A review by cebolla
Under a Glass Bell by Anaïs Nin

adventurous reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

My least favorite kind of fiction book is short stories, but one of my favorite writers is Anais Nin, so on my most recent trip to the library, I decided to see which was stronger: my love of Nin or my hatred of short stories. Contrary to how the saying goes, hate trumped love. 

Hate is probably too strong of a word, but this was definitely the writing that I liked least by her. She did the best job one could do with short stories though; the way she paints a picture is head and shoulders above what I've experienced by just about anyone else I've read. 

Under a Glass Bell is more like poetry than prose. When I'm finished reading prose I feel like I can point to characters and story lines and have a general idea what happened between the first and last words. With poetry, it's different. I have no idea what actually happened, if anything, because it's not really linear or sensical in the traditional way. But I sure do feel it. The feeling I got from these vignettes is almost indescribable. It was like walking through an art gallery or doing a bunch of ketamine and putting on some Trampled by Turtles. I can't explain it, and you might experience something completely different, but goddamn was it fun and mind altering. 

I'm done with short stories for at least the time being, but I don't think I'll ever be done with Anais Nin. Buying her diaries is definitely on my 2025 list.