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Echolocation: And Other Stories
It’s hard being the kid who moves every few years. Combine that with a dysfunctional home, natural disaster, and parentification. It’s up to Sarah to invent out of chaos. She hurls herself into overdue library books, googly-eyed alter egos, rock bands in dusty basements, mountain trails, and most confusingly, love.
Echolocation is a collection of stories inspired by true events, following a young girl from Chicagoland who dreams of being a dolphin trainer but becomes a writer who sorts through chicken scratch and cobbled-together collages to form a narrative that is uniquely and emotionally hers.
Stories touch on themes like parent-child role reversal, sibling relationships, sexual exploration, creative growth, spiritual re-evaluation, and other forms of identity questioning. It will appeal to creatives carving a space for themselves during hard times but especially to those who lived a 90s childhood full of Mario video games games and pop star music queens and those who joined the workforce post 2008’s economic disaster. The last story ends with the quarantine lockdown of COVID-19. Sarah moves again, this time away from everything she knows – to embark on the dirty journey of age 30.
Stories that first appeared in literary publications “Lenny” ( Jersey Devil Press ), “Whoopie Pie” ( Bird’s Thumb ), “Shades of Nude” ( Bayou Magazine ), and “Crap Apples” ( Better Than Starbucks ).
I hope Echolocation is a soft, loving place for those looking to learn themselves deeply in a world constantly demanding their attention and production. Enjoy a few laughs, maybe a cry, and a hearty congratulations for making it this far.
Echolocation is a collection of stories inspired by true events, following a young girl from Chicagoland who dreams of being a dolphin trainer but becomes a writer who sorts through chicken scratch and cobbled-together collages to form a narrative that is uniquely and emotionally hers.
Stories touch on themes like parent-child role reversal, sibling relationships, sexual exploration, creative growth, spiritual re-evaluation, and other forms of identity questioning. It will appeal to creatives carving a space for themselves during hard times but especially to those who lived a 90s childhood full of Mario video games games and pop star music queens and those who joined the workforce post 2008’s economic disaster. The last story ends with the quarantine lockdown of COVID-19. Sarah moves again, this time away from everything she knows – to embark on the dirty journey of age 30.
Stories that first appeared in literary publications “Lenny” ( Jersey Devil Press ), “Whoopie Pie” ( Bird’s Thumb ), “Shades of Nude” ( Bayou Magazine ), and “Crap Apples” ( Better Than Starbucks ).
I hope Echolocation is a soft, loving place for those looking to learn themselves deeply in a world constantly demanding their attention and production. Enjoy a few laughs, maybe a cry, and a hearty congratulations for making it this far.
269 pages, Paperback
Published May 30, 2023
3 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 5, 2023
This was a great collection of short stories that tied together to make a compelling story, I laughed and cried and connected with the character.
I relieved some of my own childhood memories and traumas while reading this.
I relieved some of my own childhood memories and traumas while reading this.
June 16, 2023
Coming of age used to be reserved for stories where the protagonist turns 18. Sarah Cimaruti’s collection of stories in “Echolocation” turns this (and many other) ideas upside down. Cimarusti’s millennial enjoys a nostalgic 90s childhood marked by the Mario Brothers before being flung into the workforce post 2008’s economic disaster. As the quarantine lockdown of COVID-19 begins, she moves away from everything familiar – to embark on the dirty journey of age 30, the seeming tombstone of youth. In unrelenting millennial fashion – “Dirty Thirty” sparkles, leaving the reader with hope for their own path.
Cimarusti’s stories roll out quickly, delivering heart break, humor, and light-hearted emotional whiplash with every turn. “Lobsters” brought me to tears, “Nativity” to laughter. This book can be read anywhere, at any time – you can put it down and pick it up again without having to remember casts of characters or plot lines. Though the stories appear in chronological order – each is strong enough to stand alone.
“Echolocation” is without a doubt well-written; Cimarusti’s lyrical storytelling is the signal flare to readers – we are all grappling with these internal wild fires, while simultaneously taming an external scene of strength and success. In “Echolocation” the author’s voice rings out silently yet boldly, finding others to resonate with.
An enjoyable and entertaining read for millennials, their sisters, and their parents. While Cimarusti deals with tough subjects, it’s all in good fun and easy to read in a single afternoon – even while duties call to you from left and right. It can be easily put down and picked back up again, regardless of the strength of your attention span. Inclusive, funny, and soul opening – “Echolocation” is sure to inspire self love, growth, and perhaps a step closer to inner healing, or even adulthood.
Cimarusti’s stories roll out quickly, delivering heart break, humor, and light-hearted emotional whiplash with every turn. “Lobsters” brought me to tears, “Nativity” to laughter. This book can be read anywhere, at any time – you can put it down and pick it up again without having to remember casts of characters or plot lines. Though the stories appear in chronological order – each is strong enough to stand alone.
“Echolocation” is without a doubt well-written; Cimarusti’s lyrical storytelling is the signal flare to readers – we are all grappling with these internal wild fires, while simultaneously taming an external scene of strength and success. In “Echolocation” the author’s voice rings out silently yet boldly, finding others to resonate with.
An enjoyable and entertaining read for millennials, their sisters, and their parents. While Cimarusti deals with tough subjects, it’s all in good fun and easy to read in a single afternoon – even while duties call to you from left and right. It can be easily put down and picked back up again, regardless of the strength of your attention span. Inclusive, funny, and soul opening – “Echolocation” is sure to inspire self love, growth, and perhaps a step closer to inner healing, or even adulthood.
July 22, 2023
I laughed,I shared a tear and I couldn’t put it down until the end. A most read to everyone,because the story in this book is beautifully written
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August 31, 2023DNF, this short story collection just wasn’t for me, but it isn’t because of bad writing or anything like that, and I’m super grateful for the author reaching out to me and sending me a copy of her book, but this format didn’t work for me, I’d love to see her write a full length novel!
November 15, 2023
String of vignettes that make compelling and cohesive account.
This could have so easily read like a misery memoir given the background of mother with an incurable, debilitating illness and a father with commitment and drink problems. Instead, the episodes (several of which have been previously published as short stories) string together as a coherent whole with a central main character and consistent siblings and triumphs and setbacks interwoven. I found it compelling as an insight into a girl's and then woman's development and contending with life. It felt brutally honest and intimate. At one point the main character muses upon writing as a road to redemption and resiliance. I had to read back to the beginning where the author claims this is a work of fiction. All the more credit for invention and creativity, if so.
I chose this book because I was in the mood for some short stories, but although they have obviously masqueraded as such elsewhere, the progression of the character arc makes one eager to read the next episode.
I will be on the lookout for more from this skilled writer.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This could have so easily read like a misery memoir given the background of mother with an incurable, debilitating illness and a father with commitment and drink problems. Instead, the episodes (several of which have been previously published as short stories) string together as a coherent whole with a central main character and consistent siblings and triumphs and setbacks interwoven. I found it compelling as an insight into a girl's and then woman's development and contending with life. It felt brutally honest and intimate. At one point the main character muses upon writing as a road to redemption and resiliance. I had to read back to the beginning where the author claims this is a work of fiction. All the more credit for invention and creativity, if so.
I chose this book because I was in the mood for some short stories, but although they have obviously masqueraded as such elsewhere, the progression of the character arc makes one eager to read the next episode.
I will be on the lookout for more from this skilled writer.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 9, 2024
Sarah Cimarusti is a gifted and talented writer and I absolutely loved "Echolocation: And Other Stories." This book is a collection of short stories in chronological order - however each chapter can be read as a stand alone chapter, in any order.
I love the intense way she gives life to her characters. You see them, feel them and sometimes you want to be them. I laughed out loud at Sarah's description of the grandmother at the casino, how she literally slapped someone across the face for telling her "Lady, just calm the hell down." Descriptions of Sarah, her sister, brother and parents are so vivid that even though this is a work of fiction, it felt so real I wanted to ask her questions - were any of the stories based on actual happenings? Did she break up with her long-term boyfriend during COVID and how has she escaped her description of the women in her family as "carrying grudges in the pits of their stomach?"
