Seen Reading

by Julie Wilson

Seen Reading is the exciting debut collection of microfictions from Canada's pre-eminent literary voyeur, Julie Wilson. Based on the beloved online movement of the same name, Seen Reading collects more than a hundred fictions inspired by sightings of people reading on Toronto transit, each reader re-invented in a poetic piece of short fiction. Tender, poignant, and fun, Seen Reading offers readers an inspired fictional map while charting an urban centre's cultural commitment to books and literature.

Genres: Short Stories, Canada, Fiction, Books About Books, Contemporary, Slice Of Life

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

Reviews

[Mandie Lowe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the idea of this book, but it fell short in the execution. I fail to see how the short stories (or microfictions) are connected to the readers mentioned. For example, here is one of the stories:

His mother's poodle is named after Esther, his great aunt who left the monastery in her 50s to study reproductive medicine.

Would it matter if the reader was a Caucasian male in his mid-thirties who was seen reading The God Delusion? Or if he was an Asian male, mid-20s, with neat black hair, wearing fogged glasses, black wharf jacket, and black corduroy cap, reading Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers?

To me it would make no difference and so it became tedious to try and find the link between these inspired imaginings and the real readers spotted on public transport. Eventually I gave up and just read the stories without caring about who inspired them. The stories elicited no emotions in me, they were just words on a page that I knew someone had made up. Wilson quotes the famous "short story" allegedly written by Hemingway, "For sale, baby shoes, never worn." That certainly inspires emotion in me.

Why then did these stories fall so flat for me? They weren't funny or sad or shocking. Several stories showcased cruelty, which I found cruel in itself, to imagine such horrible things about strangers.

Perhaps the book would be better in short bursts, and not read end to end as I did. It just didn't appeal to me, I thought the stories were uninspired and dull. I have a friend who makes up stories about strangers we see in public and he will often have me in stitches with the things he imagines. Perhaps these mundane stories pale in comparison.

Obviously many people enjoyed the book and I assume the review readers will be able to decide for themselves if it is something they might find interesting. If all else fails, one might at least find a new book to read, although Goodreads has made that so easy.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing collection that combines the best of a non-fiction appreciation of the act of reading (and of capturing beautiful moments in time observing people reading in public), and incredibly unique and fascinating flash fiction bits.

Wilson is as brilliant at writing creative fiction as she is at capturing the perfect "book nerd" mindset (ie, those who get excited at the mere fact that people are reading) and the voyeuristic thrill of spotting someone reading in the wild.

I knew, having previously read Wilson's blog of the same name, that I was going to like this book, but I had no idea how much I was going to love it because of the extra bonus of the flash fiction pieces included.

[Brian Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie Wilson’s Seen Reading takes real reader sightings (she lists physical descriptions and the book the person is reading) and then creates “micro fictions” where she imagines moments in these readers’ lives. I really liked her writing style and I also enjoyed the range of books featured (including Fruit by yours truly). I also appreciated the descriptions of the readers. Sometimes, readers find writers mysterious, but I think the reverse is often true. In the end, we’re all curious about one another’s interior lives. Seen Reading doesn’t shy away from that. In fact, it celebrates that curiosity in a way that’s smart, creative and personal.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful little collection of super short stories inspired by Julie Wilson's reader sightings on the TTC. Incidentally, because each entry is at most a page in length, this book was perfect for me to read on the TTC each day during my commute. I wonder if anyone saw me reading Seen Reading...:)

[kaitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

great concept

[Alceste · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why I read this book? I like the idea it expresses, a bit, but I liked the cover most. It is an exceptional work, exceptional and a great concept. The concept of sightseeing of readers might be creepy to some, but it’s an idea and curiosity of the author to look around and see what others are reading. Imagine yourself, and tell me you would like to do that too. The book is a collection micro-fictions and brief descriptions of people the author has glanced reading in public. Each story in its brevity is able to capture a scene, a character, and her feelings in a remarkably short space. You might be disappointed as it goes on giving the descriptions, but it’s a very good way to indulge yourself in new books. You can try new books by snooping yourself. The range of featured books is large and fascinating. Some of them, you might have read. I picked this neat little book as a random, and I guess I am satisfied with the concept of the book.

[Taisa Snihura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ✨Points for creativity

[Miz Moffatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review posted on Across the Litoverse

Toronto's known for its multicultural roots and its open-minded citizens—and now, thanks to the Seen Reading movement, we can add well-read (and also well-dressed) to the mix.

