Minor Robberies

by Deb Olin Unferth

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Deb Olin Unferth is the author of six books, including the novel Barn 8 and the story collection Wait Till You See Me Dance. Her work has appeared in Harper’s, The Paris Review, Granta, Vice, NOON, the New York Times, and McSweeney’s. She has received a Guggenheim fellowship, a Creative Capital grant, three Pushcart Prizes, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. An associate professor at the University of Texas in Austin, she also runs the Pen City Writers, a creative writing program at a penitentiary in southern Texas.

Reviews

[Kate Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deb! Olin! Unferth!

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Philosophical word play, irony, absurdity, and metafictional constructs make up this collection of postmodern anti-stories and they are funny just in that way. Most are flash fiction, which is probably the perfect length for this kind of game.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is amazing how Unferth can conjure stories in so few lines. However, many of the stories were hard to follow and rather absurd for me.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe could have been a 3 stars. Some stories were fun. And I like the format. Lack of proper nouns drove me a little crazy. Not quite relatable and not quite absurd. Sometimes humor is lost on me though so could be my own issue.

[Liv Lunch · Rating 2 out of 5]

i found this on the sidewalk it was just okay

[crowjonah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not every story in this collection feels like my new favorite story, or a trick to lightly plagiarize, or a spirit to let guide me, but most of them do.

[sosser · Rating 5 out of 5]

a rollercoaster read.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite stories*:

La Pena
One She Once Was
Deb Olin Unferth
To Be Honest
Maybe a Superhero
Juan the Cell-Phone Salesman
Give Them the Bag
Single Percent
The Present of Concern
Twice
A Kidnapping Story
Managing
The Messenger

*There was literally not a story I didn't like, so these are the ones I loved best.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange tales that made me feel like a normal person or a quirkier person or nothing of the sort.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange little tales that made me sad and thoughtful.

[Natasha]

Great book to pull out of your purse while you're waiting for something else to happen- especially if you want to be able to jump in and out of it easily. That is- it's a perfect replacement for a phone if you're trying to break a habit. I should have read the whole book like that but as I neared the end I sped up and near devoured the whole thing.

Some of these stories almost read like bits- like they might have actually worked better performed on stage. Some of them I loved- some left me flat. Some were intentionally confusing (I think?) which is great if you're in the mood for it.

The nameless characters, odd repetitions, and wordplay give these flash fiction pieces an abstract outer shell that neatly hides the heart within. Overall I'd recommend it, but make sure you pace yourself.