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A review by oceanwriter
MONARCH: Stories by Emily Jon Tobias
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
I’m drawn to stories that rely heavily on the characters and the human condition in general. These themes written as short stories can make the impact even greater given their length. Less time is spent on the details and the focus remains on the emotions. With all of this on my mind when scoping out potential reads, the synopsis (as well as the setting) of MONARCH caught my attention right away.
MONARCH is a collection of eleven short stories focusing on various themes such as life, death, loss, addiction, change, and grief. Each story typically highlights one or two of these themes. A couple of the stories that particularly stood out to me were ‘Vida’ and ‘Nova’. ‘Vida’s’ main focus is loss and sacrifice while ‘Nova’s’ is more focused on connection and rebirth.
It took me a little while to get into the groove of the writing style, particularly with the dialogue as quotation marks are not utilized. I’m not one of those people who downright refuse to read books in this style, but I do find it to be a hindrance and causes me to pause and have to figure out where the dialogue begins and where it ends. Once I do get into the rhythm, it’s easier to follow along but have to go through it all again when I pick up the book after setting it down. Fortunately, the writing is strong enough that it was worth the effort of adapting.
Some of the content wasn’t my forte, however, it’s written in a way where I can still appreciate it. It’s evident that the author’s heart and soul went into this collection and that alone makes it an impactful read. What I liked the most was the reader’s guide at the end of the book, asking questions and giving prompts that as a reader made me feel more engaged. It was a great touch.
Readers of literary fiction in particular will enjoy what this book has to offer.
Thanks to Discovery for providing a free ARC of the book to read and review!
MONARCH is a collection of eleven short stories focusing on various themes such as life, death, loss, addiction, change, and grief. Each story typically highlights one or two of these themes. A couple of the stories that particularly stood out to me were ‘Vida’ and ‘Nova’. ‘Vida’s’ main focus is loss and sacrifice while ‘Nova’s’ is more focused on connection and rebirth.
It took me a little while to get into the groove of the writing style, particularly with the dialogue as quotation marks are not utilized. I’m not one of those people who downright refuse to read books in this style, but I do find it to be a hindrance and causes me to pause and have to figure out where the dialogue begins and where it ends. Once I do get into the rhythm, it’s easier to follow along but have to go through it all again when I pick up the book after setting it down. Fortunately, the writing is strong enough that it was worth the effort of adapting.
Some of the content wasn’t my forte, however, it’s written in a way where I can still appreciate it. It’s evident that the author’s heart and soul went into this collection and that alone makes it an impactful read. What I liked the most was the reader’s guide at the end of the book, asking questions and giving prompts that as a reader made me feel more engaged. It was a great touch.
Readers of literary fiction in particular will enjoy what this book has to offer.
Thanks to Discovery for providing a free ARC of the book to read and review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Addiction and Death