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Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil
At a Halloween party in 1999, a writer slept with the devil. She sees him again and again throughout her life and she writes stories for him about things that are both impossible and true.
Lima lures readers into surreal pockets of the United States and Brazil where they’ll find bite-size Americans in vending machines and the ghosts of people who are not dead. Once there, she speaks to modern Brazilian-American immigrant experiences–of ambition, fear, longing and belonging—and reveals the porousness of storytelling and of the places we call home.
With humour, an exquisite imagination, and a voice praised as “singular and wise and fresh” (Cathy Park Hong), Lima joins the literary lineage of Bulgakov and Lispector and the company of writers today like Ted Chiang, Carmen Maria Machado and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.
Lima lures readers into surreal pockets of the United States and Brazil where they’ll find bite-size Americans in vending machines and the ghosts of people who are not dead. Once there, she speaks to modern Brazilian-American immigrant experiences–of ambition, fear, longing and belonging—and reveals the porousness of storytelling and of the places we call home.
With humour, an exquisite imagination, and a voice praised as “singular and wise and fresh” (Cathy Park Hong), Lima joins the literary lineage of Bulgakov and Lispector and the company of writers today like Ted Chiang, Carmen Maria Machado and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 18, 2024
277 people are currently reading
35390 people want to read
About the author
Ananda Lima
7 books192 followersAnanda Lima is the author of Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil (Tor Books, 2024) and Mother/land (Black Lawrence Press, 2021), winner of the Hudson Prize. Her work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Poets.org, Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, and elsewhere). She is a Contributing Editor at Poets & Writers and Program Curator at StoryStudio, Chicago. Lima was a mentor at the NYFA Immigrant Artist Program and the inaugural Latinx-in-Publishing WIP Fellow, sponsored by Macmillan Publishers. She has an MA in Linguistics (UCLA) and an MFA in Creative Writing (Rutgers-Newark). Craft, her fiction debut, was longlisted for the ALA Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and received starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal. The New York Times describes it as “a remarkable debut that announces the arrival of a towering talent in speculative fiction.” Originally from Brazil, she lives in Chicago and New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 678 reviews
August 11, 2024
A lovely collection of short stories predominantly about life in the USA as a person who has crossed borders to go there. Ananda Lima's eight stories are each roughly divided into two sections; the first part is the actual, fictional short story and the second, meta fictional part about the author of the stories and how her life ties in with what she is writing. The two sometimes merge by recurring characters or events, which transcend the line between fiction and autofiction, offering no clear-cut separation.
I can imagine there being discontent about this not being a horror collection, and it's risky of the publisher to categorize it so, since it does not aim at scaring, or grossing out, or terrorizing. Other than playing with the idea of the titular Devil, there are barely any horror elements, and he's quite mellow. If you go in with the expectation of not horror, but a literary fiction collection, these will be top-notch stories, They just didn't work as horror stories for me.
My highlights were:
Antropófaga, in which a cleaning-lady gets addicted to the unhealthy habit of quickly eating Americans from a vending machine at the hospital she works in.
Idle Hands, a story told in the form of the comments and critiques of students in a creative writing class, fragments bringing the bigger story together. Daring and experimental, and it worked!
Finally Porcelain, which draws a picture of my absolute nightmare - What would I do if a rat climbed out my toilet?
I loved the humor and the political commentary and would recommend this book.
I can imagine there being discontent about this not being a horror collection, and it's risky of the publisher to categorize it so, since it does not aim at scaring, or grossing out, or terrorizing. Other than playing with the idea of the titular Devil, there are barely any horror elements, and he's quite mellow. If you go in with the expectation of not horror, but a literary fiction collection, these will be top-notch stories, They just didn't work as horror stories for me.
My highlights were:
Antropófaga, in which a cleaning-lady gets addicted to the unhealthy habit of quickly eating Americans from a vending machine at the hospital she works in.
Idle Hands, a story told in the form of the comments and critiques of students in a creative writing class, fragments bringing the bigger story together. Daring and experimental, and it worked!
Finally Porcelain, which draws a picture of my absolute nightmare - What would I do if a rat climbed out my toilet?
I loved the humor and the political commentary and would recommend this book.
April 1, 2024
Star review in the April 2024 issue of Library Journal
This is a VERY COOL reading experience, one that stays with you and echoes, knocking around in your brain days after finishing it. I actually went back and re-read a bit because I wanted to, even though I was under deadline to finish other books. I literally felt like I had to go back.
Three Words That Describe This Book: alluring, stories within stories, unforgettable
4th word: stylistically complex
Draft Review:
Lima’s debut is exactly what the title tells the reader it is going to be, a novel in stories, which “the writer” creates for the Devil throughout her life after sleeping with him at a party in her 20s. The “stories” are interrupted by unnamed chapters, told by a 3rd person narrator, who draw readers into the writer’s “real” life outside of her fiction, enhancing their connection to the writer's work as well as her struggles as a Brazilian immigrant, distant daughter, and eventual wife. The speculative stories themselves range from weird and chilling like “Antropófaga” where the main character eats “tiny Americans” from a work vending machine to emotionally devastating like “Ghost Story” where on a visit back to family in Brazil, the protagonist finds that the ghost of her older self is haunting her mother. However, it is the writer and her interactions with the Devil (rendered with both sympathy and healthy fear) throughout her life which adds a surreal hue uniting the entire volume into one of the most original and unforgettable reads of the year.
Verdict: A captivating, alluring, and at times, illicit book that is conscious of the craft of the storytelling process without sacrificing an extraordinary reading experience similar to Fever Dream by Samanta Schwebilin, Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward and Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias.
This book is exactly what it tells you it is going to be in the title and yet so much more. The frame of the stories included here are that the main character writes them for the Devil, yes, but there are also "Alt Chapters" between the stories where the narrator is showing her "true" self. Some of those steal the show, or at least clearly make the official "stories" better. And they all-- stories and alt chapters-- overlap more as the book goes one. One part of the narrative cannot stand without the other.
It is a meta journey. A story about writing stories, told through those stories, where the main characters reality and the fiction she writes overlap. As a reader you question what is real and what is fiction and even forget the kicker-- that all of it is a novel that is fictitious.
It is also the story of a young woman, a Brazilian immigrant, who is becoming herself. Finding her voice as a writer, falling in love, struggling with the family she left behind.
The detached 3rd person omniscient narration adds to the creepy vibe that lies at the foundation of the entire book.
The Devil as a character is compelling, alluring, illicit, fascinating, and complex. Lima, uses the Devil as a character in new ways. I enjoyed that as a Horror reader.
The most memorable and heart breaking story is "Antropófaga" but I would not call it "the best." I don't think you can pick a best because of the narrative structure. "Ghost Story" is the story that is most resonant. But again, the point here is that this is a novel in stories. As a novel it is much stronger than its parts, but its parts make it a novel.
The meta, story within a story within a story etc... is extremely well done.
Readalikes: Looking Glass Sound by Ward-- a book about writing stories with satires within stories and not sure what is true and yet it is all fiction. Samanta Schweblin-- surreal, illicit, alluring, lyrical, a book that is compelling but doesn't;t really have a traditional plot. A little but of Night of the Living Rez by Talty-- showing life for a character over time through linked stories. Oh, and Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias. This is the best readlaike.
More soon
This is a VERY COOL reading experience, one that stays with you and echoes, knocking around in your brain days after finishing it. I actually went back and re-read a bit because I wanted to, even though I was under deadline to finish other books. I literally felt like I had to go back.
Three Words That Describe This Book: alluring, stories within stories, unforgettable
4th word: stylistically complex
Draft Review:
Lima’s debut is exactly what the title tells the reader it is going to be, a novel in stories, which “the writer” creates for the Devil throughout her life after sleeping with him at a party in her 20s. The “stories” are interrupted by unnamed chapters, told by a 3rd person narrator, who draw readers into the writer’s “real” life outside of her fiction, enhancing their connection to the writer's work as well as her struggles as a Brazilian immigrant, distant daughter, and eventual wife. The speculative stories themselves range from weird and chilling like “Antropófaga” where the main character eats “tiny Americans” from a work vending machine to emotionally devastating like “Ghost Story” where on a visit back to family in Brazil, the protagonist finds that the ghost of her older self is haunting her mother. However, it is the writer and her interactions with the Devil (rendered with both sympathy and healthy fear) throughout her life which adds a surreal hue uniting the entire volume into one of the most original and unforgettable reads of the year.
Verdict: A captivating, alluring, and at times, illicit book that is conscious of the craft of the storytelling process without sacrificing an extraordinary reading experience similar to Fever Dream by Samanta Schwebilin, Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward and Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias.
This book is exactly what it tells you it is going to be in the title and yet so much more. The frame of the stories included here are that the main character writes them for the Devil, yes, but there are also "Alt Chapters" between the stories where the narrator is showing her "true" self. Some of those steal the show, or at least clearly make the official "stories" better. And they all-- stories and alt chapters-- overlap more as the book goes one. One part of the narrative cannot stand without the other.
It is a meta journey. A story about writing stories, told through those stories, where the main characters reality and the fiction she writes overlap. As a reader you question what is real and what is fiction and even forget the kicker-- that all of it is a novel that is fictitious.
It is also the story of a young woman, a Brazilian immigrant, who is becoming herself. Finding her voice as a writer, falling in love, struggling with the family she left behind.
The detached 3rd person omniscient narration adds to the creepy vibe that lies at the foundation of the entire book.
The Devil as a character is compelling, alluring, illicit, fascinating, and complex. Lima, uses the Devil as a character in new ways. I enjoyed that as a Horror reader.
The most memorable and heart breaking story is "Antropófaga" but I would not call it "the best." I don't think you can pick a best because of the narrative structure. "Ghost Story" is the story that is most resonant. But again, the point here is that this is a novel in stories. As a novel it is much stronger than its parts, but its parts make it a novel.
The meta, story within a story within a story etc... is extremely well done.
Readalikes: Looking Glass Sound by Ward-- a book about writing stories with satires within stories and not sure what is true and yet it is all fiction. Samanta Schweblin-- surreal, illicit, alluring, lyrical, a book that is compelling but doesn't;t really have a traditional plot. A little but of Night of the Living Rez by Talty-- showing life for a character over time through linked stories. Oh, and Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias. This is the best readlaike.
More soon
June 1, 2024
4.0 Stars
This is such a unique short story collection. It's impressive to make a slice-of-life “deal with the devil” kinda story. It's such a strange juxtaposition but it completely works.
I liked the subtle unsettling feeling of these stories. I tend to prefer these collections where all the stories are interlinked.
I would recommend this one to readers who enjoy an out of the box horror experiences.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This is such a unique short story collection. It's impressive to make a slice-of-life “deal with the devil” kinda story. It's such a strange juxtaposition but it completely works.
I liked the subtle unsettling feeling of these stories. I tend to prefer these collections where all the stories are interlinked.
I would recommend this one to readers who enjoy an out of the box horror experiences.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
June 8, 2024
Ananda Lima what a great group of short stories that kept my attention. Such great story telling. The story starts when the writer meets the Devil at a Halloween party. I will remember these stories for awhile. Highly recommend.
November 14, 2024
A story with short stories blended in. It was good!
June 6, 2024
This short story collection suffers from an imprecise synopsis and marketing. The summary states Craft as a “intoxicating and unsettling linked collection” with the genre of horror. This is most definitely a litfic collection with the underlying themes of immigration and government at the forefront.
The inclusion of the devil seems disjointed from the other stories, and it was all a bit too abstract to create a coherent narrative. I did find Lima’s writing to be compelling, but I kept thinking “where is this going? Where is the horror?”
⭐⭐.5
Available June 18, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The inclusion of the devil seems disjointed from the other stories, and it was all a bit too abstract to create a coherent narrative. I did find Lima’s writing to be compelling, but I kept thinking “where is this going? Where is the horror?”
⭐⭐.5
Available June 18, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
May 11, 2025
My introduction to the fiction of Ananda Lima is Craft: Stories I Wrote For The Devil. Published in 2024, this is a loose--I mean very loose--collection of microfiction, some of which play off the theme that a writer met the Devil at a Halloween party in her twenties and one thing led to another. The stories the writer shares--some with supernatural overtones, others garden variety short story--are ostensibly stories she shares with the Devil.
The title and the perspective the author was bringing to the page as a Brazilian American are what hooked me, and my expectations were too high.
There's some delightful writing here that I appreciated as a film geek. Lima shares her ardor of Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) repeatedly in one tale, which made me very happy. This relates nicely to her comments about our former and current president, whose real estate developer days inspired the good bad guy in the movie and whose immigration policies have struck deep anxiety in the narrator as her work visa has expired.
Lima also cites All About My Mother, Poltergeist, Legend (of course, her narrator slept with the Devil) and The Fly. Her specificity flies in the face of direction that writers seem to get from editors not to cite popular culture because when translated, readers in Europe or Asia won't understand the reference, as if only Americans and a few Canadians clustered around Toronto and Vancouver have seen Gremlins 2. At best, it fosters vague writing, which I find annoying, and was happy to see Lima dispel.
I enjoyed flashes of the author's sense of humor, as well as her perspective as a Brazilian living in the U.S. It was my fault that I expected this story collection to be devoted to the supernatural, pocket sized Tales From the Darkside tailored for the Devil, when really, this is a collection of Lima's short fiction, touching on COVID-19, our former and current president, immigration policy, none of it connected by a legitimate premise.
Since I responded to some of the writing more than I did any story, I can't recommend the book, but will read whatever Lima writes next.
First sentence: You probably couldn't tell by looking at her now, but once, back in her twenties, the writer had slept with the devil.
Favorite passage: When the woman said the word "gremlins," it took a second for my brain to map the word as she pronounced it the way the word had lived in my head as a child. We said "gremilins" in Portuguese, that extra i added like a drop of water to the back of the mogwai, giving rise to an additional syllable.
The title and the perspective the author was bringing to the page as a Brazilian American are what hooked me, and my expectations were too high.
There's some delightful writing here that I appreciated as a film geek. Lima shares her ardor of Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) repeatedly in one tale, which made me very happy. This relates nicely to her comments about our former and current president, whose real estate developer days inspired the good bad guy in the movie and whose immigration policies have struck deep anxiety in the narrator as her work visa has expired.
Lima also cites All About My Mother, Poltergeist, Legend (of course, her narrator slept with the Devil) and The Fly. Her specificity flies in the face of direction that writers seem to get from editors not to cite popular culture because when translated, readers in Europe or Asia won't understand the reference, as if only Americans and a few Canadians clustered around Toronto and Vancouver have seen Gremlins 2. At best, it fosters vague writing, which I find annoying, and was happy to see Lima dispel.
I enjoyed flashes of the author's sense of humor, as well as her perspective as a Brazilian living in the U.S. It was my fault that I expected this story collection to be devoted to the supernatural, pocket sized Tales From the Darkside tailored for the Devil, when really, this is a collection of Lima's short fiction, touching on COVID-19, our former and current president, immigration policy, none of it connected by a legitimate premise.
Since I responded to some of the writing more than I did any story, I can't recommend the book, but will read whatever Lima writes next.
First sentence: You probably couldn't tell by looking at her now, but once, back in her twenties, the writer had slept with the devil.
Favorite passage: When the woman said the word "gremlins," it took a second for my brain to map the word as she pronounced it the way the word had lived in my head as a child. We said "gremilins" in Portuguese, that extra i added like a drop of water to the back of the mogwai, giving rise to an additional syllable.
July 26, 2024
2.5 ⭐ It started off great and then I just didn't get it anymore.
February 1, 2025
an absolutely transcendent collection of literary horror!! lima evokes the terror of reality. it's clever and dark and lovely. we follow the writer, a longtime acquaintance of the devil, across stories of alienation, political horror, betrayal by those you trusted. there's a theme of abrupt aging, noticing the physical evidence of changes in someone you've been apart from. details recur across stories, creating a powerful and unified whole. i loved this and will look forward to ananda lima's future work!
some favorite stories (actually, almost all of the stories):
RAPTURE has a 1980s halloween party setting - about a woman who once slept with the devil. this piece also has its own moody new wave synth soundtrack, culminating in blondie's rapture. oddly i'm almost reminded of christopher pike - the supernatural is relayed in a matter-of-fact manner, dark but not too heavy. the writing is lush:
✧✧✧
TROPICALIA has a nonlinear timeline, days marked by phases of the moon. gremlins 2, the fly, gruesome transformation, monstrous NYC, the solar eclipse. the horror of ICE, being deemed an alien, losing your visa in a bar and suddenly being without the one small item that keeps you secure. the dystopian nightmare of being an immigrant in the post-2016 US.
ANTROPOFAGA is about a vending machine of americans, bite sized and addictive to devour. menial work, the misery of monotony, loneliness, grief, relying on that one something good to get you through your day. consuming others and eventually consuming oneself.
IDLE HANDS is comprised of a collection of writing critiques, which is an interesting device. this is followed by the writer in the midst of the pandemic, facing dictators and death tolls in the US and in brazil, all our collective trauma.
PORCELAIN contains more loneliness, depth of isolation, feeling unable to connect with anyone in your life. a man who feels as though if a rat came up through the pipes and into his toilet, he'd be grateful for the company.
HEAVEN HELL AND PURGATORY gives me big kelly link vibes!! but easier to read, which is appreciated. the story here circles back to the writer, tropicalia, the craft of writing.
some favorite stories (actually, almost all of the stories):
RAPTURE has a 1980s halloween party setting - about a woman who once slept with the devil. this piece also has its own moody new wave synth soundtrack, culminating in blondie's rapture. oddly i'm almost reminded of christopher pike - the supernatural is relayed in a matter-of-fact manner, dark but not too heavy. the writing is lush:
It was pure sensation, but also fully embodied. I was my body and his body. And a garden, honey, heat, sweetness, stars, and cosmic dust. Earth, as in dirt as in the whole planet. I was spring, and the snakes in my veins were green. When they traveled up to my chest, they eased their purple-coiled sister, hardened around my heart, who slowly loosened and let go and turned green too. They swam in golden water and became gold; they swam in lava, then champagne, where they became air and effervesced, bubbling together, erupting into the air and leaving behind the surface of a lake at sunset, where I floated, bruised but free.
✧✧✧
TROPICALIA has a nonlinear timeline, days marked by phases of the moon. gremlins 2, the fly, gruesome transformation, monstrous NYC, the solar eclipse. the horror of ICE, being deemed an alien, losing your visa in a bar and suddenly being without the one small item that keeps you secure. the dystopian nightmare of being an immigrant in the post-2016 US.
ANTROPOFAGA is about a vending machine of americans, bite sized and addictive to devour. menial work, the misery of monotony, loneliness, grief, relying on that one something good to get you through your day. consuming others and eventually consuming oneself.
IDLE HANDS is comprised of a collection of writing critiques, which is an interesting device. this is followed by the writer in the midst of the pandemic, facing dictators and death tolls in the US and in brazil, all our collective trauma.
PORCELAIN contains more loneliness, depth of isolation, feeling unable to connect with anyone in your life. a man who feels as though if a rat came up through the pipes and into his toilet, he'd be grateful for the company.
HEAVEN HELL AND PURGATORY gives me big kelly link vibes!! but easier to read, which is appreciated. the story here circles back to the writer, tropicalia, the craft of writing.
June 2, 2024
This was a unique book I was not expecting. I listened to the audiobook and while I liked the narrator I wish I had read this book because there were some pieces I felt would have worked better if I could look at them, especially the part where the writer is getting feedback. This book did a great job showing the immigrant experience mostly because I wasn’t expecting it so it was able to hit even harder. I will say this book didn’t always make logical sense, but it was somehow still beautiful and created amazing imagery. But that amazing imagery was bizarre there is no doubt about that. I wasn’t expecting there to be bits about the pandemic, but it made sense and fit and was probably the most fluid and natural feeling representation I have seen. This is the kind of book that I will keep digesting for a while which I definitely like.
September 7, 2024
oooh yes this was stellar. looove the eerie, macabre, at times hilarious, and always completely raw and on point feel that lima brings to these stories. a really masterful collection full of works that function well both as a loosely connected overarching narrative, as well as completely self-contained narratives.
a lot of these stories are lockdown stories as well which, despite being very grounded in the political sphere of 2020-2022, still feel very fresh and enjoyable to read despite the wealth of lockdown stories we've gotten since then. i love how the author draws parallels between US and brazilian politics, exploring both sides of the political dynamic with stories like [i]ghost story.[/i] i'm a huge sucker for autobiographical fiction too, and i really enjoyed how lima weaves memoir-style segments into and around the main stories. like, this is just so fucking excellent, please read it???
individual ratings:
rapture - 3.5/5
ghost story - 5/5
tropicalia - 4/5
antropofaga - 5/5
idle hands - 4/5
rent - 3/5
porcelain - 4.5/5
heaven, hell, and purgatory - 5/5
hasselblad - 4/5
a lot of these stories are lockdown stories as well which, despite being very grounded in the political sphere of 2020-2022, still feel very fresh and enjoyable to read despite the wealth of lockdown stories we've gotten since then. i love how the author draws parallels between US and brazilian politics, exploring both sides of the political dynamic with stories like [i]ghost story.[/i] i'm a huge sucker for autobiographical fiction too, and i really enjoyed how lima weaves memoir-style segments into and around the main stories. like, this is just so fucking excellent, please read it???
individual ratings:
rapture - 3.5/5
ghost story - 5/5
tropicalia - 4/5
antropofaga - 5/5
idle hands - 4/5
rent - 3/5
porcelain - 4.5/5
heaven, hell, and purgatory - 5/5
hasselblad - 4/5
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June 10, 2024
I liked the concept far more than the execution, unfortunately.
The writing is gorgeous. The concept is breathtaking. Several of the stories were really, really good. And some were just, meh. This is a novella to savor and languish in, and damn it to hell I was just not in a savoring mood.
I received an ARC for an honest review
The writing is gorgeous. The concept is breathtaking. Several of the stories were really, really good. And some were just, meh. This is a novella to savor and languish in, and damn it to hell I was just not in a savoring mood.
I received an ARC for an honest review
June 19, 2024
Stories can save our souls.
An unnamed woman writer meets the devil in a bar. If that sounds like the start to a bad joke, I assure you it’s not. The devil convinces the woman that they are “kindred spirits” because of their cravings for stories. Drunk and a little heartbroken, she lets the devil in.
As the cover art suggests, this is stories within a story. The main storyline follows the unnamed writer’s personal life and her subsequent encounters with the devil, weaved with short stories that she is writing. This book is labeled as horror here on Goodreads but I didn’t notice many horror elements present; it read more like literary/ speculative fiction so be sure to adjust any expectations before diving in.
The author, Ananda Lima, is primarily a poet and it cuts through clear in this work as the prose is, well, poetic; ebbing and flowing beautifully. In these stories Lima addresses the Brazilian immigrant experience in Trump’s America and the fear that goes along with it. Strong themes also include womanhood and the art of writing. In addition, many of the characters in this book seem as if they are idling in some kind of in-between land, struggling with identity.
With such a fascinating premise, I was hoping for more scenes with the devil’s presence but I think that is because of my expectations; that I assumed the role the devil would play in this story. However, this book completely defied my expectations and still, it worked. This is a savory literary piece that plays with form in an incredibly fun and dreamlike way and it is worthy of dissection and praise. It’s one that will sit with me for some time.
The narration by Taylor Harvey was well executed. Harvey adequately displayed the narrative voice and tone and it was a joy to listen to.
Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Available now wherever you find your books!
An unnamed woman writer meets the devil in a bar. If that sounds like the start to a bad joke, I assure you it’s not. The devil convinces the woman that they are “kindred spirits” because of their cravings for stories. Drunk and a little heartbroken, she lets the devil in.
As the cover art suggests, this is stories within a story. The main storyline follows the unnamed writer’s personal life and her subsequent encounters with the devil, weaved with short stories that she is writing. This book is labeled as horror here on Goodreads but I didn’t notice many horror elements present; it read more like literary/ speculative fiction so be sure to adjust any expectations before diving in.
The author, Ananda Lima, is primarily a poet and it cuts through clear in this work as the prose is, well, poetic; ebbing and flowing beautifully. In these stories Lima addresses the Brazilian immigrant experience in Trump’s America and the fear that goes along with it. Strong themes also include womanhood and the art of writing. In addition, many of the characters in this book seem as if they are idling in some kind of in-between land, struggling with identity.
With such a fascinating premise, I was hoping for more scenes with the devil’s presence but I think that is because of my expectations; that I assumed the role the devil would play in this story. However, this book completely defied my expectations and still, it worked. This is a savory literary piece that plays with form in an incredibly fun and dreamlike way and it is worthy of dissection and praise. It’s one that will sit with me for some time.
The narration by Taylor Harvey was well executed. Harvey adequately displayed the narrative voice and tone and it was a joy to listen to.
Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Available now wherever you find your books!
April 7, 2025
3.5 stars!
Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil was very interesting reading. Interesting subject matter? No. Interesting plots? Not particularly. Interesting hook and structure? Yes.
Combining beautiful writing with the atmosphere of pseudo-autofiction and marketed with an iconic supernatural hook, this short story collection had some cool things going for it. But it was like all story collections: a mixed bag.
This slim collection would be ruined if I described it overly much, so let's stick with this vague review that talks around it instead of through.
If you're coming to this collection with an interest in the "Devil" element, you will likely be disappointed. He's there, he is done in a relatively unique way, but he's not at all the clincher of these narratives or even a reliably present character. His interjections with 'the writer' character within the text itself were my favorite parts of the collection but they were so brief.
This collection hinges on the idea of self-insertion / dissociated present vs. looking out at your own self / connecting the through thread of narratives in the margins / reflection / observing detail.
I thought it was very beautiful, and poignant at times. (Utterly bizarre at other times, but that's honestly how short stories go.)
If you're like me, and your local bookstore had it on the horror shelves, then you'll be in for a disappointment because I do not think this is at all a horror collection. This is speculative adult fiction and it will find a better readership on those shelves.
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Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil was very interesting reading. Interesting subject matter? No. Interesting plots? Not particularly. Interesting hook and structure? Yes.
Combining beautiful writing with the atmosphere of pseudo-autofiction and marketed with an iconic supernatural hook, this short story collection had some cool things going for it. But it was like all story collections: a mixed bag.
This slim collection would be ruined if I described it overly much, so let's stick with this vague review that talks around it instead of through.
If you're coming to this collection with an interest in the "Devil" element, you will likely be disappointed. He's there, he is done in a relatively unique way, but he's not at all the clincher of these narratives or even a reliably present character. His interjections with 'the writer' character within the text itself were my favorite parts of the collection but they were so brief.
This collection hinges on the idea of self-insertion / dissociated present vs. looking out at your own self / connecting the through thread of narratives in the margins / reflection / observing detail.
I thought it was very beautiful, and poignant at times. (Utterly bizarre at other times, but that's honestly how short stories go.)
If you're like me, and your local bookstore had it on the horror shelves, then you'll be in for a disappointment because I do not think this is at all a horror collection. This is speculative adult fiction and it will find a better readership on those shelves.
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July 16, 2024
My only complaint about this book is that I wanted a little more devil. Other than that I absolutely loved it and was both completely horrified and fascinated by the vending machine story! I’ll be thinking about that one for quite awhile.
October 15, 2025
In ‘Rapture’, the opening story of this collection, the narrator hooks up with the Devil at a Halloween party. Despite that, ‘stories I wrote for the Devil’ is a bit of a misnomer, and you might be disappointed if you come into this book expecting spooky-season creepiness, or a strong and enduring Devil-based throughline. There’s a reason Craft is the title and Stories I Wrote for the Devil is the subtitle; this is a book of stories about the creative process more than it is a horror collection.
It’s slippery, particularly in the short connecting snippets that often retell elements of the preceding story with key details subtly altered. The protagonist is almost always a Brazilian woman and almost always a writer, but other elements shift. Sometimes this happens within a single story: ‘Hasselblad: Triptych’ offers three distinct versions of the same scenario, the relationships between its characters rearranging.
The first part of the book feels the most cohesive and offers the best stories. ‘Rapture’ is so well-written and irresistible that I didn’t want to look up from it. In ‘Idle Hands’, the author receives feedback on a story we never actually read, and we’re left to reconstruct its contents from the contradictory, often patronising comments of her workshop peers. Although its title might lead us to expect something else, ‘Ghost Story’ is thoughtful and unpredictable, more about family relationships and ageing than it is about hauntings.
Some of the rest doesn’t slot together quite as well, but Lima has a very engaging style. Craft reminded me of Lena Valencia’s Mystery Lights, which, similarly, sits in a sometimes uneasy niche between literary and genre fiction. If I was being uncharitable, I’d say the Devil element is less developed than it could be, and, indeed, the book works best if you don’t treat that as the main hook. It’s a smart, self-aware collection about the writer’s craft.