As a self-professed literary voyeur, Julie Wilson was fascinated by the bookish exhibitionism of her fellow commuters and those readers occupying park benches, mall food courts, bars, and other shared spaces in Toronto. How does the private act of reading transform in the public realm? As a reader dives into a fictional world and disengages with the city around her, she's also creating her own narrative in the minds of those around her. Who is this woman? Where's she heading? How does her chosen reading material reflect who she is, and how does that choice affect our reading of her?

Wilson's stories capture brief moments in the lives of these readers—sometimes, we're taken into a character's immediate experience as a stalled train or an unruly child distracts a reader from her book; other times, we're invited further back into a character's life and re-live a scene from his childhood, or discover a tragic event she lived through last year. Characters are named either He or She to preserve the quiet anonymity of the reader sighting, and to invite multiple readings of the same person. Our interpretations define ourselves as much as they define others, and Wilson encourages her readers to create their own reader backstories while enjoying the microfictions featured throughout Seen Reading.

Not to mention, Wilson's reader sightings include a fair bit of contemporary CanLit—so, readers will not only find an excellent microfiction collection to kick-start their summers, they'll also find a well-rounded reading list to carry them through the fall and winter months. It's a literary Win-Win, folks.

Ideal for: Microfiction and short story fans; Voyeurs who take their literary recommendations from fellow commuters; Readers based in Toronto or the GTA who love finding their city reflected in writing; Kids eager to join in the #SeenReading Movement on Twitter.

[Chantale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wilson is a "literary voyeur" who imagines the reading lives of travelers & commuters she sees reading mainly on public transit. She gives us a description of the reader, the title, author, publisher and edition of the book she sees them reading and the page number they are at in the book. She creates what she calls "poetic short fictions" about each of these readers, anywhere from a few paragraphs to two pages. These microfictions were written between a 4-5 year period and some are taken from Julie's blog or Twitter feed.

#BarrieON. Female, thirties, purple skirt and tank top at outdoor cafe. Seen Reading by Julie Wilson. #seenreading

I liked seeing the trends in reading based on publication dates vs classic and older books which give us a glimpse of people's reading lives. There was more public reading of Canadian authors (and Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award nominees) than I expected: Brian Francis, Nalo Hopkins, Lynn Coady, Joseph Boyden, etc. Is this a true representation or did she pick them on purpose for inclusion in Seen Reading? Other "sightings" that stood out for me were a Buffy graphic novel, a Harlan Coben, Emily Giffin and a sci-fi book.

I kept trying to figure out why based on the description of the person or the title of the book or the author Wilson imagined this life for her "readers". Sometimes, as was the case where the person was wearing a leather jacket you could see the seed for the story, but in other cases I couldn't guess at her inspiration. Her Reading Guide to 'Seen Reading', helped clear this up for me: "Just as I could (or, at least, should) never conclude anything absolute about a reader simply based on appearance, each fiction is merely a speculation of their past, present, or future." Reading Guide link: http://www.seenreading.com/media/seen... . Did you know that "each chapter’s title is a one-sentence story; so the Table of Contents is its own collection of microfictions!"

What reading experience of this book wouldn't be complete without Tweeting a reader sighting - hashtag #seenreading ?

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't heard of the term 'microfictions' before, although I'm aware of the concept. In Seen Reading the stories are more abbreviated than your typical short story, contained in half to a full page at most. The format is just perfect for public transit, or reading during lunch, or similar times when you may only have a few minutes of uninterrupted time to read a whole story.

The amazing thing about this collection is that each story in its brevity is able to capture a scene, a character, and her feelings in a remarkably short space. Often objects evoke memories in the characters, which paint a picture of their emotional life quite vividly.

I found myself reading the right-hand page of each spread first, which contained the description of the reader and what book he was seen reading. Then I would read the microfiction, trying to assess how each story was inspired. Was it the book? The look of the person? This added a layer of contemplation to my reading of the book that I quite enjoyed. It allowed me to think about each microfiction a little longer.

Having read this book cover to cover, I believe I will enjoy diving in at random in the future to sample the stories out of order, like sampling candies from a jar.

[Reese · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, first off, I'll preface this by saying that I'm not a fan of micro-fiction, hence the "okay" rating. I think the bodies of work in microfiction (kind of an oxymoron that) is indeed valid, it just doesn't feed into my obsessive data lust for more content.

That being said, I enjoyed several of the stories in this work. I will admit that being a transit-bound Torontonian, I scoured the book for descriptions of people that I knew, as well as books that I've read. *ego/stalker alert* The voyeuristic angle might work for some, but at times it felt a wee bit too invasive and I reprimanded myself for indulging in Wilson's imagination at the expense of others' privacy.

While I didn't recognize any of the readers described, I did recognize them in the sense that I've seen many people just like them, reading works not unlike the ones listed in their story.

That aspect of the specificity of the Toronto TTC reading experience was pretty neat. Specific, and yet quite universal.

BONUS POINTS: This was a truly fast read too, which works well for commuters with multiple transfer points.

TREND TO FOLLOW: Reading on the transit about people who read on the transit is very meta... and very hipster Toronto.

[Rikke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not at all what I had expected it to be. While I think Wilson writes beautifully and creates such an interesting link between reality and fiction, I had thought this book would provide me with a stronger correlation between the actual people sighted and the imaginative writing about their lives.

Too often the description of a particular reader with a particular book did not influence the story at all. For a long time I desperately struggled to find the link between the reader description and Wilson's side story, until I finally realized there wasn't supposed to be any connection. Wilson simply sees a reader on the train, and imagines a fragment of the life the person might lead. This book is nothing less or nothing more than simple people-watching with a spice of literature.

Wilson is quite skilled with her writing, and her little pieces of micro-fiction manages to capture entire scenes and moods in less than a page. But too often I thought the simple descriptions of the people she has seen were far more interesting, than the stories they resulted in.

[Aman Mittal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why I read this book? I like the idea it expresses, a bit, but I liked the cover most. It is an exceptional work, exceptional and a great concept. The concept of sightseeing of readers might be creepy to some, but it’s an idea and curiosity of the author to look around and see what others are reading. Imagine yourself, and tell me you would like to do that too. The book is a collection micro-fictions and brief descriptions of people the author has glanced reading in public. Each story in its brevity is able to capture a scene, a character, and her feelings in a remarkably short space. You might be disappointed as it goes on giving the descriptions, but it’s a very good way to indulge yourself in new books. You can try new books by snooping yourself. The range of featured books is large and fascinating. Some of them, you might have read. I picked this neat little book as a random, and I guess I am satisfied with the concept of the book.

[Katie Farris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from the stories themselves, which are wonderful, what I love most about this collection is the way it sent me back to my books—back to those books I’ve read, to each page number, to find what resonates with the story Wilson has written. Sometimes I was rewarded by a very clear connection—the formal resonance between “After Joe Brainard” and Brainard’s I Remember, or the presence of a character swimming in both “Morning Glories” and Amy Blooms’ wonderful book A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You. Sometimes the connection was more tenuous, but still present—in “Rumble Row,” a young girl thinks about being a superhero, which connects with the Buffy comic that’s being read. In this way, the book highlights not only Toronto’s literary community, but transcends time and space to highlight the largely tacit community of readers and writers—how we’re all connected through these words on a page.

[Ruth Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far so very interesting. At least one of the flash fictions should be carried along into a full short story. Perhaps even a novel. I like the feel of the book very much. A great 'heft' and texture. Gorgeous layout. And a kind of 'conversation' going on that is cool. Julie called it "meta" at her reading at Blue Heron Books May 2nd. Okay, says I. Let's see what meta means to me.

UPDATE: Quite enjoyed this book and will return to it. I can't sit on the GO Train or in any public place without wondering about what the person is reading and how the experience is going for her or him. So frustrated by e-readers as you can never know what they are reading. Oh well. I guess I could imagine that they are on page 78 of Margaret Laurence's "The Diviners" or page 102 of Alice Munro's "Selected Stories."

Imagination. Such a useful tool for readers as well as writers.

[Heather Clitheroe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I thought the premise sounded charming. But the whole 'voyeur' thing becomes very apparent and it feels a bit creepy: she's making up stories about real people, then describing their appearance, including their ethnicity. The more I read, the more uncomfortable I felt: these are not characters - they are people who are being used by Wilson to 'inspire' micro fictions. I take public transit. I'd be upset if I knew somebody was spinning a story about me - one that wasn't actually true - and then describing me, physically, saying what I was wearing, what I was reading, and what page I was on.

It's not so very charming. If Wilson were a man, it would be downright pervy. It gradually turned into a creepy read for me, and I gave it up.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isn't there just a bit of a Peeping Tom/Thomasina in each of us? If you've ever wished you could be a fly on a wall, Julie Wilson's book might be for you. If you absolutely love reading and have struck up conversations with total strangers based on the fact that they were book browsing and you wanted to make a recommendation, Julie Wilson's book might be for you. If you're stuck for something new to read... well, you get my point.

This book is a collection of Wilson's observations made while spying on people seen reading (hence, the title) in public. Each chapter is an excerpt from a book along with a brief description of the person observed reading it.


I would love to know what the author's motivation was for the content of this book, which I greatly enjoyed.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I absolutely adored the writing style and atmosphere of the separate stories throughout the book, I feel like the real premise behind the book was lost. And I have to admit, the premise is the only reason I picked up this book because as a Torontonian I couldn't resist.

But I found myself really disappointed at the lack of connection between the people described and the stories. It eventually got to the point where I found myself ignoring the descriptions in favour of the stories. If this had just been a book of short stories without the descriptions I would have rated it higher. But because it was meant to be a key part of the novel I can't find myself rating it higher than 2 stars.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snippets of life, these short stories are indeed short. About 2/3rds through I stopped paying attention to the reader info that Wilson includes that inspired each story; the reader seen reading may have inspired Wilson but there's rarely any correlation between the reader and her story. Although I normally like short stories and even super short stories, most of these didn't leave me feeling or thinking anything, rather like watching people pass by on transit. There were a couple of them that snagged at my imagination but overall I was underwhelmed by this collection.

[Karrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the premise of this book, create stories inspired by people you spy reading on public transit. The stories are short and either blunt or merely hint at the hidden lives of the subjects. Some are quite moving, and remind me of one of my favourites World's Shortest Stories edited by Steve Moss. My objection, or perhaps my disappointment is that the stories aren't more related to the books being read. My own bias of judging people by the books they are reading didn't play out in the stories, so it is my preconception that spoiled this for me.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

How often in a public space, do we look around wondering about our fellow travelers? What are they really like? What are they thinking about? Who are they, really?

"Seen Reading" is a beautiful collection on the daily "secrets" of suburbanites. Arriving quickly at the end of the book, I found I wanted it desperately to continue!

These little vignettes do give you such a sense of voyeurism, sneaking peeks through personal windows that normally are closed to the public eye.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Canuck author has a book of subway sightings of readers; she lists a brief physical description, the book and then oppposite page a short story. Original concept, I kept hoping her next desription would be of me! Wish I could list this at 3 and a half stars, not strong enough to be 4. Felt as if something was missing, what I'm not sure. Perfect TTC read, can see people finding it dry to sit and read through like a novel.

[Nicole Normand · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was gifted this book; this is my honest review
-Like many other readers, I didn't see the correlation between what the reader looked like or was wearing, what the book was and the mini story. After a few attempts, I stopped and enjoyed the stories.
-Sad, joyful, scary, ugly. Romance, horror, mystery, thriller. All in one book. There's something for everyone.
-Some stories are better than the others. Some I wished I never read. Some I wished to have a continuation of it.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting concept. I was a little worried about people's privacy when I first read some of the reviews on here, but once I started reading I found them vague enough that it didn't bother me.

I can see myself going back to this book to flip through now and again and enjoyed having something light but still satisfying while on the train.

[Chinook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the short stories and it was interesting to see that a lot of the books being read were Canadian. Coincidence or do Canadians tend to read a lot of their own writers? I'd assumed I'd be able to see the connections between the stories and the descriptions of the readers and I generally couldn't.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

One story (the lit cigarette one) stuck with me, the rest flitted out as soon as I turned each page. The voyeur aspect got creepier as I kept reading. Maybe less police-profile type descriptions would have helped that?

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of micro-fictions inspired by brief descriptions of people the author has glimpsed reading in public. This was convenient for reading during breaks at work, but I found the short descriptions of the readers more interesting than the fictions that resulted.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the coolest thing!
I've never thought about how what I read might say to people who see me reading all over the place as I love to do :) I'm intrigued by the concept and the execution of this book and it has certainly made me more observant and curious. LOVE THIS BOOK

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this concept better in theory than execution but still, kind of a neat little book.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]