Grandview Drive

by Tim Blackett

A debut short story collection investigating the strange and unexpected intersections of loneliness and connection. From his car, a lonely, heartbroken man secretly watches strangers going about their lives in the comfort of their own homes; when caught, he wrecks his car in an attempt to escape. A man hears a car wreck outside his home and has a wild night of romance with a strange woman he meets at the scene. A reclusive old writer starts to believe he is becoming his own characters as he writes. A college student looks to his girlfriend’s diary for pointers on how he should act. A mother confronted with her estranged son’s death by car wreck organizes a memorial service for a list of attendees she has never met. This collection of sixteen connected short stories investigates the ways we humans so often feel lonely and alone, yet cannot avoid having our lives be contingent upon others—often in ways we can neither see nor understand. Blackett’s characters long for meaningful connection and struggle to find it; they are too often unaware of the connections that are right in front of them. Grandview Drive is a collection that builds on itself; the stories stand on their own, but they are strengthened by the (sometimes secret) connections they hold with each other. Blackett’s debut asks the reader to think about love and loss, loneliness and heartbreak, redemption and starting life anew.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2024

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

GRANDVIEW DRIVE by Tim Blackett is a splendid short story collection! I loved how this collection features sixteen interconnected stories. They all revolve around the setting of Grandview Drive and several stories have the same characters. I enjoyed the Canadian setting and references like the Group of Seven and Scene+ card. I also enjoyed the focus on artists, writers, mental health, grief, sisterhood, and relationships. Several of the stories were SHOCKING. My fave stories were The World in A Minor and A Quarter Short. I liked reading these stories in between other books throughout the past month.

Thank you to ZG Reads and Nightwood Editions for my gifted review copy!

[Dempsey Hanlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim Blackett's debut is one for the ages. He demonstrates ability to intricately intertwine many moving parts all the while having you constantly reflecting and twisting and changing perspectives story to story. Incredibly paced and sharply written. A book that will sit with you far longer than the moment you've read the last word. A beautiful book.

[Emily S · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a debut novel this was extremely compelling! Congrats to the author.

Some of the writing was a bit heavy handed. I felt some of the stories got away from him a bit; some were more interesting than others. Overall it was very moving and reflective.

[CFids · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is a gem that showcases the author's exceptional storytelling. With interconnected characters, each story weaves seamlessly into the next, creating a tapestry of lives that is as mesmerizing as it is thought-provoking. There is a depth of emotion that lingers long after the final page. The author's ability to create fully realized characters within the constraints of a short story format is remarkable. Each tale stands alone, yet together they form a cohesive and immersive experience. This well-written collection is a testament to the power of storytelling and a true delight.

[Enid Wray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am really not sure what to say about these stories…

My first note to myself - after the first page was that these were over-written, and that this needed a good edit.

Then as I turned the page and kept reading, I just didn’t know what to think. It’s a story about a sad - lonely - little man with an absolutely gruesome ending that came out of left field.

It was anything but predictable, and I was left asking myself: Was the ending worth it? My answer is, that I’m not sure.

At the end of the day, this is a very strange collection of stories - and there are enough of them that are just absolutely mundane… maybe that’s the point? If so, it wasn’t enough for me.

All in all these are - more often than not - like Grimm’s Fairy Tales for adults… and I mean the real, original, authentic Grimm’s Tales, not the Disney-fied sanitised versions.

I will watch for what comes next from this author. There’s enough here to keep me interested for see what’s next.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing set of short stories wrapping things up very well into a novel. I know Tim fairly well and it was really cool to see pieces of his life in this book. Really cool local and Canadian pieces all over the place as well. Great job Tim. Can’t wait to read more of your stuff.

[y.]

Grandview Drive: a captivating short stories debut collection exploring loneliness, longing, and connection. Each story, though unique, is somehow interconnected, and weaves seamlessly into the next, painting a vivid tapestry of characters yearning for meaningful relationships.

If you enjoy short stories, then it’s for you. And if you don’t, you should too as the interconnected nature of this book elevates it beyond a mere collection of unrelated tales. It’s like piecing together different pieces of a puzzle, which ultimately come together to create a profoundly deep story.

Thank you to ZG reads and Nightwood editions for this gifted copy!

[Tim Galbraith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it bad that I felt like I could fit in with all the lonely broken people in these short stories? Or is that the intent to convey that we are all broken and lonely? This a compelling collection of interconnected short stories that had me running a gamut of emotions.

[Robin Forth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I’ve written a review, but I’m excited to support this author’s work. Tim’s videos started coming across my ⏰ FYP last year, and some of the best books I’ve read in the last year are thanks to his recommendations!
Onto Grandvjew Drive - I will need to sit with this one for a while to fully digest, but for the moment all I can say is Wow. I have never gravitated to short fiction but this book has opened up a new world for me.
Grandvjew Drive is a collection of 16 interconnected short stories. The stories center around multiple characters, and a few key events. I love how each story peeled back a layer of either a character you’d already met, or provided a fresh perspective to how an event shaped the lives of the people around it. Having just finished the book, I’m compelled to dive back in for a second read to catch all of the tidbits I missed the first time through.
I was really impressed with how full and unique many of the characters seemed, even the span of just 10-20 pages of storytelling.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend to anyone who enjoys character driven storytelling. I’m excited to see what the author writes next!

[Jeannine Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible story telling.

[Theresa Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author will be one to watch for years to come. Very decent debut.

