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A review by santreads
The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
here is me ranking the short stories and novella (from best to well, not the best)
Boys Go to Jupiter
The Office of Historical Corrections
Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain
Anything Could Disappear
Alcatraz
Happily Ever After
Why Won’t Women Just Say What They Want
Thank God for short story collections to get me out of this slump. I mean, fingers crossed I'm out. But let's see.
I had heard much about this book which is a collection of short stories and a novella and I'm glad I got the opportunity to read them because I truly think Danielle Evans is a really interesting writer. I love her emphasis on character, their arc and showing us who they are as people and how that is sometimes more important that the plot itself.
I thought that the short stories did a great job at dissecting social themes (mostly racism) and how that affects people. While some were obvious, some were subtle and I liked how it made you think. There were layers to this shit and I loved that.
What I did not appreciate however is connected to my first point which is that of the plot. There were many stories where I felt like the end didn't wrap up. And no, I don't think that all stories need to be wrapped up in a neat and tidy bow, but it felt sort of unsatisfying to me. The ending almost felt sort of abrupt - kept me hanging, like the author was like 'that's it, let's move on now'. I wanted more.
Boys Go to Jupiter
The Office of Historical Corrections
Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain
Anything Could Disappear
Alcatraz
Happily Ever After
Why Won’t Women Just Say What They Want
Thank God for short story collections to get me out of this slump. I mean, fingers crossed I'm out. But let's see.
I had heard much about this book which is a collection of short stories and a novella and I'm glad I got the opportunity to read them because I truly think Danielle Evans is a really interesting writer. I love her emphasis on character, their arc and showing us who they are as people and how that is sometimes more important that the plot itself.
I thought that the short stories did a great job at dissecting social themes (mostly racism) and how that affects people. While some were obvious, some were subtle and I liked how it made you think. There were layers to this shit and I loved that.
What I did not appreciate however is connected to my first point which is that of the plot. There were many stories where I felt like the end didn't wrap up. And no, I don't think that all stories need to be wrapped up in a neat and tidy bow, but it felt sort of unsatisfying to me. The ending almost felt sort of abrupt - kept me hanging, like the author was like 'that's it, let's move on now'. I wanted more.