A review by deedireads
The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

The Office of Historical Corrections is a collection of absolutely masterful stories that buzz with life and echo with resonance.

For you if: You like really really great literary short stories. (Or you think short stories “aren’t for you.”)

FULL REVIEW:

“But what did it matter what she deserved, faced with the hilarity of one more person telling her glibly that better was out there when she was begging for mediocrity and couldn’t have that?”

Wow. Wowowow. The Office of Historical Corrections deserves all the hype it’s gotten — it’s an absolute standout short story collection. In fact, during a recent book club meeting, we contemplated which of the stories we’d most like to see developed in a novel. My answer was that Danielle Evans is so good at this form, and these stories and novella are so perfectly paced and crafted, that I wouldn’t choose any. This is how these stories belong.

I listened to this collection on audiobook, which was a really great way to experience them. The voice actors did a great job, and these stories are electric enough to feel super self-contained and immersive. They deal with tough subjects that are hard to look at and away from, but through the lens of beautiful, complete characters who could feel like they could literally walk off the page.

The titular novella, in particular, is excellent. I find myself still thinking about it. So, too, with several others (really, all of them), but especially “Why won’t women just say what they want?” and “Boys Go to Jupiter.”

If you think that short story collections “aren’t for you,” I challenge you to try this one. And if you already know you love short stories, this one is definitely not to be missed.
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