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Hopeful Monsters: Stories
Hopeful monsters are genetically abnormal organisms that, nonetheless, adapt and survive in their environments. In these devastating stories, the hopeful monsters in question are those who will not be tethered by familial duty nor bound by the ghosts of their past.Home becomes fraught, reality a nightmare as Hiromi Goto weaves her characters through tales of domestic crises and cultural dissonance. They are the walking wounded a mother who is terrified by a newborn daughter who bears a tail; a stinky girl who studies the human condition in a shopping mall; a family on holiday wih a visiting grandfather who cannot abide their foreign nature. But wills are a force unto themselves, and Goto s characters are imbued with the light of myth and magic-realism. With humor and keen insight, Goto makes the familiar seem strange, and deciphers those moments when the idyllic skews into the absurd and the sublime.From Stinky "The unbearable voices of mythic manatees, the cry of the phoenix, the whispers of kappa lovers beside a gurgling stream. The voice of the moon that is ever turned away from our gaze, the song of suns colliding. The sounds which permeate from my skin on such a level of intensity that mortal senses recoil, deflect beauty into ugliness as a way of coping. And my joy. Such incredible joy. The hairs on my arms stand electric, the static energy and the heat amplifies my smell/sound with such exponential dizzying intensity, that the plastic which surrounds me bursts apart, falls away from my being like an artificial cocoon.""I hover, twenty feet in the air."Hiromi Goto is the author of the novels "Chorus of Mushrooms" (winner of a Commonwealth Writers Prize and co-winner of the Canada-Japan Book Award) and "The Kappa Child" (winner of the James Tiptree, Jr. Award). She lives in Burnaby, British Columbia."
176 pages, ebook
First published March 1, 2004
11 people are currently reading
446 people want to read
About the author
Hiromi Goto
21 books222 followersHiromi’s first novel, Chorus of Mushrooms (1994), received the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book in the Caribbean and Canada region and was co-winner of the Canada-Japan Book Award. Her short stories and poetry have been widely published in literary journals and anthologies. Her second novel, The Kappa Child (2001), was a finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Regional Book, and was awarded the James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Award. Her first children’s novel, The Water of Possibility, was also published that year. Hopeful Monsters, a collection of short stories, was released in 2004. Her YA/Crossover novel, Half World (2009), was long-listed for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and received the 2010 Sunburst Award and the Carl Brandon Society Parallax Award. Her long poem, co-written with David Bateman, came out in Fall 2009. Wait Until Late Afternoon is her first book-length poetry publication. Darkest Light, companion book to Half World, will be released in 2012 with Penguin Canada.
Hiromi is an active member of the literary community, a writing instructor, editor and the mother of two children. She has served in numerous writer-in-residencies and is currently in BC, working on Darkest Light.
Hiromi is an active member of the literary community, a writing instructor, editor and the mother of two children. She has served in numerous writer-in-residencies and is currently in BC, working on Darkest Light.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 28, 2014
Stuff I Read - Hopeful Monsters by Hiromi Goto Review
I picked this up in preparation for Wiscon '14 where the author will be one of the guests of honor. It's something of a strange thing, this collection, very dark, very concerned with the themes of death and dirth and family and culture. If it was just that I'd be tempted to say that it is typical, but this collection was anything but typical. The stories, ranging from rather mundane tales of picking relatives up at the airport to those featuring cat demons and kappa, are interesting and weird (in a good way). While existing only in the "real" world, the stories take elements of the fantastic, from children born with tails to obese women floating.
Probably the biggest obstacle for me getting into the stories, though, was my own lack of experience with either Canadian culture or Japanese culture, both of which are rather central to the story. I might not be wholly ignorant of them, because I have read a number of other Japanese collections and novels, but I did feel that there were some things that I was missing out on, that I didn't quite have the right frame of reference to understand. Or perhaps I just didn't know exactly what to think of some of the stories because they were very strange, surreal, where it was difficult to distinguish reality from dream. That said, I feel like I understand both cultures a little better now, which is always a good thing when looking at how successful a collection is.
My favorite stories probably were the ones that tended more into the speculative areas. Perhaps that's just my own bias, but Stinky Girl was my favorite, in part because it set up the character so vividly, and gave her a moment of true redemption and transformation, and in part because it was a voice that is so seldom heard in fiction. Similarly, the story with the kappa and the story with the cat demons and the story with the tails were also among my favorites, at least in part because they used those elements of Japanese folklore to make a statement about how the Japanese heritage is something difficult to bear at times in a Western country which has much more progressive ideas in certain areas (namely women's roles).
So this was a quite enjoyable collection, certainly dark, but funny at times, emotionally wrenching at others. Most of the stories worked well for me, and I think the structure of the collection was well thought out, moving nicely from moment to moment, from theme to theme. Nothing felt out of place, even the most fantastic elements, and it made me think, challenged me to figure some things out, to question how I read. It was a good collection, and a great bunch of stories, and I'm giving it an 8.25/10.
I picked this up in preparation for Wiscon '14 where the author will be one of the guests of honor. It's something of a strange thing, this collection, very dark, very concerned with the themes of death and dirth and family and culture. If it was just that I'd be tempted to say that it is typical, but this collection was anything but typical. The stories, ranging from rather mundane tales of picking relatives up at the airport to those featuring cat demons and kappa, are interesting and weird (in a good way). While existing only in the "real" world, the stories take elements of the fantastic, from children born with tails to obese women floating.
Probably the biggest obstacle for me getting into the stories, though, was my own lack of experience with either Canadian culture or Japanese culture, both of which are rather central to the story. I might not be wholly ignorant of them, because I have read a number of other Japanese collections and novels, but I did feel that there were some things that I was missing out on, that I didn't quite have the right frame of reference to understand. Or perhaps I just didn't know exactly what to think of some of the stories because they were very strange, surreal, where it was difficult to distinguish reality from dream. That said, I feel like I understand both cultures a little better now, which is always a good thing when looking at how successful a collection is.
My favorite stories probably were the ones that tended more into the speculative areas. Perhaps that's just my own bias, but Stinky Girl was my favorite, in part because it set up the character so vividly, and gave her a moment of true redemption and transformation, and in part because it was a voice that is so seldom heard in fiction. Similarly, the story with the kappa and the story with the cat demons and the story with the tails were also among my favorites, at least in part because they used those elements of Japanese folklore to make a statement about how the Japanese heritage is something difficult to bear at times in a Western country which has much more progressive ideas in certain areas (namely women's roles).
So this was a quite enjoyable collection, certainly dark, but funny at times, emotionally wrenching at others. Most of the stories worked well for me, and I think the structure of the collection was well thought out, moving nicely from moment to moment, from theme to theme. Nothing felt out of place, even the most fantastic elements, and it made me think, challenged me to figure some things out, to question how I read. It was a good collection, and a great bunch of stories, and I'm giving it an 8.25/10.
March 19, 2015
I was very impressed with this book of stories.
Many of them have twists of fantasy, especially at their ending; but they are rooted in domestic life and family dynamics. Two of the best stories, "Hopeful Monsters" and "Tales From the Breast", deal specifically with the trials of pregnancy and new motherhood. Many of the stories depict cross-cultural marriages between a Japanese and a Westerner; in "Camp Americana", an old, traditional Japanese man struggles to come to terms with his son's Westernized wife and children.
Goto's writing is subtle; she does a very effective job of putting the reader inside her character's heads, making us understand their anxieties and dreads. There's a constant tension underlying most of these stories; and yet, despite the fact that sometimes the characters' anxieties come true, there is also hope. In "Drift", we watch an angry young woman on holiday with her meek mother; by the end of the story she has come to realize how poorly she's treated her mother, and moved to make amends. "Hopeful Monsters" and "Stinky Girl" present us with the possibility that greatness can come from the very things which set us painfully apart from others.
I wouldn't say that every story here is powerful, but most of them are; and the ones that didn't interest me were generally short ("Night", "All Possible Moments"). Highly recommended.
Many of them have twists of fantasy, especially at their ending; but they are rooted in domestic life and family dynamics. Two of the best stories, "Hopeful Monsters" and "Tales From the Breast", deal specifically with the trials of pregnancy and new motherhood. Many of the stories depict cross-cultural marriages between a Japanese and a Westerner; in "Camp Americana", an old, traditional Japanese man struggles to come to terms with his son's Westernized wife and children.
Goto's writing is subtle; she does a very effective job of putting the reader inside her character's heads, making us understand their anxieties and dreads. There's a constant tension underlying most of these stories; and yet, despite the fact that sometimes the characters' anxieties come true, there is also hope. In "Drift", we watch an angry young woman on holiday with her meek mother; by the end of the story she has come to realize how poorly she's treated her mother, and moved to make amends. "Hopeful Monsters" and "Stinky Girl" present us with the possibility that greatness can come from the very things which set us painfully apart from others.
I wouldn't say that every story here is powerful, but most of them are; and the ones that didn't interest me were generally short ("Night", "All Possible Moments"). Highly recommended.
May 11, 2014
Most of the stories in this collection stick in the mind. Goto creates strong characters, places, and situations. The horror she finds in some common parts of life becomes that much more visceral for it.
"Tales from the Breast" was the closest to a twist-ending story here, but it was a great one. Funny and a bit terrifying at the same time. Sometimes a person's body can become alien to them, and the portrayal of just how difficult breast-feeding might be worked to heighten that sense.
"Drift" wasn't as much a story as it was a snapshot. It brought Kawabata to mind. The trudge through the snow and the subsequent rest in the hot-spring made me long for winter.
"From Across a River" and "Camp Americana" were the creepiest stories here. "River" had a woman going mad from the loss of a child, trying to deal with life through the murk of that aftermath, and "Americana" had a judgmental old man having his fears realized. With both, Goto connects to real life in such a way to enhance the effect of the surreal.
"Stinky Girl" had the most distinctive voice in the whole collection, and, to me the most unreliable narrator. After discussion with another reader who took everything as straight-forward, I found that the story was effective both ways.
The shortest stories in the collection worked the least for me. I just couldn't quite understand them.
"Tales from the Breast" was the closest to a twist-ending story here, but it was a great one. Funny and a bit terrifying at the same time. Sometimes a person's body can become alien to them, and the portrayal of just how difficult breast-feeding might be worked to heighten that sense.
"Drift" wasn't as much a story as it was a snapshot. It brought Kawabata to mind. The trudge through the snow and the subsequent rest in the hot-spring made me long for winter.
"From Across a River" and "Camp Americana" were the creepiest stories here. "River" had a woman going mad from the loss of a child, trying to deal with life through the murk of that aftermath, and "Americana" had a judgmental old man having his fears realized. With both, Goto connects to real life in such a way to enhance the effect of the surreal.
"Stinky Girl" had the most distinctive voice in the whole collection, and, to me the most unreliable narrator. After discussion with another reader who took everything as straight-forward, I found that the story was effective both ways.
The shortest stories in the collection worked the least for me. I just couldn't quite understand them.
October 1, 2017
So I'll be honest - while the writer and the reader in me agree that this collection is beautifully, even masterfully written, many of its subtleties are completely lost on me. It's not a collection to sit down and read in a sitting or two - though it was assigned as a reading assignment for a graduate class to be completed in a week. This one takes digesting and contemplation and several re-reads. While I generally appreciate that kind of complexity - I think this collection is missing balance.
I would recommend this to friends who like to tackle very complex fiction and like a challenge but I'd suggest reading one story at a time and waiting for that story to process before moving on.
I would recommend this to friends who like to tackle very complex fiction and like a challenge but I'd suggest reading one story at a time and waiting for that story to process before moving on.
May 3, 2019
Mixed collection, with some quite lyrical pieces (like Osmosis and Night), some speculative fiction (the title story and both succeed), and some realist works (including Tilting and Drift).
Of each type, some were enjoyable and had meaning for me, and other fell short. Many stories were about marriage and motherhood, family, all were about women, and that thread joined them all together nicely.
Night - 5
Osmosis - 5
Tilting - 2
-
Tales from the Breast - 4
Drift - 3
Home Stay - 2
From Across a River - 3
-
Hopeful Monsters - 4
All Possible Moments - 3
Of each type, some were enjoyable and had meaning for me, and other fell short. Many stories were about marriage and motherhood, family, all were about women, and that thread joined them all together nicely.
Night - 5
Osmosis - 5
Tilting - 2
-
Tales from the Breast - 4
Drift - 3
Home Stay - 2
From Across a River - 3
-
Hopeful Monsters - 4
All Possible Moments - 3
May 17, 2021
This book was gifted to me and it's just not my kind of book. I found it a bit strange which I guess was the point and maybe if I looked at it more like a "school book", I would find it more interesting, but I'm not great with books that are more on the poetic side. In university, this was a side of my brain that I really had to focus on using and now that I am out of that world, I don't enjoy reading this style of book in my spare time.
July 3, 2021
also really good!!! the author writes such creative and visceral description & similes wow!! some of the stories didn’t make much sense to me or weren’t quite to my taste but the ones that were were so so good
August 26, 2021
A bizarre set of short stories that steadily drew me in as the book progressed. I particularly enjoyed “Camp Americana” and the title story. Very well done.
October 20, 2024
did not and will not finish ☹️
October 28, 2024
Just didn’t enjoy these that much 🤷🏼♀️ not my kind of short story
October 6, 2014
An excellent collection of short stories dealing with themes of family, birth, motherhood and mother-daughter relationships. Using magical realism, Goto, explores life experiences of immigrants and communities that are "othered" America, in particular, Canada.
What I really connected with from this collection of short stories was the realness of the characters' experiences. The mother who is breastfeeding and the physical and emotional pain she experiences as well as the ways that her feelings and experiences are invalidated because she should sacrifice self for the need of her child. The daughter who takes her mother hiking and comes to realize that her mother is her frustrating mother but accepting of the daughter's sexuality in the only way she knows to be. So much intense expression of people in only a few stories. Definitely a book to keep and re-read when you want to appreciate the human relationships.
What I really connected with from this collection of short stories was the realness of the characters' experiences. The mother who is breastfeeding and the physical and emotional pain she experiences as well as the ways that her feelings and experiences are invalidated because she should sacrifice self for the need of her child. The daughter who takes her mother hiking and comes to realize that her mother is her frustrating mother but accepting of the daughter's sexuality in the only way she knows to be. So much intense expression of people in only a few stories. Definitely a book to keep and re-read when you want to appreciate the human relationships.
February 21, 2016
Start with Shirley Jackson's cynicism and sense of horror, mix in the mythic and folkloric qualities of Nalo Hopkinson's work, and add a dash of poetry, and you have Goto's short stories. We got this volume after listening to Goto read from "Tales From the Breast" at WisCon, and the end of the story was not a disappointment. The rest of the stories are just as good, and just as gripping.
October 4, 2008
Tales of domestic life, almost all from a Japanese woman's perspective. Not written for my demographic.
Stinky Girl stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Other stories I would give the thumbs up to:
Tales from the Breast
Drift (was ok)
Home Stay
From Across a River
Stinky Girl stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Other stories I would give the thumbs up to:
Tales from the Breast
Drift (was ok)
Home Stay
From Across a River
July 27, 2013
The title story made me almost throw up. I was like, oh my god, I cannot read this while I eat. THEN I was like, I DON'T HAVE TO FINISH IT AT ALL. I let it gooooo. Some of the other stories were really good, but still a lot of gross body stuff making me uneasy throughout. Bods! Yuck!
November 19, 2013
The stories are such a mixed bag - I really enjoyed some of them (including the title one) and others left me completely unimpressed.
December 21, 2014
Amazingly abnormal (and sometimes scary) short stories that examine a lot of complex themes.
January 8, 2015
Hit or miss. Some really great stories and some that I didn't quite follow. Overall enjoyable.
August 15, 2009
Creepy. And fantastic.
April 30, 2017
A beautiful collection of stories. I love the ways that physicality is captured in her writing. "Drift" epitomized that for me with the descriptions of hiking through the snow and falling in the snow drifts. And the relationships - the families described here are often full of aggravations and anger but a desire for connections and inter-generational care are always there. "Camp Americana" displays these relationships vividly. The hopeful monsters of the collection are often the central characters of the stories, as in the title story and "Stinky Girl." And I loved that their hope comes from a place of seeing who they are and deciding to love and celebrate, and sometimes fight for, that true self.
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October 21, 2017“I don’t know why, but I have all my clothes on, you know. Everyone else is naked. And I think, ‘How strange,’but not because everyone is naked. Something else bothers me, only I don’t, I can’t see it.”She leans into her cup and takes a sip of beer. Smack. Smack. The young woman leans back in her chair and sets her feet on the seat opposite, between her mother’s legs, still intently watching her grandmother’s face. “Everyone starts kissing and touching each other. Men and women, women and women, men and men. And it’s good. Healthy. Then a woman I’ve never met before comes to me and starts touching my breasts and stroking my neck and I feel fine. Yes, fine. Then a man, a stranger, he pushes her away and starts to kiss me. I’m not sure about this, but he keeps on kissing me and kneels down to kiss my breasts through my clothes. I’m still half-pleasured from the woman touching me, but it’s going away and my head is clearing.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews