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Light Box by K. J. Orr
From Argentina to Siberia, Papua New Guinea to London and New York, Light Box explores lives in transition, in a world where boundaries and human relationships are shifting. An astronaut struggles to adapt to life back on earth; a young man discovers he is going blind in a foreign city; a retired plastic surgeon uncovers old wounds; and two lovers become unexpectedly intimate. Each tale in K J Orr’s moving collection is charged with the irrepressible human urge to connect in the face of disorientating change.
With exquisitely cadenced storytelling, Orr introduces us to worlds and places that are both familiar and askew. Her landscapes are instantly recognisable, yet tinged with a lingering sense of uncertainty. The result is a wonderfully diverse and captivating debut from a rising literary talent.
With exquisitely cadenced storytelling, Orr introduces us to worlds and places that are both familiar and askew. Her landscapes are instantly recognisable, yet tinged with a lingering sense of uncertainty. The result is a wonderfully diverse and captivating debut from a rising literary talent.
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First published February 18, 2016
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About the author
K.J. Orr
9 books6 followersK J Orr was born in London. Her short fiction has been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and published by Daunt Books, Comma Press, The Sunday Times Magazine and The White Review, among others. In 2011 she was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award. She is currently completing her debut collection of stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
December 7, 2016
The Light Box is a collection of eleven short stories that are well grounded in real life. Orr explores her stories through different geographical locations- Siberia, Papua New Guinea, London and New York, all set in a contemporary world.
There is no unifying theme throughout the book. Light Box explores the way people respond to change. Her stories explore the immediate areas around the crucial point and often end with an air of inconclusivity. The writing is spare and without flamboyant descriptions, but conveys the idea of the storie very well.
My favourite story in the collection is Disappearances , which won the BBC National Short story Award 2016. A retired, rich plastic surgeon starts a new habit of spending mornings in a café. He grows to enjoy the company of a local waitress. He enjoys her painting another past for him and plays along because he wants a new story about his life. However, when some ex-clients see him at the café, he fears they might spoil his plan for a new identity.
You can read a detailed review as well as my take on the different stories in the collection here - http://www.thebooksatchel.com/light-b...
Much thanks to Daunt Books for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own
There is no unifying theme throughout the book. Light Box explores the way people respond to change. Her stories explore the immediate areas around the crucial point and often end with an air of inconclusivity. The writing is spare and without flamboyant descriptions, but conveys the idea of the storie very well.
My favourite story in the collection is Disappearances , which won the BBC National Short story Award 2016. A retired, rich plastic surgeon starts a new habit of spending mornings in a café. He grows to enjoy the company of a local waitress. He enjoys her painting another past for him and plays along because he wants a new story about his life. However, when some ex-clients see him at the café, he fears they might spoil his plan for a new identity.
You can read a detailed review as well as my take on the different stories in the collection here - http://www.thebooksatchel.com/light-b...
Much thanks to Daunt Books for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own
March 12, 2017
I only came across this because it was listed for the inaugural Republic of Consciousness Prize (this is a crowd-funded literary award in the UK for small presses, nothing to do with consciousness or new age thought or anything.) Then I noticed that it won the 2016 BBC Short Story Award.
I always struggle with short stories, I'd say my reading experience of this is 3.5 stars, rounding up to allow for my story issue.
My two favorites were "The Lake Shore Limited" and "Rehearsal Room," but overall I was struck by imperfect characters, careful build and story craft, and slow reveals.
I always struggle with short stories, I'd say my reading experience of this is 3.5 stars, rounding up to allow for my story issue.
My two favorites were "The Lake Shore Limited" and "Rehearsal Room," but overall I was struck by imperfect characters, careful build and story craft, and slow reveals.
November 30, 2021
Beautiful spare writing, with a kind of longing in each one. Two young brothers cross a frozen lake, a man goes on holiday to Japan but doesn't leave the hotel. But I had a problem with the resolutions and the fact that none of them ended on a point of completeness for me.
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.
February 23, 2017
It is quite trendy at the moment to market collections of short stories as novels (I call these "shovels") and sometimes the links between the stories can seem a bit forced in order to justify the marketing as a novel.
Orr’s book of short stories is marketed simply as that, but it is clear that there are several thematic links between the stories. For me, ten of the eleven stories put people together who are strangers or, in the case of an astronaut returning to his wife after a long mission, have become strangers through prolonged absence and changes that have happened. In each of these ten stories, I found myself thinking about the fact that you can’t make assumptions about a person. You don’t know what is happening to the man standing next to you on the train. You don’t know what the man sitting next to you on the plane is really like. The waitress who serves you coffee could have any history (as could you, from her perspective). And so it goes on until the final story, number eleven, in which a man tries to come to terms with being alone and his life being on pause.
Several of the stories are emotional. All are well written with a simplicity of language that conveys the story and the emotions without unnecessary complexity. I found the earlier stories in the book more compelling than the later ones, with the exception of the melancholy of the final story, but all of them are strong stories told well.
(Read as part of reading all the nominees for the Republic of Consciousness Prize).
Orr’s book of short stories is marketed simply as that, but it is clear that there are several thematic links between the stories. For me, ten of the eleven stories put people together who are strangers or, in the case of an astronaut returning to his wife after a long mission, have become strangers through prolonged absence and changes that have happened. In each of these ten stories, I found myself thinking about the fact that you can’t make assumptions about a person. You don’t know what is happening to the man standing next to you on the train. You don’t know what the man sitting next to you on the plane is really like. The waitress who serves you coffee could have any history (as could you, from her perspective). And so it goes on until the final story, number eleven, in which a man tries to come to terms with being alone and his life being on pause.
Several of the stories are emotional. All are well written with a simplicity of language that conveys the story and the emotions without unnecessary complexity. I found the earlier stories in the book more compelling than the later ones, with the exception of the melancholy of the final story, but all of them are strong stories told well.
(Read as part of reading all the nominees for the Republic of Consciousness Prize).
March 11, 2017
Short stories collection aren't my reading medium of choice and I came to this via the wonderful new crowd-funded Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses, indeed I won a copy in a prize-draw for those funding the prize.
Having said that, K.J. Orr was already on my literary radar screen as her story, "Disappearances", featured in this collection, won the 2016 BBC Short Story Prize competition, from a very strong shortlist including the excellent Claire-Louise Bennett and Hilary Mantel, and this is a very good example of the genre.
Disappearances is typical of Orr's stories, which roam across different settings (Japan, Buenos Aires, Lake Baikal, a train trip in the northeast of the US, an astronaut trying to settle back into daily life), which usually hinge around discontinuities in personal relationships at an inflexion point in life, and which avoid any easy resolution.
In Disappearances, a retired plastic surgeon in Buenos Aires, out for an earlier walk stumbles across a humble cafe:
It is odd how places local to us can remain invisible for so long – until one day they simply present themselves
The waitress assumes, when he admits to being a surgeon, that he saved lives rather than performed facelifts on vain and wealthy clients, and he makes his visit there, under-dressed, an early-morning ritual, enjoying the feeling:
I maintain the illusion she’s created. It’s not hard. If she likes thinking of me as some sort of hero, should I stop her? I like these mornings, and am loath to disrupt them. I like the silent agreement, the way she mostly ignores me, works around me. And she obviously admires the work she thinks I have done.
Later, and coincidentally, he sees one of his ex-clients in the same cafe, and notices the boorish and condescending way she treats the waitress:
The very wealthy too often forget their manners – maybe because they have no cause to remember them. Often they give the impression that it is not forgetfulness at all but clear intention that makes them do it, a kind of assertion of their greater importance in the world.
But when this lady turns up on another day with her friend, another product of his scalpel, the two recognise him and his relationship with the waitress is shattered, as she realises who, or rather what, he is, meaning that he never does find out the secret of her scarred hands.
Other personal favourites were:
By the Canal, when a whirlwind romance between two lovers who meet on a plane is shattered when they encounter a dog critically wounded in a car accident and feel they must do something: Orr's prose captures wonderfully the man attempting to put the dog out of its misery, but finding it is easier said than done, and his lover's growing disgust.
And The Inland Sea, a beautiful story set (although this is not explicitly stated) literally on Lake Baikal, as two young boys attempt to cross the lake over the ice. The following manages to both describe the scene and explain their mourning for their mother:
Far ahead of them he can see conifers, and birches - slivers of upright silver, lining the banks of the lake. With their father they have been to forest where the trees are lined up like ghostly battalions, clouding the horizon in layered multitudes, even then barely there. Dead souls, their mother would have said.
Her curiosity towards old superstitions had come laced with a love of ambiguity. Details so familiar they were considered fact would be entirely altered.
Definitely recommended to fans of short stories. 3.5 stars, but more rounded down for my own lack of enthusiasm for the form: I would love to see the author venture into novels.
Having said that, K.J. Orr was already on my literary radar screen as her story, "Disappearances", featured in this collection, won the 2016 BBC Short Story Prize competition, from a very strong shortlist including the excellent Claire-Louise Bennett and Hilary Mantel, and this is a very good example of the genre.
Disappearances is typical of Orr's stories, which roam across different settings (Japan, Buenos Aires, Lake Baikal, a train trip in the northeast of the US, an astronaut trying to settle back into daily life), which usually hinge around discontinuities in personal relationships at an inflexion point in life, and which avoid any easy resolution.
In Disappearances, a retired plastic surgeon in Buenos Aires, out for an earlier walk stumbles across a humble cafe:
It is odd how places local to us can remain invisible for so long – until one day they simply present themselves
The waitress assumes, when he admits to being a surgeon, that he saved lives rather than performed facelifts on vain and wealthy clients, and he makes his visit there, under-dressed, an early-morning ritual, enjoying the feeling:
I maintain the illusion she’s created. It’s not hard. If she likes thinking of me as some sort of hero, should I stop her? I like these mornings, and am loath to disrupt them. I like the silent agreement, the way she mostly ignores me, works around me. And she obviously admires the work she thinks I have done.
Later, and coincidentally, he sees one of his ex-clients in the same cafe, and notices the boorish and condescending way she treats the waitress:
The very wealthy too often forget their manners – maybe because they have no cause to remember them. Often they give the impression that it is not forgetfulness at all but clear intention that makes them do it, a kind of assertion of their greater importance in the world.
But when this lady turns up on another day with her friend, another product of his scalpel, the two recognise him and his relationship with the waitress is shattered, as she realises who, or rather what, he is, meaning that he never does find out the secret of her scarred hands.
Other personal favourites were:
By the Canal, when a whirlwind romance between two lovers who meet on a plane is shattered when they encounter a dog critically wounded in a car accident and feel they must do something: Orr's prose captures wonderfully the man attempting to put the dog out of its misery, but finding it is easier said than done, and his lover's growing disgust.
And The Inland Sea, a beautiful story set (although this is not explicitly stated) literally on Lake Baikal, as two young boys attempt to cross the lake over the ice. The following manages to both describe the scene and explain their mourning for their mother:
Far ahead of them he can see conifers, and birches - slivers of upright silver, lining the banks of the lake. With their father they have been to forest where the trees are lined up like ghostly battalions, clouding the horizon in layered multitudes, even then barely there. Dead souls, their mother would have said.
Her curiosity towards old superstitions had come laced with a love of ambiguity. Details so familiar they were considered fact would be entirely altered.
Definitely recommended to fans of short stories. 3.5 stars, but more rounded down for my own lack of enthusiasm for the form: I would love to see the author venture into novels.
December 19, 2020
This gets an extra star for how incredibly pretty it is.
October 14, 2017
Ok, so the last short story collection I reviewed was Birds of a Lesser Paradise, which I said was well-written despite its other shortcomings. I have to take that back, because this collection is what well-written means. I think it’s the best written collection I’ve read in a long time – though An Account of the Decline of the Great Auk.. and The Purple Swamp Hen are close contenders – yet I did have some difficulty warming to the stories, at least in the beginning. I think I’ve been used to the meaning being clear to me, but here it wasn’t until at a later point, and I think I missed there being a kind of resolution in some of the stories – though I know that is not the point of a short story, necessarily. But the writing and the ingenuity in the plots makes it difficult not to enjoy this collection, regardless!
The Human Circadian Pacemaker (where I suspect the title comes from) and Blackout were my favourites, I think, and I found myself wishing they were entire novels instead of just short stories. In most of the stories some sort of life-altering change is going on and it is fascinating to observe the characters struggling to connect with someone – or trying to avoid it, but finding that it’s an irrepressible human need – in the face of that change.
Although not feeling sure about this collection in the beginning, I warmed to it towards the end, and I’d probably give it 3.5 stars if it were possible. Since it isn’t, I’m rounding up to 4, because I’m feeling generous and also slightly envious of Orr’s brilliant writing.
/NK
The Human Circadian Pacemaker (where I suspect the title comes from) and Blackout were my favourites, I think, and I found myself wishing they were entire novels instead of just short stories. In most of the stories some sort of life-altering change is going on and it is fascinating to observe the characters struggling to connect with someone – or trying to avoid it, but finding that it’s an irrepressible human need – in the face of that change.
Although not feeling sure about this collection in the beginning, I warmed to it towards the end, and I’d probably give it 3.5 stars if it were possible. Since it isn’t, I’m rounding up to 4, because I’m feeling generous and also slightly envious of Orr’s brilliant writing.
/NK
December 15, 2019
What I would honestly like to give this book is a 3.5.
I have to admit I didn’t read this in one go and enjoyed reading a few short stories at a time instead. They were all quite similar in the sense that they dealt with people’s responses to change, often in realistic and sometimes bleak situations, which resulted in the characters discovering something pivotal about themselves or their relationships with others. Also, i found that the bulk of the main characters were emotionally distant and have trouble processing their emotions. Although it was fitting for the nature of the stories I did find that it made it difficult to enjoy in one go.
I had a good time reading most of the stories but some of them did not resonate with as much as others. I can’t exactly put my finger on why that is, I guess it’s a matter of personal preference.
I have to admit I didn’t read this in one go and enjoyed reading a few short stories at a time instead. They were all quite similar in the sense that they dealt with people’s responses to change, often in realistic and sometimes bleak situations, which resulted in the characters discovering something pivotal about themselves or their relationships with others. Also, i found that the bulk of the main characters were emotionally distant and have trouble processing their emotions. Although it was fitting for the nature of the stories I did find that it made it difficult to enjoy in one go.
I had a good time reading most of the stories but some of them did not resonate with as much as others. I can’t exactly put my finger on why that is, I guess it’s a matter of personal preference.
March 4, 2023
4 1/2 stars. Incredibly, beautifully written. There was some truly stunning stories in here. My favourites were "By the Canal" (a perfectly crafted tale, my favourite in the book) and the last story, "The Ice Cream Song Is Strange," which I found unbearably, painfully sad, heart-breaking even. "Blackout" is also very, very good. "The Island" is also good - the ending is kind of weird, but memorable. I liked the international scope of these stories, and the theme of regret, of paths not taken. Overall, genuinely inspiring work here.
February 27, 2017
Light Box, by K.J. Orr, is a collection of eleven short stories exploring the multitudinous ripples caused by people as they interact and react to life’s experiences. The writing is vivid and sharply felt. As each of the characters is affected by the actions of others and their surroundings there is a shift in perceptions, be it a realisation of regret or the understated recognition of required change.
In 'The Inland Sea' two brothers skip school to set out on an adventure. Although no strangers to personal loss they have lived a sheltered life within a close community. Recent visitors from abroad expanded their vision and now they can envisage a wider world than they have known thus far. They do not yet comprehend the potential cost of broadening their horizons seeing only the beauty and excitement of new experience.
'The Shallows' and 'Blackout' look at the impact of small decisions made by young people which have far reaching effects, not only on themselves. Although not dwelling on how they cope with any regrets there is a knowledge that life has many such ‘what if’ situations and that even inadvertent wrongs cannot be undone, becoming hard to forget.
'Disappearances' and 'The Ice Cream Song is Strange' offer perspectives from those approaching the latter stages of their lives when what they have made for themselves, what seemed important, is somehow stripped back and laid bare offering a discomforting insight on what they are and what could have been.
“What do you do when you stop? When you have been up and running for such a long time, what is it you do? When you’re used to a schedule that takes care of each second of the day? When there is no goal?”
In several stories the dislocation of travel is explored, both the getting away and the return. There is the seeking out of an expected satisfaction that may prove difficult to attain. There is the repulsion felt when personal space is invaded.
'By the Canal' and 'The Island' present young men acting in ways that cause their partners to view them in a new light. How they are subsequently perceived is altered; going forward requires a change of direction. Partners are chosen based on an image created by the beholder which will always be at risk unknown by the beheld.
The snapshots of each life look at what is shown to the world, what is hidden and what seeps out anyway. The stories are intricate webs of emotion as much as action. They speak of the shifting sands of each protagonist’s inner thoughts and how these are shaped by the ripples caused by those they meet.
The writing is subtle, precise and elegantly put together. Each tale offers a clarity of thought that demands careful contemplation. I thoroughly enjoyed reading each work and especially what it revealed about wider peoples. This is a recommended read.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Daunt Books.
In 'The Inland Sea' two brothers skip school to set out on an adventure. Although no strangers to personal loss they have lived a sheltered life within a close community. Recent visitors from abroad expanded their vision and now they can envisage a wider world than they have known thus far. They do not yet comprehend the potential cost of broadening their horizons seeing only the beauty and excitement of new experience.
'The Shallows' and 'Blackout' look at the impact of small decisions made by young people which have far reaching effects, not only on themselves. Although not dwelling on how they cope with any regrets there is a knowledge that life has many such ‘what if’ situations and that even inadvertent wrongs cannot be undone, becoming hard to forget.
'Disappearances' and 'The Ice Cream Song is Strange' offer perspectives from those approaching the latter stages of their lives when what they have made for themselves, what seemed important, is somehow stripped back and laid bare offering a discomforting insight on what they are and what could have been.
“What do you do when you stop? When you have been up and running for such a long time, what is it you do? When you’re used to a schedule that takes care of each second of the day? When there is no goal?”
In several stories the dislocation of travel is explored, both the getting away and the return. There is the seeking out of an expected satisfaction that may prove difficult to attain. There is the repulsion felt when personal space is invaded.
'By the Canal' and 'The Island' present young men acting in ways that cause their partners to view them in a new light. How they are subsequently perceived is altered; going forward requires a change of direction. Partners are chosen based on an image created by the beholder which will always be at risk unknown by the beheld.
The snapshots of each life look at what is shown to the world, what is hidden and what seeps out anyway. The stories are intricate webs of emotion as much as action. They speak of the shifting sands of each protagonist’s inner thoughts and how these are shaped by the ripples caused by those they meet.
The writing is subtle, precise and elegantly put together. Each tale offers a clarity of thought that demands careful contemplation. I thoroughly enjoyed reading each work and especially what it revealed about wider peoples. This is a recommended read.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Daunt Books.
September 27, 2023
can you describe writing as delicate? bc if you can then this was
v bittersweet and subtle v good autumn read
v bittersweet and subtle v good autumn read
March 29, 2017
I won this book as a raffle prize for my part in funding the fantastic new literary prize "The Republic of Consciousness" https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
The shortlist for the award consisted of four novels and four short stories. My own preference is very much for novels over short stories, but this prize has given me the opportunity to engage with an unfamiliar genre.
The short stories in this book typically take place at a transitional time in the main character’s life or relationships: a recent widowers takes a plane trip; a retired plastic surgeon starts building a tenuous relationship with a waitress who thinks he is a surgeon; a couple try to rebuild their relationship after the man returns from a space trip; a man who has known since childhood he would go blind realises the moment is upon him. Probably my favourite story was “The Ice Cream Song is Strange” – a now retired businessman takes a trip to Tokyo and (doing something he has not done in his business career) uses the hotel facilities.
The writing style is strong, but the stories left me largely unmoved.
The shortlist for the award consisted of four novels and four short stories. My own preference is very much for novels over short stories, but this prize has given me the opportunity to engage with an unfamiliar genre.
The short stories in this book typically take place at a transitional time in the main character’s life or relationships: a recent widowers takes a plane trip; a retired plastic surgeon starts building a tenuous relationship with a waitress who thinks he is a surgeon; a couple try to rebuild their relationship after the man returns from a space trip; a man who has known since childhood he would go blind realises the moment is upon him. Probably my favourite story was “The Ice Cream Song is Strange” – a now retired businessman takes a trip to Tokyo and (doing something he has not done in his business career) uses the hotel facilities.
The writing style is strong, but the stories left me largely unmoved.
November 27, 2016
An excellent debut collection of short stories from award winning writer KJ Orr. My favourite in here was 'The Human Circadian Pacemaker' (shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award), a dream-like story of a astronaut returned to earth. The stories are varied and the settings are beautifully drawn, taking us from Argentina to Russia and to a very familiar landscape of an English seaside holiday (you could smell the seaweed).
If you are a reader who likes a short story to end neatly, with all questions resolved then you may find this collection frustrating. Orr clearly doesn't want her stories to end and most of them continue (and linger) long after conclusion on the page. I didn't mind that, with the exception of 'The Inland Sea', where I'd become so wrapped in the boys' lives that I wanted to know for sure...
With most collections I struggle to read all the stories but this is one collection I read and enjoyed every story. Orr is a massive talent, a writer to watch for the future. I would definitely buy her next collection.
If you are a reader who likes a short story to end neatly, with all questions resolved then you may find this collection frustrating. Orr clearly doesn't want her stories to end and most of them continue (and linger) long after conclusion on the page. I didn't mind that, with the exception of 'The Inland Sea', where I'd become so wrapped in the boys' lives that I wanted to know for sure...
With most collections I struggle to read all the stories but this is one collection I read and enjoyed every story. Orr is a massive talent, a writer to watch for the future. I would definitely buy her next collection.
September 23, 2020
K. J. Orr is definitely a talented writer. Her writing is gentle yet captivating as she introduces you to the lives of her characters. There is something about her ability to capture the beauty or sadness in the smallest of gestures, that makes this worth reading. The encounters in her stories are not at all contrived, and each one finds a rhythm of it's own, one as different as the characters are.
That being said, some of the plots were questionable. While there is a beauty in the mundane, there is also a fine line between a meaningful encounter and the daily grind of life that crashes us into others. Overall, I enjoyed the novel and recommend it to readers of all ages.
That being said, some of the plots were questionable. While there is a beauty in the mundane, there is also a fine line between a meaningful encounter and the daily grind of life that crashes us into others. Overall, I enjoyed the novel and recommend it to readers of all ages.
March 15, 2021
*Disclaimer - this is required reading for university*
After a period of reading outstanding collections of short stories, this collection was....okay. I'm trying to think of a nice way of saying it, and all I can really think of is....okay. Maybe if I wasn't subconciously comparing it to these other short stories collections, I could have enjoyed it more.
Don't get me wrong, some of the stories were AMAZING: The Human Circadian Pacemaker, The Lake Shore Limited, By the Canal, Disappearances and Still Life all really stood out to me. However, I really struggled with some of the other stories, often putting the book down due to their confusing narratives.
In all honestly, as I'm finishing up my module "Contemporary Fiction" (this book appeared on the module's reading list), I've come to the conclusion that contemporary fiction is just not for me. Some pieces of contemporary literature are outstanding, don't get me wrong, but the experimentation that dominates this genre just doesn't appeal to me. I'll always be a die-hard fan of the classics.
After a period of reading outstanding collections of short stories, this collection was....okay. I'm trying to think of a nice way of saying it, and all I can really think of is....okay. Maybe if I wasn't subconciously comparing it to these other short stories collections, I could have enjoyed it more.
Don't get me wrong, some of the stories were AMAZING: The Human Circadian Pacemaker, The Lake Shore Limited, By the Canal, Disappearances and Still Life all really stood out to me. However, I really struggled with some of the other stories, often putting the book down due to their confusing narratives.
In all honestly, as I'm finishing up my module "Contemporary Fiction" (this book appeared on the module's reading list), I've come to the conclusion that contemporary fiction is just not for me. Some pieces of contemporary literature are outstanding, don't get me wrong, but the experimentation that dominates this genre just doesn't appeal to me. I'll always be a die-hard fan of the classics.
June 19, 2020
I don’t think I ‘got’ this book. I read it, but nothing resonated, I wasn’t satisfied. The theme connecting all of these stories was said to be that of change, and I am reading this at a point in my life when change is imminent and still I felt nothing substantial for these stories.
I was drawn in by the synopsis, which described interesting and varied set of premises and and settings. That might have been the case, but for me, the execution was not enough to bring these things to life.
I found my self finishing each story and just kind of going “...okay” before going onto the next one. Perhaps that’s my own ignorance, but for me most of the stories fell flat.
If I had to pick my top three: Still Life, Disappearances and The Inland Sea.
Bottom three: By The Canal, The Island and Rehearsal Room
I was drawn in by the synopsis, which described interesting and varied set of premises and and settings. That might have been the case, but for me, the execution was not enough to bring these things to life.
I found my self finishing each story and just kind of going “...okay” before going onto the next one. Perhaps that’s my own ignorance, but for me most of the stories fell flat.
If I had to pick my top three: Still Life, Disappearances and The Inland Sea.
Bottom three: By The Canal, The Island and Rehearsal Room
April 4, 2023
Adored the writing style. Beautiful words. Each story was neither under- nor over-stated but had clarity and intensity.
Very much enjoyed it. Would gladly read more by the author but there doesn't seem to be any.
All of the stories are short, tight and end abruptly. Almost like there's a real need not to waste words. The moment the picture has enough detail we move on.
I've realised that one of the things I enjoy in the short story format is that it *doesn't* easily suffer from the bloat and drag that I perceive novels often having. I often found myself halfway through a book thinking, "Christ, this would have benefited from being 25% shorter...". It's probably a me problem but not with short stories.
Very much enjoyed it. Would gladly read more by the author but there doesn't seem to be any.
All of the stories are short, tight and end abruptly. Almost like there's a real need not to waste words. The moment the picture has enough detail we move on.
I've realised that one of the things I enjoy in the short story format is that it *doesn't* easily suffer from the bloat and drag that I perceive novels often having. I often found myself halfway through a book thinking, "Christ, this would have benefited from being 25% shorter...". It's probably a me problem but not with short stories.
November 21, 2017
Sometimes soft yet complex and sometimes intense and transgressive, this collection involves fractured relationships and deep human emotions. It deals with the sometimes dual nature of humankind and the complexity of our condition.
My favourites of this collection, in no particular order, are 'Blackout' for it's dark and thoughtful mystery, 'The inland sea' for it's colourful characters and 'disappearances' for it's character observations.
My favourites of this collection, in no particular order, are 'Blackout' for it's dark and thoughtful mystery, 'The inland sea' for it's colourful characters and 'disappearances' for it's character observations.
June 6, 2017
I don't really know how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I really enjoyed quite a few of the stories. On the other, I didn't understand what was going on in about half of them either.
July 21, 2017
A stunning collection of short stories that take the everyday and make it profound, tragic, funny and insightful.
November 23, 2017
Perceptive and insightful writing that brings beauty to the mundane.
April 24, 2019
Every story in this collection is an ellipsis. This story collection is an ellipsis.
July 21, 2019
2.5 stars. These stories just didn't resonate for me.
December 5, 2020
Of all the short stories in here i would recommend:
• by the canal
• disappearances
• rehearsal room (this one reminded me of "im thinking of ending things" by iain reid big time)
• by the canal
• disappearances
• rehearsal room (this one reminded me of "im thinking of ending things" by iain reid big time)
October 8, 2021
Enjoyed her short story format.
October 31, 2022
An extremely pleasant experience despite feeling as if some of the shorts left too early.
June 25, 2024
Razor sharp, beautifully elegant writing. A near-perfect line between ice-cold observation and a warm empathetic insight into people’s interactions with each other.
December 7, 2017
Some very neat stories :by the canal... but then the stories get stranger and stranger.
I liked the sharpness of the style but as always ...short stories are not doe me.
I liked the sharpness of the style but as always ...short stories are not doe me.
March 22, 2016
A brilliantly written and lovely collection of short stories. Great to dip in and out of, especially on commutes!
April 19, 2016
Very accomplished stories.
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