Very well done. I look forward to reading more from Sarah Cimarusti.
I love the intense way she gives life to her characters. You see them, feel them and sometimes you want to be them. I laughed out loud at Sarah's description of the grandmother at the casino, how she literally slapped someone across the face for telling her "Lady, just calm the hell down." Descriptions of Sarah, her sister, brother and parents are so vivid that even though this is a work of fiction, it felt so real I wanted to ask her questions - were any of the stories based on actual happenings? Did she break up with her long-term boyfriend during COVID and how has she escaped her description of the women in her family as "carrying grudges in the pits of their stomach?"
Very well done. I look forward to reading more from Sarah Cimarusti.
October 5, 2023
I just finished this work of art. The title of this book was an immediate curiosity that thankfully was answered a few pages in. Each short story in this collection has a rawness that one can't help but relate to. I wrote, already, a message to the author: "I wanted to say that you are wickedly talented, your description of time and space in each excerpt is downright magical. Melodic."
Her passages reflect the flourishes of the poetry we write when we are teenagers. Not that any of her writing is juvenile at all. Her words skip joyously into our senses and help us remember what the world felt like before life scuffed up our soft and dreamy edges. Even with some hard topics, she handles each moment with an inner understanding that life is still magical and full of possibilities.
I applaud this work and will read anything she writes.
Sarah and I exchanged books in an Indie Author trade. We found each other on TikTok.
I will keep this book in my bookcase forever.
Her passages reflect the flourishes of the poetry we write when we are teenagers. Not that any of her writing is juvenile at all. Her words skip joyously into our senses and help us remember what the world felt like before life scuffed up our soft and dreamy edges. Even with some hard topics, she handles each moment with an inner understanding that life is still magical and full of possibilities.
I applaud this work and will read anything she writes.
Sarah and I exchanged books in an Indie Author trade. We found each other on TikTok.
I will keep this book in my bookcase forever.
December 27, 2023
I purchased this book directly from the author at a local art fair, and I’m so glad I did. While this book is a collection of stories, I found they build upon of each other beautifully and capture not only the quiet growth of a person over time, but also the growth of the author’s skill.
I’ve often heard that good writing is about telling the truth, and I found the author was able to capture truths that I had also experienced with remarkable authenticity. I was especially delighted and grateful for her stories about disability and caretaking.
This book cracked open my heart several times; I am eagerly awaiting another book from Sarah.
I’ve often heard that good writing is about telling the truth, and I found the author was able to capture truths that I had also experienced with remarkable authenticity. I was especially delighted and grateful for her stories about disability and caretaking.
This book cracked open my heart several times; I am eagerly awaiting another book from Sarah.
November 20, 2023
This is only the second book of short stories I have ever read. I really enjoyed it and appreciate the author’s writing style. She’s easy to understand, funny and interesting. The stories are pretty honest and discuss some harrowing experiences without leaving the reader feeling devastated. The author talks about traumatic experiences rather pragmatically. I recommend this book and look forward to Sarah’s future work!
September 22, 2023
Beautifully written glimpses into the authors life, even the details you feel guilty for knowing.
December 6, 2024
This is not the type of book I’d usually read, but I’m glad I did! It was really well written and had plenty of lines that were relatable, funny, or just plain GOOD.
Echolocation is the first book of its kind that I’ve ever read. It’s not a genre I will be picking up regularly, but this was a lovely book to dip in and out of between other reads. Every story was interesting and impactful.
It’s clear the author is a very, very capable writer. There was a little bit of everything in this book but my favourites had to be the first and last stories - they perfectly bookended things. Definitely recommend!
Echolocation is the first book of its kind that I’ve ever read. It’s not a genre I will be picking up regularly, but this was a lovely book to dip in and out of between other reads. Every story was interesting and impactful.
It’s clear the author is a very, very capable writer. There was a little bit of everything in this book but my favourites had to be the first and last stories - they perfectly bookended things. Definitely recommend!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews