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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
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 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!
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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 18, 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.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews