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Es werden schöne Tage kommen
»Diese Erzählungen werden Ihnen nicht mehr aus dem Kopf gehen. Sie werden Sie verändern.« Jonathan Safran Foer
Barack Obama's Summer Reading List2024
The New Yorker's Best Books We've Read in 2024 So Far
»Mögen alle die Kunde Zach Williams' ›Es werden schöne Tage kommen‹ gehört zu den Debüts der Superlative in diesem Jahr. Eine gloriose Gruselorgie.« Washington Post
Ein Paar wacht in einer Ferienhütte im Wald auf und stellt fest, dass es in der ewig gleichen Idylle gefangen ist. Doch anders als sie selbst scheint ihr kleiner Sohn nicht zu altern. Ein Mann findet seine Nachbarin tot in deren Wohnung vor und beginnt eine irre Verfolgungsjagd. Ein anderer willigt ein, mit einer Frau zu schlafen, während ihr Freund aus dem Schrank zusieht, und kommt dem seltsamen Geheimnis des Paars auf die Schliche.
Als wären sie dem kollektiven Albtraum unserer Zeit entsprungen, oszillieren die Geschichten in diesem Band zwischen dem Profanen und Bizarren, dem Vertrauten und Verstörenden.
Zach Williams erzählt vom Grauen der Begegnung mit dem ganz und gar Unbekannten – und zeigt, dass wir unsere Wirklichkeit letztlich nur bewohnen wie ein Puppenhaus.
»Voller Ironie und Absurdität, ohne je gerissen, clever oder gewollt witzig zu sein. Da treten Überraschungen, Wahrheiten und Dinge zutage, von denen wir nicht zu träumen gewagt hätten.« Percival Everett
»Hin und wieder tritt ein Schriftsteller in Erscheinung, der, so scheint es, ein Gespür hat für das nicht ganz Rationale, für eine Stimmung oder ein Gefühl, das unter der Oberfläche der Dinge schlummert. Zach Williams ist ein solcher Schriftsteller. Seine hinreißend beunruhigenden Erzählungen sind profund im wahrsten Sinne des sie gehen in die Tiefe.« Hari Kunzru
»Ein großartiges Debüt.« Jeffrey Eugenides
Barack Obama's Summer Reading List2024
The New Yorker's Best Books We've Read in 2024 So Far
»Mögen alle die Kunde Zach Williams' ›Es werden schöne Tage kommen‹ gehört zu den Debüts der Superlative in diesem Jahr. Eine gloriose Gruselorgie.« Washington Post
Ein Paar wacht in einer Ferienhütte im Wald auf und stellt fest, dass es in der ewig gleichen Idylle gefangen ist. Doch anders als sie selbst scheint ihr kleiner Sohn nicht zu altern. Ein Mann findet seine Nachbarin tot in deren Wohnung vor und beginnt eine irre Verfolgungsjagd. Ein anderer willigt ein, mit einer Frau zu schlafen, während ihr Freund aus dem Schrank zusieht, und kommt dem seltsamen Geheimnis des Paars auf die Schliche.
Als wären sie dem kollektiven Albtraum unserer Zeit entsprungen, oszillieren die Geschichten in diesem Band zwischen dem Profanen und Bizarren, dem Vertrauten und Verstörenden.
Zach Williams erzählt vom Grauen der Begegnung mit dem ganz und gar Unbekannten – und zeigt, dass wir unsere Wirklichkeit letztlich nur bewohnen wie ein Puppenhaus.
»Voller Ironie und Absurdität, ohne je gerissen, clever oder gewollt witzig zu sein. Da treten Überraschungen, Wahrheiten und Dinge zutage, von denen wir nicht zu träumen gewagt hätten.« Percival Everett
»Hin und wieder tritt ein Schriftsteller in Erscheinung, der, so scheint es, ein Gespür hat für das nicht ganz Rationale, für eine Stimmung oder ein Gefühl, das unter der Oberfläche der Dinge schlummert. Zach Williams ist ein solcher Schriftsteller. Seine hinreißend beunruhigenden Erzählungen sind profund im wahrsten Sinne des sie gehen in die Tiefe.« Hari Kunzru
»Ein großartiges Debüt.« Jeffrey Eugenides
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2024
186 people are currently reading
6543 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
October 21, 2025
Die Stories sind durchwegs sehr schön, in einem angenehmen Flow geschrieben, lassen sich sehr schnell, gierig, aber auch langsam, genussvoll lesen. Sprachlich bietet Zach Williams immer wieder Worte / Wortschöpfungen und Sätze, wie ich sie so noch nie oder selten gelesen zu haben glaube. Das vermittelt ein Gefühl von frischer sprachlicher Brise, entstaubt, mal aufgeraut, mal blank geschmirgelt und glänzend poliert.
Aber die Hauptrolle spielt eigentlich immer die Atmosphäre, irgendwie „unheimich“ wie es auch der kleine Max aus dem Sauerkleehaus ausdrückt. Nie gruselig oder eklig, aber geheimnisvoll, düster und bedrohlich. Es wird meist nur angedeutet, aber im Umfeld der Stories wütet eine Art Weltuntergang, während die Protagonisten mit ihren Alltagsproblemen befasst sind.
Die Geschichten haben mir unterschiedlich gut gefallen. Es gibt eine etwas langweiligere Story (Nr. 5), mit der ich weniger anfangen konnte und die zwei kürzeren (Nr. 3 und 8) waren inhaltlich nicht ganz nach meinem Geschmack. Aber die übrigen sind voll auf Augenhöhe mit Storys von Haruki Murakami oder George Saunders, allerdings mit mehr Atmosphäre und weniger Humor als Saunders und mit mehr gesellschaftspolitischer Relevanz als Murakami.
Die Kollektion umfasst ein vielfältiges Spektrum an Arbeitsproben des Autors. Ich bin ganz sicher dabei, wenn er ein neues Buch veröffentlicht. Vielleicht, das würde mich besonders freuen, weil ich eigentlich kein großer Kurzgeschichten-Fan bin, wagt er sich mal an einen Roman. Ich glaube, wenn ich mir einen Autor aussuchen könnte, von dem ich gerne den nächsten großen Dystopie-Roman unserer Zeit lesen würde, wäre Zach Williams ganz vorne.
Fazit: 4-5, ideal wären 4,5🌟 - inklusive Debütanten -Bonus auf 5 aufgerundet.
———————————————————/
Die Storys im Detail:
1. Probelauf (9/10): preapokalyptische Atmosphäre, draußen wütet ein Schneesturm, im 14. Stock des Bürogebäudes sind nur noch Manni der Wachmann, der verschwörungstheoretische Gedanken wälzt, der labile Shel und der Protagonist, der nicht sicher ist, ob all das bloß ein böser Traum ist.
2. Das Sauerkleehaus (9/10): ein Holzhaus mitten im Welt, weit oben in den Bergen nichts als Wildnis drumherum. Ronna, Jacob und ihr kleiner Sohn Max leben in dem Haus,
von dem sie nicht wissen, wie sie da hingelangt sind. Während die Eltern immer älter werden bleibt Max das Kleinkind und scheint fast unverletzlich zu sein. Spinat, Schlafengehen und die uralte Schildkröte, der sie immer wieder begegnen, findet Max „unheimich“.
3. Rotlicht (5/10): eine kurze 10seitige Pornostory. Ein Fitnesstrainer wird von einer Frau angesprochen „Bist Du gut bestückt?“ und „Kannst Du ficken?“, er geht mit ihr mit und es stellt sich raus, dass im Schrank ein Zuschauer ist. Konnte damit wenig anfangen, liegt aber auch am Stoff und an der Kürze.
4. Lucca Castle (9/10): es dauert ein klein wenig in diese (mit fast 60 Seiten längste) Geschichte reinzukommen, aber sie entwickelt sich sehr interessant und surreal. Es geht um Walter, einen Investmentbanker und alleinerziehenden Vater, der seine Frau verloren hat und versucht, irgendwie damit klarzukommen. Er lernt die Kellnerin Aggie kennen, die ihn mit zu Lucca Castle nimmt, einem Revoluzzer, der eine Widerstandsgruppe um sich schart. Er versucht Walter die Bedrohung klarzumachen (Textbeispiel im Kommentar).
5. Der Golfwagen (6/10): Story über 2 Brüder, 25 und 30 Jahre alt, letzterer voll verankert in der ländlichen Region ihrer Kindheit, der jüngere mobiler, weltoffener. Sie machen sich Gedanken über die Zukunft, wenn der Vater sterben sollte, während sie im Golfwagen über ihre Ländereien patrouillieren und versuchen die feindlichen „Störungen“ zu überblicken und abzuwehren. Ehrlich gesagt, habe ich den Sinn dieser Geschichte nicht erkannt, hat mich eher gelangweilt.
6. Ghost Image (8/10): ein Mann, auf der Reise durch die postapokalyptischen USA, auf der Suche nach seinem Sohn. „Im Tanz mit dem Schicksal musst du derjenige sein, der führt.“
7. Nachbarn (7/10): eine Familie zieht in eine alte Reihenhaussiedlung nach San Francisco. Der Mann findet im Nachbarhaus eine Leiche. Und dann ist da noch jemand. Sehr atmosphärisch und teilweise beklemmend in all der Stille, die in der Geschichte dominiert.
8. Der neue Zeh (6/10): mit 7 Seiten die kürzeste Story, die sich ziemlich unerfreulich entwickelt, über einen Vater, der am Fuß seines 2jährigen Sohnes plötzlich einen überzähligen Zeh entdeckt.
9. Mausefallen (9/10): Ein Mann geht in einen alten Laden, um sich eine Mausefalle zu besorgen, die nur fängt aber nicht tötet. Heraus kommt er mit einer völlig veränderten Lebenseinstellung. Die Story hat Humor und einen starken Sog.
10. Rückkehr nach Crashaw (7/10): Eine Tour durch die weitläufige Anlage von Crashaw, von der niemand so recht weiß, wofür sie ursprünglich genutzt wurde. Der Tourguide hat alle Hände voll zu tun, um die Reisegruppe in Zaum zu halten.
Aber die Hauptrolle spielt eigentlich immer die Atmosphäre, irgendwie „unheimich“ wie es auch der kleine Max aus dem Sauerkleehaus ausdrückt. Nie gruselig oder eklig, aber geheimnisvoll, düster und bedrohlich. Es wird meist nur angedeutet, aber im Umfeld der Stories wütet eine Art Weltuntergang, während die Protagonisten mit ihren Alltagsproblemen befasst sind.
Die Geschichten haben mir unterschiedlich gut gefallen. Es gibt eine etwas langweiligere Story (Nr. 5), mit der ich weniger anfangen konnte und die zwei kürzeren (Nr. 3 und 8) waren inhaltlich nicht ganz nach meinem Geschmack. Aber die übrigen sind voll auf Augenhöhe mit Storys von Haruki Murakami oder George Saunders, allerdings mit mehr Atmosphäre und weniger Humor als Saunders und mit mehr gesellschaftspolitischer Relevanz als Murakami.
Die Kollektion umfasst ein vielfältiges Spektrum an Arbeitsproben des Autors. Ich bin ganz sicher dabei, wenn er ein neues Buch veröffentlicht. Vielleicht, das würde mich besonders freuen, weil ich eigentlich kein großer Kurzgeschichten-Fan bin, wagt er sich mal an einen Roman. Ich glaube, wenn ich mir einen Autor aussuchen könnte, von dem ich gerne den nächsten großen Dystopie-Roman unserer Zeit lesen würde, wäre Zach Williams ganz vorne.
Fazit: 4-5, ideal wären 4,5🌟 - inklusive Debütanten -Bonus auf 5 aufgerundet.
———————————————————/
Die Storys im Detail:
1. Probelauf (9/10): preapokalyptische Atmosphäre, draußen wütet ein Schneesturm, im 14. Stock des Bürogebäudes sind nur noch Manni der Wachmann, der verschwörungstheoretische Gedanken wälzt, der labile Shel und der Protagonist, der nicht sicher ist, ob all das bloß ein böser Traum ist.
2. Das Sauerkleehaus (9/10): ein Holzhaus mitten im Welt, weit oben in den Bergen nichts als Wildnis drumherum. Ronna, Jacob und ihr kleiner Sohn Max leben in dem Haus,
von dem sie nicht wissen, wie sie da hingelangt sind. Während die Eltern immer älter werden bleibt Max das Kleinkind und scheint fast unverletzlich zu sein. Spinat, Schlafengehen und die uralte Schildkröte, der sie immer wieder begegnen, findet Max „unheimich“.
3. Rotlicht (5/10): eine kurze 10seitige Pornostory. Ein Fitnesstrainer wird von einer Frau angesprochen „Bist Du gut bestückt?“ und „Kannst Du ficken?“, er geht mit ihr mit und es stellt sich raus, dass im Schrank ein Zuschauer ist. Konnte damit wenig anfangen, liegt aber auch am Stoff und an der Kürze.
