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A review by emily_wigham
We Don't Know What We're Doing by Thomas Morris
4.0
This collection of short stories was so refreshing to read, I feel like these days every book I open is overly romanticised, a stab at the "every man" which totally misses the mark, sensationalising the mundane. That is not the case with the characters in Morris' stories, the domestic sphere is perfectly captured, with strange quirks and character traits making the protagonists multidimensional, and endlessly entertaining. I actually laughed out loud at times, something books rarely make me do anymore. Perhaps growing up in a small town myself makes me more privy to a close-knit community settings, but I just found it so endearing.
On another note, and this is definitely just a personal preference, I think Morris missed a great opportunity to tie the stories together. They all take place in Caerphilly, yet the details of each story seem completely isolated from one another. The castle plays an important role in many, but I think it would have been more engaging had Morris dropped in characters, or specific locations here and there, Joycean in the approach.
The only negative (if you could call it that) thing about this collection is the last story. It was my favourite narrative of them all, however I found the switch from the mundane everyday, to the dis(or u-)topic setting of "Nos Da" to be quite jarring. Maybe I wasn't at my most perceptive when I read it, but it took me a beat to actually understand what was going on. I think it would have found a better home amongst like-minded stories.
Either way, I really enjoyed the collection and can't wait to read more from Morris.
On another note, and this is definitely just a personal preference, I think Morris missed a great opportunity to tie the stories together. They all take place in Caerphilly, yet the details of each story seem completely isolated from one another. The castle plays an important role in many, but I think it would have been more engaging had Morris dropped in characters, or specific locations here and there, Joycean in the approach.
The only negative (if you could call it that) thing about this collection is the last story. It was my favourite narrative of them all, however I found the switch from the mundane everyday, to the dis(or u-)topic setting of "Nos Da" to be quite jarring. Maybe I wasn't at my most perceptive when I read it, but it took me a beat to actually understand what was going on. I think it would have found a better home amongst like-minded stories.
Either way, I really enjoyed the collection and can't wait to read more from Morris.