It’s slippery, particularly in the short connecting snippets that often retell elements of the preceding story with key details subtly altered. The protagonist is almost always a Brazilian woman and almost always a writer, but other elements shift. Sometimes this happens within a single story: ‘Hasselblad: Triptych’ offers three distinct versions of the same scenario, the relationships between its characters rearranging.
The first part of the book feels the most cohesive and offers the best stories. ‘Rapture’ is so well-written and irresistible that I didn’t want to look up from it. In ‘Idle Hands’, the author receives feedback on a story we never actually read, and we’re left to reconstruct its contents from the contradictory, often patronising comments of her workshop peers. Although its title might lead us to expect something else, ‘Ghost Story’ is thoughtful and unpredictable, more about family relationships and ageing than it is about hauntings.
Some of the rest doesn’t slot together quite as well, but Lima has a very engaging style. Craft reminded me of Lena Valencia’s Mystery Lights, which, similarly, sits in a sometimes uneasy niche between literary and genre fiction. If I was being uncharitable, I’d say the Devil element is less developed than it could be, and, indeed, the book works best if you don’t treat that as the main hook. It’s a smart, self-aware collection about the writer’s craft.
December 17, 2024
An interesting collection of somewhat connected stories where a woman meets the devil at a party and then encounters the devil randomly throughout her life. As others have said, most stories are slice of life stories. Some stories were more interesting and had more fantastical elements. Some stories, though, were simple to the point where I wondered what the point of the story was. I listened to this on audiobook and wonder if I had read this physically or as an ebook if I would’ve understood it more. I do think I’d get more out of it upon re-read. This reminded me of Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett where the stories are sort of nestled into one another. 2.5, rounded up
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 14, 2024
I somehow read this in two hours and my eyes never left the pages a single second
September 30, 2024
2.5/5 — The style/structure of this were really cool. There are specific short stories I really love in here (antropófaga and hasselblad were so good.)
But, some of this really lulled for me. Honestly, I am not sure if it's even the entire fault of the book itself or the marketing of the book/my expectations based on the marketing. I'd categorize this as short stories about the Brazilian-American experience with some magical realism and insights into being a writer, but I do not consider this a horror read. I was going into it with that expectation/in a mode to read those types of stories. I also think some of the stories well capture the experience of being an immigrant through the narrative and emotional exploration, but some of the political commentary was too on the nose for me. There is a lot of explicit commentary on Trump, Bolsonaro and their policies that I wish had been woven into the stories in more allegorical ways than explicit ones.
But, some of this really lulled for me. Honestly, I am not sure if it's even the entire fault of the book itself or the marketing of the book/my expectations based on the marketing. I'd categorize this as short stories about the Brazilian-American experience with some magical realism and insights into being a writer, but I do not consider this a horror read. I was going into it with that expectation/in a mode to read those types of stories. I also think some of the stories well capture the experience of being an immigrant through the narrative and emotional exploration, but some of the political commentary was too on the nose for me. There is a lot of explicit commentary on Trump, Bolsonaro and their policies that I wish had been woven into the stories in more allegorical ways than explicit ones.
September 16, 2025
The stories in this collection feature beautiful, thoughtful writing. The kind you want to take your time with. There are many small, relatable life moments for a book in which a woman hooks up with the devil at a Halloween party. There's a lot going on symbolically with said Devil, as he continues to follow the writer throughout her life not as an oppressive figure but quite the opposite, as more of a friend and a comforting image. On the surface, there's a lot of conflict between the characters and the outside world, much of it political. (The threats are very real and very tangible.) I wouldn't necessarily call these stories horror, but there are eerie and unsettling elements, as well as stark reminders of reality.
I was pretty much a fan of the writing style right away, but the author further won me over when one of the stories opened with a quote from “Gremlins 2: The New Batch.” That particular piece was one of my favorites overall. I am a forever fan of anyone who skillfully weaves a love for pop culture into the narrative.
A lot of these stories are centered around the pandemic and current events, so you may want to know that going in. It's a worthwhile read, and Lima is very talented. It made me want to hang out with the Devil.
3.5 stars
Biggest TW: Politics (45/47, current events), Animal harm, Chronic illness
I was pretty much a fan of the writing style right away, but the author further won me over when one of the stories opened with a quote from “Gremlins 2: The New Batch.” That particular piece was one of my favorites overall. I am a forever fan of anyone who skillfully weaves a love for pop culture into the narrative.
A lot of these stories are centered around the pandemic and current events, so you may want to know that going in. It's a worthwhile read, and Lima is very talented. It made me want to hang out with the Devil.
3.5 stars
Biggest TW: Politics (45/47, current events), Animal harm, Chronic illness
August 18, 2024
I've been waiting for this--Brazilian-American poet Ananda Lima's first volume of fiction, short stories speaking to our moment, MAGA-haunted, immigrant-paranoid, witty and more than a bit meta, tied together with a continuing relationship between 'the writer' and the Devil, whom she sleeps with at a party when in her early 20s.
The Devil here is not the fire-and-brimstone bringer of suffering we're so familiar with, but, as she's explained in interviews, the Brazilian one, who is always portrayed as slightly smaller than humans, someone humans tend to outwit. He is more of a muse than a tormentor, handsome, hot (of course!) lover. He doesn't even want her soul, it's her stories he craves.
These wonderful stories! "She devoured tiny Americans that slid out of the vending machine."
I especially loved one called "Idle Hands" which is solely comprised of the critique on a story by her writer's workshop in, presumably, an MFA program. Naturally, every critique is countered by the opposite advice in the next. The sly wit and inventiveness is delicious. Highly recommended.
The Devil here is not the fire-and-brimstone bringer of suffering we're so familiar with, but, as she's explained in interviews, the Brazilian one, who is always portrayed as slightly smaller than humans, someone humans tend to outwit. He is more of a muse than a tormentor, handsome, hot (of course!) lover. He doesn't even want her soul, it's her stories he craves.
These wonderful stories! "She devoured tiny Americans that slid out of the vending machine."
I especially loved one called "Idle Hands" which is solely comprised of the critique on a story by her writer's workshop in, presumably, an MFA program. Naturally, every critique is countered by the opposite advice in the next. The sly wit and inventiveness is delicious. Highly recommended.
May 25, 2024
I wanted to love this book. It's clever in theory but the execution left something to be desired.
It started off well enough, at a Halloween party where a woman is waiting for the man she loves who is actually in a relationship with her friend. How depressing right?
While she is waiting she meets the devil himself who offers to split up the happy couple and shows that he can do it. After spending a night together she continues to see the devil in various spots...and she writes stories.
I would have preferred it if she just told those stories in a linear fashion. Instead the stories are broken up in a disjointed way. There are pages of story critiques that serve only as an interruption.
The devil was charming and I would have liked him to play a larger role.
I did enjoy some of the stories, especially Antropofaga in which tiny humans are purchased as snacks from a vending machine among all the other junk foods.
And Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory where someone's ultimate hell is Penn Station.
This was just an ok read for me. You may enjoy it more than I did.
My thanks to Tor Books
It started off well enough, at a Halloween party where a woman is waiting for the man she loves who is actually in a relationship with her friend. How depressing right?
While she is waiting she meets the devil himself who offers to split up the happy couple and shows that he can do it. After spending a night together she continues to see the devil in various spots...and she writes stories.
I would have preferred it if she just told those stories in a linear fashion. Instead the stories are broken up in a disjointed way. There are pages of story critiques that serve only as an interruption.
The devil was charming and I would have liked him to play a larger role.
I did enjoy some of the stories, especially Antropofaga in which tiny humans are purchased as snacks from a vending machine among all the other junk foods.
And Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory where someone's ultimate hell is Penn Station.
This was just an ok read for me. You may enjoy it more than I did.
My thanks to Tor Books
May 18, 2024
Craft was a solid novella. The main thing you need to know going in is: “At a Halloween party in 1999, a writer slept with the devil. She sees him again and again throughout her life and she writes stories for him about things that are both impossible and true.”
That concept is the main connecting factor between the stories. This novella is set up where you have main stories that serve as short stories and then basically interludes where we follow the writer and her life. Just like with any short story collection I enjoyed some more than others. There were two in particular, to save you from spoilers (I think you should go in as blind as possible) I won’t tell you the themes but they were really good. There were two others that I felt were okay.
One thing that stood out about Craft was the writing, it is exceptional, lyrical and though provoking. The authors writes about political climates, relationships, the supernatural and so much more. If you are a fan of short stories/ anthologies you don’t want to miss this one. Also if you are a fan of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
That concept is the main connecting factor between the stories. This novella is set up where you have main stories that serve as short stories and then basically interludes where we follow the writer and her life. Just like with any short story collection I enjoyed some more than others. There were two in particular, to save you from spoilers (I think you should go in as blind as possible) I won’t tell you the themes but they were really good. There were two others that I felt were okay.
One thing that stood out about Craft was the writing, it is exceptional, lyrical and though provoking. The authors writes about political climates, relationships, the supernatural and so much more. If you are a fan of short stories/ anthologies you don’t want to miss this one. Also if you are a fan of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.
October 4, 2024
It doesn’t make sense but it works. 😂 You gotta ignore the synopsis and the marketing for this cause it’s totally different. This is not thriller or horror in any way. It is more of a weird girl lit fic with a little sprinkle of spooky. Some fantastic commentary about race and class. It jumps around. There is no plot and the stories do not really go together. It is a bit meta, but for some reason I found it to be a fun, unique, and kinda mindless read.
January 21, 2025
I Craft Stories For the Devil is a collection of interconnected short stories set in Brazil and the US. We meet the main character who is a author trying to get their work published. In the very first story she meets the devil and he pops up throughout the book.
I can’t say I enjoyed the entire collection but the stories I loved really stood out particularly the one where she was getting feedback on her work. I also loved when she visited Brazil and we see her relationship with her parents and brother. Also, an immigration story is always very interesting to me.
Overall, there were parts I enjoyed the others kinda dragged.
I can’t say I enjoyed the entire collection but the stories I loved really stood out particularly the one where she was getting feedback on her work. I also loved when she visited Brazil and we see her relationship with her parents and brother. Also, an immigration story is always very interesting to me.
Overall, there were parts I enjoyed the others kinda dragged.
May 16, 2024
This was a very intriguing and very literary work of magical realism. It’s a short book, but I took my time reading it. It’s a book that benefits from a chance to think on. Though the book isn’t going to be to everyone’s tastes, I’d think this could spark as good a book club discussion as anything I’ve ever read.
The premise is that the writer, a Brazilian immigrant to America, ran into the Devil at a party and ended up hooking up with him. From that point forward, she saw him frequently, though they only interacted in the briefest of ways, and in ways that shaped her writing. Reading the blurb, I thought this was going to be a collection of short stories. And it is, sort of. It’s got a bunch of short stories *in* it, interspersed with passages about the writer’s life and about her *writing* the stories. (How much of it is autobiographical is unclear, but given that the writer within the book and the author *of* the book are both Brazilian immigrants, I’m assuming at least somewhat.) It’s hard to tell, sometimes, what’s a story and what is part of the greater frame story. Things definitely get intentionally blurry at times.
This is definitely a 2016-2020 novel. The anti-immigrant ugliness that was so prominent in America during those years is always near the surface here; as a Latin American immigrant, the writer is justifiably living in a climate of fear and uncertainty. Things get even worse as Covid rolls in; the author did a great job of capturing the anxiety of the early months when things were *really* bad. The writer lives in Manhattan; I’m hoping some of the New Yorkers I know will read it and share their thoughts with what it was like to live through that first wave.
On the political side, of course the writer is dealing with living under our former Dear Leader. But she’s also dealing with the political situation in Brazil. Her parents ranting about Donald Trump and not seeing the many, many similarities between him and Jair Bolsonaro is a particular sore point for the writer.
The stories within the book frequently deal with the immigrant experience, with a particular focus on balancing life in the United States with family back home. There was one thing in particular I loved the conceit of. The writer attended one of those writing workshops where people read their story, and everyone offers critiques. We don’t get the story the writer wrote for the workshop; we get the critiques everyone sent her, with their conflicting interpretations and contradictory advice. It’s a delight to read, though I want the actual story rather badly. Or at least I want Ananda Lima to let me know if the two guys ever found the cat.
The writing is absolutely beautiful. Lima has a gift for expressing emotion through imagery, and for painting a scene in the reader’s head. Not going to be to everyone’s tastes, but strongly recommended.
My blog
The premise is that the writer, a Brazilian immigrant to America, ran into the Devil at a party and ended up hooking up with him. From that point forward, she saw him frequently, though they only interacted in the briefest of ways, and in ways that shaped her writing. Reading the blurb, I thought this was going to be a collection of short stories. And it is, sort of. It’s got a bunch of short stories *in* it, interspersed with passages about the writer’s life and about her *writing* the stories. (How much of it is autobiographical is unclear, but given that the writer within the book and the author *of* the book are both Brazilian immigrants, I’m assuming at least somewhat.) It’s hard to tell, sometimes, what’s a story and what is part of the greater frame story. Things definitely get intentionally blurry at times.
This is definitely a 2016-2020 novel. The anti-immigrant ugliness that was so prominent in America during those years is always near the surface here; as a Latin American immigrant, the writer is justifiably living in a climate of fear and uncertainty. Things get even worse as Covid rolls in; the author did a great job of capturing the anxiety of the early months when things were *really* bad. The writer lives in Manhattan; I’m hoping some of the New Yorkers I know will read it and share their thoughts with what it was like to live through that first wave.
On the political side, of course the writer is dealing with living under our former Dear Leader. But she’s also dealing with the political situation in Brazil. Her parents ranting about Donald Trump and not seeing the many, many similarities between him and Jair Bolsonaro is a particular sore point for the writer.
The stories within the book frequently deal with the immigrant experience, with a particular focus on balancing life in the United States with family back home. There was one thing in particular I loved the conceit of. The writer attended one of those writing workshops where people read their story, and everyone offers critiques. We don’t get the story the writer wrote for the workshop; we get the critiques everyone sent her, with their conflicting interpretations and contradictory advice. It’s a delight to read, though I want the actual story rather badly. Or at least I want Ananda Lima to let me know if the two guys ever found the cat.
The writing is absolutely beautiful. Lima has a gift for expressing emotion through imagery, and for painting a scene in the reader’s head. Not going to be to everyone’s tastes, but strongly recommended.
My blog
July 11, 2024
" The Devil said what he could do himself was always very little, unlike what others could do using his name.
Book rating : 3 stars
Narration : 4 stars
Average rating : 3.5 stars
Narrated by Taylor Harvey
I want to start this review with applause for the narrator. I loved her narration and it definitely made the whole experience quite a journey.
Now coming to the book, I definitely was mesmerized by the prose and for about first 40-50 % of the book I could make sense of the storyline as well. But later on it for very confusing. I couldn't understand who was who, if this was a story within story, or a story written by the author in the story.
There was even a point where I would have stopped listening but I continued coz of narration. Not because I was bored but because it felt kind of haphazard erratic thoughts which had no start or no end.
I will recommend it for those who enjoy this kind of writing. I loved the writing style so definitely going to pick next books Ananda Lima publishes.
Thank you Netgalley and dreamscape media for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
some quotes
Sometimes you need the distance to fully appreciate the view, to see mountaintops surrounding the creek and know that if you had kept going farther to the left, you would have seen a canyon so vast, it is hard to believe you missed it. You can see it all together from afar, even though by then, the sound of the water, the mist, and the soft moss are gone.
I had American bones now. I’d thought I was the eater, but America had been eating me the whole time, from within.
Book rating : 3 stars
Narration : 4 stars
Average rating : 3.5 stars
Narrated by Taylor Harvey
I want to start this review with applause for the narrator. I loved her narration and it definitely made the whole experience quite a journey.
Now coming to the book, I definitely was mesmerized by the prose and for about first 40-50 % of the book I could make sense of the storyline as well. But later on it for very confusing. I couldn't understand who was who, if this was a story within story, or a story written by the author in the story.
There was even a point where I would have stopped listening but I continued coz of narration. Not because I was bored but because it felt kind of haphazard erratic thoughts which had no start or no end.
I will recommend it for those who enjoy this kind of writing. I loved the writing style so definitely going to pick next books Ananda Lima publishes.
Thank you Netgalley and dreamscape media for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
some quotes
Sometimes you need the distance to fully appreciate the view, to see mountaintops surrounding the creek and know that if you had kept going farther to the left, you would have seen a canyon so vast, it is hard to believe you missed it. You can see it all together from afar, even though by then, the sound of the water, the mist, and the soft moss are gone.
I had American bones now. I’d thought I was the eater, but America had been eating me the whole time, from within.
Read
August 14, 2024EDIT: A Summerween take on The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Full review on
TIK TOK.
ORIGINAL TAKE: If you are a writer, this is the fantastical story of craft you need to read. Thoroughly inventive and original.
TIK TOK.
ORIGINAL TAKE: If you are a writer, this is the fantastical story of craft you need to read. Thoroughly inventive and original.
April 16, 2025
No offense, but calling this horror is an insult to the genre. A promising start mind you, and an excellent title (trickery!) but fell entirely flat for me and disappointment won over interest. DO NOT go into this thinking you're getting some deep, dark, hellscape stories that'll spook and disturb you. But do read it if you don't mind being played by publishing houses and marketing schemes though!
July 14, 2024
This was severely mismarketed. Even from the start, we were told the pivotal story happened in 1981, even though the dust jacket and summary says 1999. The Devil is also barely a part of any of these stories minus the first one.
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