Coming up Roses

by Sarah Laing

"Imagine that you're a statistic," says a character in these quirky, haunting stories of people whose inner lives are an escape from the boxes others put them in. The single mum, the student working in the pie factory, the newborn baby, the dying woman, the kiwi alone in New York; all are vivdly rendered. Prize-winning writer Sarah Laing has written a superb collection of stories which stimulate and surprise.

Genres: Short Stories

267 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Emma McCleary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Occasionally I come across a book that is totally engrossing with fantastic characters and wonderfully dense descriptive prose - this is such a book.

Coming Up Roses is jam-packed with fabulous stories that are enjoyable, funny, rich and that stay with you if you dare put the book down to do something else. I love reading contemporary, well-written fiction (NOT chick lit) and think this would be the perfect no-fail present for a woman aged 20-35.

In fact, writing this makes me wish that Sarah would write another book of short stories. If you like Marisha Pessl or Zadie Smith but need a big old Janet-Frame sized dose of New Zealand-ness too then this is the book for you.

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

“What have I got on this weekend? A night out with the usual suspects, pick-and-mixing one another ex-boyfriends, whose sexual deficiencies we’ve already been briefed on. It sucks when your own are reported back to you.”

There is some lovely description in these stories. Laing twists and tumbles into some exquisite perambulations, stopping off now and then to visit characters dwelling in situations soaked in a warm dreamy longing. Laing seems to have a way of filling certain lines and scenes with some nameless yet stirring quality that lifts them up into something really special.

“The sky is curdled, a whey of cloud floating above our heads. Drizzle spritzes our cheeks so I seal the buggy in plastic.”

Some of the highlights for me were “Notes On Etiquette”, “Plum Jar” and “Perfect”. These are stories lit up with flashes of clarity and little hidden pockets of poignancy. Moments of intimacy clash with pleasingly ridiculous scenarios. Scenes of almost visceral childhood nostalgia play out against scenes of loss and deep longing for ‘the other’, in its many forms.

This is a tiki tour of rural, small town New Zealand with some lovely moments to be found along the way. But we also get to enjoy some detours through metropolitan America and elsewhere. She draws people who are largely relatable, every day characters, in average and not so average circumstances, and this is a nice combination of the undemanding yet rewarding. Without doubt, like most short story collections, it has its quiet and uneventful moments, but overall this was a thoroughly enjoyable companion to have over a weekend.

[Shanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story collections are inevitably a mixed bag, but good ones like this remind me of the possibilities of petite fiction.

[Hayley Nisbet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this book because it looked and seemed interesting to read and I liked what she was writing about. Sarah Laing always wrote her short stories in second person which was a bit different but made it more interesting.

On the bingo board this book comes under a book of short stories. This makes it more interesting because it means they are not all very long but long enough to get the point across without writing a very long novel with chapters.

The three short stories that I will comment on in "After Birth", "Coming Up Roses" and "POD". Of the three my favourite was "After Birth", this is because while I was reading it I could easily picture what was happening in my mind. Out of all of them my favourite quote was in the story "After Birth" when the new mother says "You open your eyes and look back". This is my favourite quote because it is the very last line and it is the very first time the baby looked a the new mother so it is a nice moment. My second favourite was "Coming Up Roses" because the storyline was more funny then the others and the last story "POD" was a bit confusing because it didn't really know what was going on in some parts.

Something new that I have learnt from this book is to trust what people say in case you mess it up or break something, this was from the short story "Coming Up Roses" because the female ruined the roses when the man had said not to touch them.

A setting in the book that was interesting to me is the setting in the hospital in the story "After Birth" because I could imagine it really well and I just remember it out of everything.

[Judenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really beautiful collection of stories. Some of these felt more 'complete' than others as stand-alone works; some felt like the beginnings of larger works.

Laing has a way of exploring various voices in a believable way in which all perspectives are awarded respect. This collection studied feminity and womanhood, centering on issues of financial hardship, reproductive issues, self-doubt, insecurity, disillusionment, philosphy and existentialism.

It is so refreshing to have a NZ writer who makes all her very different characters charming and sympathetic.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading these snapshots of various characters. I hope that some of these stories inspire full novels for future work by this wonderful writer.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was great to finally catch up with these stories - I read a couple back when the book was released, always meant to gather them all up....they've lasted though; stood up well. Some great writing, some great humour, some nice surprises and winningly astute observations. Small words well realised.