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A review by jessdekkerreads
Night Side of the River by Jeanette Winterson
3.0
Interspersed short ghost stories, with stories shared from Jeanette Winterson’s own life and experiences w/ the paranormal.
I thought the first few stories, specifically centered around AI, were interesting but didn’t stick with me. I could easily see someone setting the collection aside after those stories, however, I’d strongly urge you not to give up, because the stories to follow just get better and better. If you’re picking this collection up because you’re familiar, and a fan of, Winterson’s beautifully vivid prose, you might be disappointed, as this is the most stilted, simplistic prose I’ve seen from her to date. However, I will say that the language and the prose of the stories I loved below is where Winterson’s true writing style shines.
When Winterson starts to center her ghost stories on people, that’s where this collection really comes alive.
Here are the stories I enjoyed - some I even loved:
- Boots - a Scottish ghostly tale ala Romeo and Juliet on the night of a queer wedding. Eerie, atmospheric.
- People: No Ghost Ghost Story - how all consuming loss and grief can be; where you hope to be haunted by your recently lost loved one.
- The Undiscovered Country - POV of a man after he dies and his partner buries him. He watches him through his grief, as he begins to slip away, slowly. Philosophical musings on death and life(lack thereof) after death. Most romantic ghost story I’ve ever read. – I plan to purchase a final copy of this collection for this story alone.
PS: if you’ve been here a while you’ll know that Winterson’s memoir is one of my favorite memoirs of all time, so if you haven’t picked that up yet, I strongly urge you to do so.
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the early copy, this collection is out 10/24/23!
Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the early copy, this collection is out 10/24/23!