4. Lucca Castle (9/10): es dauert ein klein wenig in diese (mit fast 60 Seiten längste) Geschichte reinzukommen, aber sie entwickelt sich sehr interessant und surreal. Es geht um Walter, einen Investmentbanker und alleinerziehenden Vater, der seine Frau verloren hat und versucht, irgendwie damit klarzukommen. Er lernt die Kellnerin Aggie kennen, die ihn mit zu Lucca Castle nimmt, einem Revoluzzer, der eine Widerstandsgruppe um sich schart. Er versucht Walter die Bedrohung klarzumachen (Textbeispiel im Kommentar).
5. Der Golfwagen (6/10): Story über 2 Brüder, 25 und 30 Jahre alt, letzterer voll verankert in der ländlichen Region ihrer Kindheit, der jüngere mobiler, weltoffener. Sie machen sich Gedanken über die Zukunft, wenn der Vater sterben sollte, während sie im Golfwagen über ihre Ländereien patrouillieren und versuchen die feindlichen „Störungen“ zu überblicken und abzuwehren. Ehrlich gesagt, habe ich den Sinn dieser Geschichte nicht erkannt, hat mich eher gelangweilt.
6. Ghost Image (8/10): ein Mann, auf der Reise durch die postapokalyptischen USA, auf der Suche nach seinem Sohn. „Im Tanz mit dem Schicksal musst du derjenige sein, der führt.“
7. Nachbarn (7/10): eine Familie zieht in eine alte Reihenhaussiedlung nach San Francisco. Der Mann findet im Nachbarhaus eine Leiche. Und dann ist da noch jemand. Sehr atmosphärisch und teilweise beklemmend in all der Stille, die in der Geschichte dominiert.
8. Der neue Zeh (6/10): mit 7 Seiten die kürzeste Story, die sich ziemlich unerfreulich entwickelt, über einen Vater, der am Fuß seines 2jährigen Sohnes plötzlich einen überzähligen Zeh entdeckt.
9. Mausefallen (9/10): Ein Mann geht in einen alten Laden, um sich eine Mausefalle zu besorgen, die nur fängt aber nicht tötet. Heraus kommt er mit einer völlig veränderten Lebenseinstellung. Die Story hat Humor und einen starken Sog.
10. Rückkehr nach Crashaw (7/10): Eine Tour durch die weitläufige Anlage von Crashaw, von der niemand so recht weiß, wofür sie ursprünglich genutzt wurde. Der Tourguide hat alle Hände voll zu tun, um die Reisegruppe in Zaum zu halten.
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March 18, 2024Beautiful Day is an unsettling collection of stories about ordinary people who experience bizarre and threatening happenings in their lives. It is not a stretch to call it metaphysical fiction, and it is intended for readers who are drawn to those kinds of stories. Think of the TV show Severance, the Academy Award-winning movie Everything Everywhere All at Once., or possibly David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas or George Saunders’ stories. If you are a fan of any of these, you are likely the perfect reader for this collection.
In Trial Run, the opening story, a man living alone after a contentious divorce finds himself in his nearly empty office on a snowy day. There are only two other men there: an unraveling co-worker and a tightly coiled security guard. Lately, some disturbing viral messages have been coming in, and suspicions are running high. As he cautiously listens to the ramblings, his sense of safety becomes increasingly violated. What is really going on here?
In another, Wood Sorrel House, one of the longer pieces, an ordinary couple is transfixed in some sort of pastoral reality. The couple has a little boy; even though the parents grow older, the toddler shows no signs of getting older.
In Neighbors, another ordinary couple who are struggling with the aftermath of infidelity moves to San Francisco in the hopes of “redrawing the map” of their marriage. Yet what awaits them is a strange occurrence in a neighbor's home. In another, a man connects with a woman who wants him to have sex with her while her husband watches from the closet. He imagines the husband as virulent. After he finishes the deed, he is shocked to discover the truth.
A number of authors whom I greatly respect hail this collection as brilliant, and if I were a critic, I would agree. It takes a great appreciation of the absurd and the perverse, and as I read on, I became increasingly certain that I was not the right reader for this particular collection. As a result, I don’t feel comfortable providing a rating. I am tremendously grateful to Doubleday for the opportunity to be an early reader and recommend the book to those who are more comfortable with the genre.
In Trial Run, the opening story, a man living alone after a contentious divorce finds himself in his nearly empty office on a snowy day. There are only two other men there: an unraveling co-worker and a tightly coiled security guard. Lately, some disturbing viral messages have been coming in, and suspicions are running high. As he cautiously listens to the ramblings, his sense of safety becomes increasingly violated. What is really going on here?
In another, Wood Sorrel House, one of the longer pieces, an ordinary couple is transfixed in some sort of pastoral reality. The couple has a little boy; even though the parents grow older, the toddler shows no signs of getting older.
In Neighbors, another ordinary couple who are struggling with the aftermath of infidelity moves to San Francisco in the hopes of “redrawing the map” of their marriage. Yet what awaits them is a strange occurrence in a neighbor's home. In another, a man connects with a woman who wants him to have sex with her while her husband watches from the closet. He imagines the husband as virulent. After he finishes the deed, he is shocked to discover the truth.
A number of authors whom I greatly respect hail this collection as brilliant, and if I were a critic, I would agree. It takes a great appreciation of the absurd and the perverse, and as I read on, I became increasingly certain that I was not the right reader for this particular collection. As a result, I don’t feel comfortable providing a rating. I am tremendously grateful to Doubleday for the opportunity to be an early reader and recommend the book to those who are more comfortable with the genre.
August 17, 2024
I would call these stories unsettling and offbeat. They aren't straight up horror stories, but they have some scary elements to them—more in the vein of social commentary and 'what if' scenarios that make you question humanity and its role in shaping the world around us. They also deal a lot with existence and the existential dread we all face in the 21st century, enhanced by climate crises, technological advancement, and the seemingly unending divide between people based on a plethora of topics (politics, religion, gender, sexuality, bodily autonomy).
I liked Williams' prose a lot. However, I didn't particularly LOVE any of these stories. There were a few standouts, particularly "Wood Sorrel House" which had a particularly strong atmosphere. But honestly the characters in this fell flat for me and the endings left me wanting more. I would check out a novel from this author in the future because I think he's a strong writer but these types of short stories were not to my taste.
I liked Williams' prose a lot. However, I didn't particularly LOVE any of these stories. There were a few standouts, particularly "Wood Sorrel House" which had a particularly strong atmosphere. But honestly the characters in this fell flat for me and the endings left me wanting more. I would check out a novel from this author in the future because I think he's a strong writer but these types of short stories were not to my taste.
September 18, 2024
This book probably wouldn’t have been on my radar had it not been one of Barack Obama’s 2024 favourites, and I suspect that may be true for most readers. But I’m really glad to have come across it. The 10 stories in the collection are very skilfully written examples of the weird, the off-kilter. They remind me of nothing so much as episodes of The Twilight Zone. You know something odd is going on, and there might never be an explanation, but you just go along very enjoyably for the strange ride. Doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo. (That’s The Twilight Zone theme music, in case you couldn’t tell.)
August 24, 2025
Es kommt absolut nichts Gutes auf uns zu. Begreifst du das? (S.142)
Was für ein Ritt. Diese Geschichten kriechen nicht sofort unter die Haut, sie tasten sich langsam heran. Eine literarische Tour durch Bürohäuser, verlassene Themenparks, Megalith-Anlagen und verfallende Landhäuser, die zeigt: Die schönen Tage, die da kommen sollen, lassen auf sich warten. Williams hat ein Gespür für das Abseitige, für den Moment, in dem das Alltägliche kippt und sich in etwas Unheimliches, Unlogisches, Surreales verwandelt.
"Unheimlich", sagte er. [...] Es war sein einziger abstrakter Begriff. Was genau er damit meinte, war schwer zu sagen. (S.34)
Zwei Geschichten stechen besonders hervor: Probelauf, das mit einer fast klaustrophobischen Intensität vom Zusammenbruch des Alltäglichen erzählt: Ein leergefegtes Bürogebäude, ein Schneesturm, ein Wachmann mit finsteren Theorien und das Gefühl, dass sich Realität und Wahn nicht mehr klar trennen lassen. Mausefallen ist nicht weniger brillant: Ein kafkaeskes Kammerspiel in einem Eisenwarenladen, in dem eine simple Bitte nach einer tierfreundlichen Falle zur existenziellen Prüfung gerät.
Williams' Figuren sind oft Männer im Übergang, zwischen Angst, Überforderung und Erlösungssehnsucht. Sie bewegen sich durch eine Welt, die zunehmend ins Surreale kippt. Und doch bleibt oft ein Hauch Menschlichkeit, ein Rest Hoffnung im Dazwischen.
Grandioses Unbehagen.