[Mica · Rating 5 out of 5]

The opening story of Grandview Drive introduces readers to the event around which all subsequent stories revolve: a car crash on the titular thoroughfare. The victim of the crash, Earl, is a man consumed by his own loneliness. He enjoys looking into the homes on Grandview, imagining the perfect lives of their residents, until his life comes to an abrupt end.

Readers then similarly glimpse into the windows of these houses, getting intimate and human snapshots of the lives of those affected by the crash. The stories of this collection unfold out of time and in silos but are woven together by an overarching theme of loneliness and a search for connection.

The author invites readers to consider the ways in which we, as humans, impact each other and how our everyday actions can influence the lives of those around us. While dark themes of loneliness, suicide, depression and murder are present throughout (check content warnings), there is also hope on these pages. There is a reminder that connection can sneak up on us when and where we least expect it.

Grandview Drive is an excellent debut with a wealth of nuance in its characters and depth of emotion in its themes. It is a prime example of literary fiction, unassumingly inviting readers to contemplate the big picture of society and challenging the promise of appearances.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by the author in the future.

[Shannon Mathers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally got around to reading Tim Blackett’s book Grandview Drive. I wish it hadn’t taken me so long. It’s a series of short stories that are loosely interconnected and relate to Grandview Drive. I originally planned on reading a story here or there while I read the other books I had on the go, but I just couldn’t put it down to do so. What a profoundly moving, deep and thought provoking book. The theme of this book is of one of loneliness, but also of connection. I have always felt like little actions we take in our lives affect more people than we realize. This book really drove that point home. I loved the Canadiana as a Manitoban myself (Caesar drinks, Scene+ cards, etc), and really love that Tim is also a prairie boy. I’ve been following Mr. Blackett on TikTok for a while now, and always watch his videos the whole way through because he definitely has a way with words. It doesn’t surprise me that this book is the same way. I will be rereading this again in the future as I feel the impact will be just as strong the second time around. And I am not someone who likes rereading books so that is really saying something!

The stories do have a very dark overtone to it, so if you’re sensitive to that, please check your trigger warnings first.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a weakness for writers, authors, and creators that have undeniable foresight. These minds that can balance an imagined and hypothetical timeline with what comes across as ease — I’m perpetually left in wonder. They know exactly where to tie knots in the timelines; tie knots in the characters, the emotions; how to weave them all together to show a bigger picture —

Grandview Drive by Tim Blackett is just that. A collection of short stories each drenched in its own particular brand of loneliness and longing, and yet undeniably connected by one physical common denominator— Grandview Drive.

Some stories are sentimental, some shocking, some dark and some dwelling in between nostalgia and hope. This collection has a little bit of everything but without overwhelming the reader or sending us spinning to make sense of it all. Everything just fits.

Even if short stories aren’t typically your bag, the interconnected brilliance of this book makes it something more than just story after different story — it’s little pieces of the same puzzle, in the end, forming the most whole and relatable art.

[Daniel Vitale · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this marvelous debut collection of fiction, Tim Blackett joins a tradition of writers who explore human psychology, unflinchingly, through the short-fiction form: Lorrie Moore, Lydia Davis, Grace Paley. In this work of interconnected stories, characters are often linked by tragedy and coincidence, and though their loss and loneliness may make them feel isolated, Blackett reminds us--with tenderness, humor, and virtuosic style--that no man is an island. Some of these stories will make you cry, some will have you racing to the finish, others will have you slowing down to savor Blackett's language and characters. The short story form is very much alive, and Tim Blackett has cemented himself as one of its masters. Easily one of my favorite reads this year. 5/5.

[Karen Carlson]

h/t Don Curran's "what are you reading this weekend" post on Bluesky, Roz Milner reading
https://bsky.app/profile/rozmilner.bs...
Sounds good - sixteen short interconnected stories about loneliness and connection.

[Thea N · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Blackett weaves these interconnected short stories into one story of family, grief, loneliness and forgiveness. All connected through a tragic event that happens on Grandview drive that affects everyone who witnessed it.

[Jeff Schou · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories make me want to be friends with the characters. I want to tell them things will be okay. Great writing and I hope for more from the author.

[Sam - Spines in a Line · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up from 3.5. Thanks to ZG Reads for a copy to review!

This was a very curious take on a collection and one I think would be worth a reread now that I know all the characters. But it is quite graphic, immediately starting with a violent and gory fatal car crash, which did initially put me off.

Each story in this collection seems at first to stand alone, besides all having some tie to this street, Grandview Drive. We have the people who live in this stretch of houses, others who have moved away and reflect on their time here, and some who are just driving through.

After the shock of the first story, I did enjoy many of these stories, and the realization as they started to fit in together and paint the whole picture of this street. My difficulty with the collection was in keeping things straight as there are so many characters I had completely forgotten about by the time we were properly introduced to them. This test on memory, as well as unannounced and unexpected time jumps and character details changing in each story, mostly detracted on my reading so a reread would be in order to keep things straight.

[Morgan Barnard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! I'm really excited that I got to read Tim's book. I know Tim from his TikTok, and it's really interesting to read a book by someone that you know (even though I don't know him personally). There were things I picked up on that are parts of the characters but also parts of Tim's life and interests, which was really cool. I was nervous about this being a bunch of short stories because that typically doesn't keep me interested (I do not share the author's love of short story collections), but once I figured out they were all connected, I was hooked. This did not feel like short stories at all; it felt like a comprehensive novel. My favorite story from this might have been "Delaney Waters," but I really loved most of them. Some were stranger than others, true, but I liked the strangeness and how they are all connected by the same incident: the car crash at the beginning. I think this is so great, and I feel really lucky that I got to watch and listen to Tim on his way to this first success. I'm hoping there will be many more!