5
This one was perhaps a little too abstract for me? Wasn’t really sure what it was trying to say. Maybe like a tooth fairy type deal where it only works/happens if you believe in it. Could be about the strength of belief/acceptance/fear etc but in general it fell flat compared to its predecessors.
How to Burden the Girl - 2/5
I think this would have worked better for me if it wasn’t a conversation. Interesting enough story but it was too much tell and too short to build anything else.
The Women - 3.5/5
The phrase ‘too little too late’ springs to mind here. Bit of a weird one but there are so many interesting things to interpret from this.
Q&A - 4/5
The saddle answer sold this for me lol. It was a bit random but it brought something a little lighter than the other stories. Absurd but honest. About who you are, who you think you should be and who you want to be.
The Dogs - 3/5
This one had a bit of a Shirley Jackson feel to it. I liked the eerie, isolated atmosphere and the townspeople being shifty peaked my interest. I guess this could also be interpreted a number of ways.
The Straw Husband - 3.5/5
Not sure this was the right story to end on, but I liked it. The magical realism made it more interesting to read and added a lot of dynamics in a short space. The representation of anger made sense to me.
Overall this was a mixed collection, a much stronger start than finish, but I imagine I’ll be thinking about these stories for quite some time.
Side note - the synopsis doesn’t reflect the contents very well.