What do you think?
Good Victory
Debut stories about the absurdity of growing up and being human in the twenty-first century.
A woman finds her childhood friend working in a booth at a psychic fair in the West Edmonton Mall courtyard. A lonely neuropsychology student steals cocaine from his lab rat in an effort to impress a Tinder date. A group of teenage girls play a dangerous game and discover a portal to another reality. Good Victory explores the strangeness and absurdity of being human in the twenty-first high school dances, teen pregnancy, and the continued cultural relevance of Wayne’s World; fatalistic obsessions with karaoke bars and Dolly Parton; supposed pimps hiding under the Calgary Stampede watchtower. Both unsettling and illuminating, these stories shine light in dark places.
A woman finds her childhood friend working in a booth at a psychic fair in the West Edmonton Mall courtyard. A lonely neuropsychology student steals cocaine from his lab rat in an effort to impress a Tinder date. A group of teenage girls play a dangerous game and discover a portal to another reality. Good Victory explores the strangeness and absurdity of being human in the twenty-first high school dances, teen pregnancy, and the continued cultural relevance of Wayne’s World; fatalistic obsessions with karaoke bars and Dolly Parton; supposed pimps hiding under the Calgary Stampede watchtower. Both unsettling and illuminating, these stories shine light in dark places.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2025
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 13, 2025
A million thanks to @freehandbooks for sending me @mikkajacobsen 's new release "Good Victory" following her book of essays "Modern Fables" (which I also really enjoyed). This collection of short stories really speaks to my elder millennial soul, as the collection speaks to the absurdity of growing up, especially during the 90s. I really GOT of the feelings in these quiet stories that came back to me, galloping into my thoughts. Things like waiting for something to happen, so you do something bad because you are bored. Things like doing something that sits with you in child heavy shame. Things like hiding information from your father, because you are not sure if either of you can handle it. A lot to ponder and Jacobsen captures the ridiculousness of growing up with a skilled hand.
September 28, 2024
Thank you, Freehand Books, for the ARC.
The stories are quite short and are really accessible to get into. The writing is perfect for beginners and casual readers.
Most of the stories revolve around everyday life with very normal relatable characters.
The stories deal with day to day life’s wins and challenges.
Most characters are adults and young adults but somehow they read really younger than their age. But you will not take much time reading this collection.
Perfect for vacations and weekends escape!
The stories are quite short and are really accessible to get into. The writing is perfect for beginners and casual readers.
Most of the stories revolve around everyday life with very normal relatable characters.
The stories deal with day to day life’s wins and challenges.
Most characters are adults and young adults but somehow they read really younger than their age. But you will not take much time reading this collection.
Perfect for vacations and weekends escape!
August 22, 2026
Good Victory is an inventive and wonderfully unpredictable collection that captures the absurdity, uncertainty, and occasional darkness of contemporary life. Mikka Jacobsen's stories move through a fascinating range of situations from psychic fairs and Tinder dates to teenage games, karaoke obsessions, and strange encounters that seem to bend the boundaries of reality. What connects them is a sharp awareness of the awkwardness and contradictions that come with being human.
The collection's greatest strength is its willingness to find humor and strangeness in places that could otherwise feel unsettling. The characters often make questionable choices, chase unusual desires, or find themselves in circumstances far beyond their control, yet their experiences remain recognizable in surprising ways. Jacobsen balances the surreal with the everyday, allowing seemingly bizarre situations to reveal something meaningful about loneliness, identity, relationships, adolescence, and the pressures of modern life.
Readers who enjoy contemporary short fiction, literary fiction, dark humor, surreal storytelling, and stories that explore the stranger corners of ordinary existence should find Good Victory particularly appealing. The collection feels fresh because it refuses to settle into a single mood or formula, instead allowing each story to approach modern life from a different angle. It is an engaging collection for readers who appreciate fiction that can be funny, unsettling, strange, and thoughtful all at once.
The collection's greatest strength is its willingness to find humor and strangeness in places that could otherwise feel unsettling. The characters often make questionable choices, chase unusual desires, or find themselves in circumstances far beyond their control, yet their experiences remain recognizable in surprising ways. Jacobsen balances the surreal with the everyday, allowing seemingly bizarre situations to reveal something meaningful about loneliness, identity, relationships, adolescence, and the pressures of modern life.
Readers who enjoy contemporary short fiction, literary fiction, dark humor, surreal storytelling, and stories that explore the stranger corners of ordinary existence should find Good Victory particularly appealing. The collection feels fresh because it refuses to settle into a single mood or formula, instead allowing each story to approach modern life from a different angle. It is an engaging collection for readers who appreciate fiction that can be funny, unsettling, strange, and thoughtful all at once.
Read
March 11, 2026A satisfying short story resolves itself neatly in the end; the most resonant ones, though, drop you off a cliff. The 11 stories comprising Good Victory, the first fiction collection and second book from Calgary essayist Mikka Jacobsen, belong to the latter category.
Jacobsen illustrates quotidian urban prairie life at a slant: a teenager’s addiction to the supernatural encounters she has while asphyxiating herself; one woman’s homoerotic encounter with an ex-frenemy at a West Edmonton Mall psychic fair; another maimed by a ride at the Calgary Stampede. Jacobsen is at her best when interrogating the raw edges of femininity; she presses on the bruises of girl-on-girl cruelty and abject desire, the basest want to be wanted....
Review by Kate Black
Full review at: https://albertaviews.ca/good-victory/
Jacobsen illustrates quotidian urban prairie life at a slant: a teenager’s addiction to the supernatural encounters she has while asphyxiating herself; one woman’s homoerotic encounter with an ex-frenemy at a West Edmonton Mall psychic fair; another maimed by a ride at the Calgary Stampede. Jacobsen is at her best when interrogating the raw edges of femininity; she presses on the bruises of girl-on-girl cruelty and abject desire, the basest want to be wanted....
Review by Kate Black
Full review at: https://albertaviews.ca/good-victory/
Read
March 23, 2025A decent enough collection. I did find the writing to be somewhat uneven with some stories being really quite good, while others are definitely “meh” - the writing lacklustre.
In some stories, though not all, there is very little variation in sentence structure… which gets tiresome as a reader.
2.5 rounded up to 3
In some stories, though not all, there is very little variation in sentence structure… which gets tiresome as a reader.
2.5 rounded up to 3
April 14, 2025
Some stories were a strong 5/5 (the opening story omggg) written with incredible precision and emotional insight, and felt thematically rich. But some stories felt lacklustre, esp compared to how powerful Jacobsen’s writing is at her very best. Despite highs and mids, I definitely can’t wait to read more of her.
November 22, 2024
Some very casual and interesting stories. A lot of them were less dramatic than I expected from the blurb, and I felt like it needed to be written a bit older because everyone read younger than they were meant to be. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.
March 11, 2025
Well written stories that are deeply weird and off-putting. I seem to find these collections that leave me scratching my head...or wanting to scratch my eyes out of my head. I'm not a receptive audience for this collection.
July 17, 2025
A remarkable collection of stories. My favourite in order:
1. Absorbent
2. The Vacation
3. Be All You Can’t Be
4. A Trick of the Light
5. The Spider Olympics
6. Home of the Griffins
All of these are outstanding! Much appreciation for the remaining pieces too.
1. Absorbent
2. The Vacation
3. Be All You Can’t Be
4. A Trick of the Light
5. The Spider Olympics
6. Home of the Griffins
All of these are outstanding! Much appreciation for the remaining pieces too.
June 23, 2025
Some stories stand out longer than others (I think the first one was my standout). Others were a little long and didn’t have the “punch” that I enjoy in short stories.
August 7, 2026
Gah! This book. It’s so dark and addictive. Each chapter deserves its own book. Will my Dad like this book? No. But, I did.
August 19, 2026
Overall enjoyed these short stories but would not read again as I found it too stressful at times. Also, the first story set the tone (a bit too dark imo) and I kept expecting similar stories, but thankfully they somewhat lightened up.
Although I didn't love the subject matter of most of the stories, they were well written and most were compelling enough that I wanted more than just the snapshot Mikka Jacobsen was providing.
The stories were a bit too dark for my liking and I likely wouldn't reread this, but I would recommend it if you're into short stories that aren't afraid to make you feel uncomfortable.
The Neighbour
Terrifying. Loneliness. Like watching a trainwreck happen in slow motion. Strong opener but too spooky.
Verse, Chorus, Verse
Left wanting more about all of the characters. Why was the relationship with their step dad so complicated? Why did the manager throw out the flowers?
Trick of the Light
Didn't love it
Who, What, Where, When
Uncomfortable but classic situation of unknowing and the innocence of kids
Home of the Griffins
Sad, perfectly captures being a teen, making stupid choices
Be All You Can't Be
Stressful
Good Victory
Uncomfortable and gross
Better instincts
As someone who has never owned a pet or lived in an apartment, I assume this is all relatively normal
Absorption
Complex relationships between mothers and daughters, even surrogate mothers. Young women resenting and judging the female figures in their lives who often are just trying to be supportive and caring (though they can also be terrible, as in this case)
The Vacation
Stressful, sad, but how much can we truly trust our memories? Also that dad was insane and awful.
The Spider Olympics
The amount of women I know who have gone into life coaching is surprisingly high and very much like this story
Although I didn't love the subject matter of most of the stories, they were well written and most were compelling enough that I wanted more than just the snapshot Mikka Jacobsen was providing.
The stories were a bit too dark for my liking and I likely wouldn't reread this, but I would recommend it if you're into short stories that aren't afraid to make you feel uncomfortable.
The Neighbour
Terrifying. Loneliness. Like watching a trainwreck happen in slow motion. Strong opener but too spooky.
Verse, Chorus, Verse
Left wanting more about all of the characters. Why was the relationship with their step dad so complicated? Why did the manager throw out the flowers?
Trick of the Light
Didn't love it
Who, What, Where, When
Uncomfortable but classic situation of unknowing and the innocence of kids
Home of the Griffins
Sad, perfectly captures being a teen, making stupid choices
Be All You Can't Be
Stressful
Good Victory
Uncomfortable and gross
Better instincts
As someone who has never owned a pet or lived in an apartment, I assume this is all relatively normal
Absorption
Complex relationships between mothers and daughters, even surrogate mothers. Young women resenting and judging the female figures in their lives who often are just trying to be supportive and caring (though they can also be terrible, as in this case)
The Vacation
Stressful, sad, but how much can we truly trust our memories? Also that dad was insane and awful.
The Spider Olympics
The amount of women I know who have gone into life coaching is surprisingly high and very much like this story
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews