Corporeality

by Hollis Seamon

In Corporeality, Hollis Seamon's latest fiction collection, we meet the cat lady, the professor dealing with a plagiarist while coping with personal hardships, sibling rivalry of the unnaturally cursed kind, the dog that goes beyond everyday dog sense and scent to protect its owners. These are some of the eclectic characters and settings that make Corporeality irresistible and difficult to put down once you've started reading. Like her preceding collection Body Work and mystery novel Flesh, this book is a testament to Seamon's ample gifts as a storyteller.

204 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2012

About the author

Hollis reads, writes, cooks, and gardens in Kinderhook NY. She teaches writing and literature at the College of Saint Rose in Albany NY and the MFA in Creative Writing Program of Fairfield University, Fairfield CT.

Her newest novel, SOMEBODY UP THERE HATES YOU, is one of the inaugural YA books to be published in Fall 2013 by Algonquin Young Readers. Her collection of short stories, Corporeality, was publsihed in January 2013 by Able Muse Press.

Reviews

[Alanna Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed reading this collection of short stories and finished it in two days. Notable traits: the author writes from the perspective of a young boy dying of cancer trying to lose his virginity, a four-year old little girl with a cheating mother, a garbage man who finds a baby in the trash, a college professor having a mid-life crisis/breakdown. I laughed out loud a few times, memorably twice, and when it comes to a LOL, I am a tough audience. Refreshing and satisfying to read a collection of short stories and not pause or put it down except to sleep; and don't read "Gigantina" before going to sleep because it kind of had a Grimm's effect on me. Ewww. Push forward through "The Plagiarist" for some laughs and sympathy for a college professor with a heart issue. She tries to control her rage against a dope who plagiarized for the third time. You end up rooting for both of them, which is hard to do as a writer.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this ebook by NetGalley for review.
This is a set of short stories and essays. Unfortunately I thought they were all depressing and did not really enjoy. I am more of a novel reader and short stories just don't seem to do it for me. I do think the author has talent but I don't like feeling really down when I get through reading. Reading is an escape. I want to feel better. The first story in the book about made me cry. So sad. Just not my thing. Sorry.

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corporeality by Hollis Seamon
Able Muse Press, 1/31/2013
Paperback, 204 pages
ISBN-13: 9781927409039
http://hollisseamon.com/

Overview
In Corporeality, Hollis Seamon’s latest fiction collection, we meet the cat lady, the professor dealing with a plagiarist while coping with personal hardships, sibling rivalry of the unnaturally cursed kind, the dog that goes beyond everyday dog sense and scent to protect its owners. These are some of the eclectic characters and settings that make Corporeality irresistible and difficult to put down once you’ve started reading. Like her preceding collection Body Work and mystery novel Flesh, this book is a testament to Seamon’s ample gifts as a storyteller.

My Thoughts:
Corporeality by Hollis Seamon is a collection of short stories that follow the state of mind of various quirky and beleaguered characters.
The collection features 10 stories (in my advanced readers copy):
"SUTHY" - a 17 year old and a 15 year old are terminal and in hospice care with SUTHY: "Somebody Up There Hates You" syndrome.
"Annus Mirabilis" - a professor who walked out on teaching to offer Bread and Books from the front porch of her home but troubles follow her there
"Leave It Lie" - garbage men Gary and Echo become heroes when they find two babies in a garbage bag and rush them to the hospital.
"Fatty Lumpkin vs. The Reaper: Rounds One, Two and Three" - an old, fat, blind, but very intuitive terrier protects his owner from the grim reaper
"Gigantina" - three sisters, one strangely deformed, experience sibling rivalry
"The Plagiarist" - a professor deals with an obvious case of plagiarism while experiencing her own personal problems
"Like a Virus" - A woman with agoraphobia meets a paranoid neighbor
"The Trojan Cat: A Drama in Three Acts" - a woman rescues her first cat, which leads to another, and another
"Praise Be to an Afflicting God" - two misfit neighbors and friends suspect that life on their street is changing
"Cabbage Night" - three girls fear their neighbor is killing their mother

This outstanding collection is masterfully written and the characters Seaman astutely creates are unforgettable. Several of the stories evoke raw emotions ranging from fear, anger, terror, and heartbreak. Most of the characters could be anyone you might see, a family you hear about in passing, or the neighbors you wonder about. My favorites were SUTHY, Annus Mirabilis, Leave It Lie, Fatty Lumpkin vs. The Reaper, and The Trojan Cat, but all the stories are certainly worth reading in this notable collection.

Very Highly Recommended - especially for fans of short stories

No quotes since I had an advanced reading copy.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Able Muse Press and Netgalley for review purposes.
http://www.netgalley.com/

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't get enough. Haunting, upsetting, and at times funny, this collection of short stories is incredible. I felt almost bipolar reading these stories. My mood changed drastically, not just from story to story, but often from page to page. The stories touch on topics ranging from disease, death, and infidelity to hope, promise, and the future.

From the terminal teenagers, to the young garbage man who finds babies in a trash bag, to a very protective terrier, the stories are wonderfully detailed.

It's an incredibly difficult task to create well-rounded, interesting characters in the span of a short story, but Hollis Seamon did so seamlessly. My only complaint, and it's not really a complaint, is that I wanted to know what happened to the characters after the story ended. Each individual short story has the ability to be made into its own novel. Each character is that complex.

I can't wait to read more of her work.

[Jennifer McLean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories. Hollis Seamon has written some seriously unusual, unforgettable, poignant and thought provoking essays about everyday people in unusual circumstances. First there are two young people in their teens dying of cancer then there's the garbage men that find babies in a trash bag and try to save them. There is the cat lady, an agoraphobic, a plagiarist, and also sibling rivalry, possible murder and an incredibly unusual dog. Although the writer has come up with truly unique situations that pique a readers interest, I found myself so depressed reading the stories that I didn't want to continue. That is unusual for me. I like books that make me think, feel and wonder. But Corporeality was just too much packed into each story. If I had been able to know the characters after or lengthen many of the stories out and also have some not so over the top emotions I may have enjoyed it more. Maybe short stories aren't for me.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A childless trashman finds a baby in a garbage bag. A woman afraid to leave her apartment meets a paranoid neighbor. A woman fearful of becoming a cat lady rescues her first kitty. Three girls plot the murder of a neighbor they feel is killing their mother.

Fear, anxiety, love and innocence are some of the feelings and emotions, states of mind, that Hollis Seaman uses to delve into the souls of her characters and the result is triumph and tragedy.

She would do well to include more dialogue and more action – long columns of print can make a good tale boring.

[Mersini · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great selection of short stories! From the touching, to the macabre, to the kind of urban fantasy that makes you think that monsters could be real, this collection has bits of it all. They're the kind of short stories you can come back to, time and time again, enjoying them anew each time.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of short stories, all thought provoking in their own way.
I would have enjoyed it more if each story had been longer, I'm not overkeen on essay stories.
3 stars

[Rosalie Loewen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't even finished this yet but Wow am I loving it. Makes you remember that most of the other crap that you read is a total waste of time.