A review by readundancies
I'm Fine, But You Appear to Be Sinking by Leyna Krow

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

What to say about a short story collection that you had high expectations for and then upon finishing are awestruck because it absolutely delivered? 

Well for starters, I absolutely love the cover. Everything about it speaks to me on subconscious and conscious level because it implies that the synopsis is going to deliver on the promises it’s made. And there’s an Index. AT THE BEGINNING. Why isn’t this something I’ve ever come across before in a short story collection? It’s fantastic, and reminds me of the tag system in AO3 which I also am a giant fan of. 

So it should be no surprise that after the first couple stories, I had preemptively rated this 5 stars. And well deserved because I have never been this happy to own a physical copy of a book before even having read the thing. Like at all. And who cares if the overall rating if averaging each individual story closes out at 4.472 stars because it’s all about the vibes with this one, and the vibes scream 5s all around. 

This is a collection of stories that would lend itself so well to an audiobook and it is a travesty that one does not currently exist. There’s a not small part of me that is willing to read them aloud and record it because the humour in this just begs to be read aloud. 

I’m of the mindset that Leyna Krow can write whatever the fuck she wants as long as I’m first in line to read it. She has not yet reached favourite author status only because she only has two published works out. And this one? This was, simply put, an amazing collection, and I cannot even begin to express my feelings on it. 
It has this soft melancholy to it, as if it’s a hollow story of angst that aches to be filled but burns anything that attempts to breach it’s covers. It’s the beauty in stagnancy; it is being frozen in time and forced to watch the world pass you by without notice, without a care, without judgement. It is the dark bits of humour that ring true at 4AM, it is laughter amongst the helplessness, and smirks to divert the hopelessness of one’s demise. There has got to be a German word, akin to schadenfreude, that perfectly describes the feeling that this short story collection evokes in me and I hate that I’m at a loss as to what it is. All I can say is that there’s this the mundane sort of despondency that permeates every story and is offset by this sort of touching introspection, sometimes moving, sometimes hopeful, but always wistful and always with the sentiment that when loneliness is near, there is always a chance you are not really alone in the world and I adored it for that. 

Some thoughts on each tale as single entities: 

  • I’m Fine, But You Appear to Be Sinking: 5/5 
    • I loved the narrative. I loved the journal entry format, the characters, the setting, the names, the hopelessness, all of it. It is completely re-read worthy and I can see myself partaking in it often in the future.
    • And the unnamed narrator! Their voice was hilarious and striking all in one go and this is easily my favourite short story of the collection.
    • The titular tale is absolutely everything I’ve been looking for in a short story that I didn’t know was possible to dream of; extreme and sarcastically dry humour, a nautical melancholy in competition with a call of the void and the desperate lunacy borne from watching your days waste away because death is near but it’s a slow decline of the mind you should be worrying about.

  • Tiger, Tiger: 4.25/5 
    • Krow manages to take the mundane and then mold it into something completely different and equally as absurd but also exciting. She makes the mundane exciting and I am so here for it because she pairs oddity with ordinary as easily as a pair of socks. Except the socks are perfectly mismatched. It’s like maple syrup and grilled cheese, or relish on rice. They do not normally go out together, but you sure as heck notice when they do.
    • Also the humour? It’s so my brand. I felt like a million bucks when I read it because it was like it was catered for me specifically.
    • This story is what letting your imagination run wild as an adult feels like: wonky, ill fitting and untethered. It’s not freedom, but it is freeing.

  • Spud & Spud II: 5/5 
    • I’m not sure why the first instalment didn’t clue me into the fact that this story is about clones, but it is. And I pretty much despise clones. But I’m liking this story anyways because the cloning is not the focus. It's spread out in instalments from three varying perspectives between each short story which is neat and I like the kind of orbital nature to it, how we keep returning to the story as we progress through the whole volume.
    • The illustrations with the slow progression of Spud and Spud II getting increasingly closer and closer to each other and then missing each other and passing by without so much as wave between their orbits; they are two ships in the night, a missed connection that makes those who witness it wish they had never been born, and make no mistake, they were brilliant.
    • The callbacks between Caroline and Parker Jr in their first segments are glorious. And the sexual overtones throughout were both weird and banal at the same time which worked.

  • End Times: 5/5 
    • I don’t think I’ve truly expressed how much I enjoy a good story set in footnotes, but I do. I freaking love them.
    • Tragicomedy? I think that’s what this is. And I’m thoroughly convinced that this is a subgenre that I was meant to read and consume and breathe until it all becomes one with my soul because I live for this.
    • Ugh, that last line? Flawless. I need to recommend this short story specifically to so many people.

  • Katie Eats Boston Cream Pies at a Motel Dinner in Southeast Portland: 3.75/5 
    • I cannot express how strange this story was to me, nor whether that fact is a positive or negative.
    • It was basically a sort of dissection into a few fleeting moments of the main character, Katie.
    • Creepy and yet poignant stalker vibes? It’s a weird combo I’ll admit, but that’s what this was putting down and I had no problem picking it up.

  • Habitat: 3.5/5 
    • This is my least favourite of the stories in this collection, not because of the serpents but because the main character harboured this sort of delusional depression and while it was effective, it was also wearisome.
    • Also, just not a fan of the name Kenton, which is a me problem.
    • The struggle with trying to hold onto the past because change is scary and we’re not all suited to moving on at the same pace as everyone else or in the same manner was really prevalent, and I think it was captured well.

  • Excitable Creatures: 4.25/5 
    • This one has got me asking so many questions that will go unanswered for eternity and I both hate and love that. Like, what animal is Walter?
    • The justification for the lies the second person narrator spins is so true and made me smirk in agreement when I read it. The narrator themselves is kind of morose, dealt with a shitty hand when it comes to her job, or rather, eventual lack of one, and I think it’s incredibly relatable.
    • And the ominous tone of the ending? Here for it.

  • Disruption: 4.5/5 
    • The opening of this story is great. Like we’re talking immediately eye-catching as it sets the tone for strangeness in this tale.
    • And I love how the full circle moment is warped in that the main character lives with this reoccurring inconvenience and is worried at the end that her husband will return to find it because she is afraid to let go and accept how things have ended.
    • But also, what did Barrett do?!? I NEED TO KNOW.

  • Mr. Stills’ Squid Days: 5/5 
    • This was a tale of growing old and slowly losing connection with the world only to find that sometimes the world just wants to connect with you in a different way. It’s a story rooted in disability but doesn’t dwell on it, just accepts it as another way of going through life. And the parallels between aging and how one connects with the world around them and Dahlia’s lack of working limbs below her torso were perfectly set up to show how everything above her torso was magnified in use, from her heart, to her mind to her open arms.
    • It was heartfelt and touching and sad and even just thinking about it I can feel a little pit behind the bottom of my sternum that just aches for how hopeful this ends.
    • The only thing that would’ve made it better is if we got some semblance of if Cyril and Madison end up together because of Dahlia. I like to think it happens.

All this to say I will be picking up whatever Leyna Krow decides to publish next, no questions asked.
 
I can’t wait to see what she comes up with.
 
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