Was für ein Ritt. Diese Geschichten kriechen nicht sofort unter die Haut, sie tasten sich langsam heran. Eine literarische Tour durch Bürohäuser, verlassene Themenparks, Megalith-Anlagen und verfallende Landhäuser, die zeigt: Die schönen Tage, die da kommen sollen, lassen auf sich warten. Williams hat ein Gespür für das Abseitige, für den Moment, in dem das Alltägliche kippt und sich in etwas Unheimliches, Unlogisches, Surreales verwandelt.
"Unheimlich", sagte er. [...] Es war sein einziger abstrakter Begriff. Was genau er damit meinte, war schwer zu sagen. (S.34)
Zwei Geschichten stechen besonders hervor: Probelauf, das mit einer fast klaustrophobischen Intensität vom Zusammenbruch des Alltäglichen erzählt: Ein leergefegtes Bürogebäude, ein Schneesturm, ein Wachmann mit finsteren Theorien und das Gefühl, dass sich Realität und Wahn nicht mehr klar trennen lassen. Mausefallen ist nicht weniger brillant: Ein kafkaeskes Kammerspiel in einem Eisenwarenladen, in dem eine simple Bitte nach einer tierfreundlichen Falle zur existenziellen Prüfung gerät.
Williams' Figuren sind oft Männer im Übergang, zwischen Angst, Überforderung und Erlösungssehnsucht. Sie bewegen sich durch eine Welt, die zunehmend ins Surreale kippt. Und doch bleibt oft ein Hauch Menschlichkeit, ein Rest Hoffnung im Dazwischen.
Grandioses Unbehagen.
March 6, 2025
Das unruhige Cover von "Es werden schöne Tage kommen" kann mich persönlich nicht überzeugen, zumal ich die Ö-Striche des Titels darauf lange suchen musste. Aber ein Buch soll schließlich nicht nach dem Äußeren bewertet werden, daher lieber zum Inhalt. Dieser setzt sich aus Kurzgeschichten zusammen und die haben es richtig in sich. Allerdings auf eine düstere Art und Weise. Der Autor spielt mit den Abgründen unserer aktuellen Weltlage und verzerrt dabei einiges ins Groteske. Ich persönlich liebe solche Ansätze und fand einige der Geschichten wunderbar atmosphärisch und abgedreht. Bishin zu kafkaesk oder wie ein Kleinkind in einer der Geschichten nicht müde wird zu betonen: "Unheimich". Manche der Stories sind aber auch einfach nur traurig, alles in allem sozusagen eine "Unwohlfühllektüre".
Finde den Autor vergleichbar mit George Saunders, Kristen Roupenian oder David Mitchell. Wer also nicht davor zurück schreckt auch unangenehme Inhalte serviert zu bekommen, die mit Abgründen des menschlichen Daseins spielen, findet hier passendes Material für gute Lesestunden.
Finde den Autor vergleichbar mit George Saunders, Kristen Roupenian oder David Mitchell. Wer also nicht davor zurück schreckt auch unangenehme Inhalte serviert zu bekommen, die mit Abgründen des menschlichen Daseins spielen, findet hier passendes Material für gute Lesestunden.
June 16, 2024
The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror had a love child and it was this book.
Short stories collections are usually hit or miss for me, either there's a lot of good stories or mostly meh stories and very few that fall in between those extremes.
The first story, "Trial Run" actually almost turned me away entirely as it immediately made me think 'oh no this is going to be super political' which I try to steer clear of in my reading because I read to disassociate from the world, not to use my self care time reminding myself of the current political climate. But then I got to the next story "Wood Sorrel House" and I was HOOKED!
It felt like it was an ode to the Twilight Zone, very much in the vein of "It's A Good Life" (if you know you know). Wood Sorrel House follows a couple and their child as they vacation at a cabin in the woods. But as the vacation goes on the couple start to question things like why is there no road to the cabin, no car, how did they get there, why does the food constantly replenish itself but there's no one else around? It was just plain freaky, especially for someone like me who happens to live in a cabin in the woods.
If that peaks your interest then the rest of the stories are just as captivating. Definitely looking forward to more from this author!
Short stories collections are usually hit or miss for me, either there's a lot of good stories or mostly meh stories and very few that fall in between those extremes.
The first story, "Trial Run" actually almost turned me away entirely as it immediately made me think 'oh no this is going to be super political' which I try to steer clear of in my reading because I read to disassociate from the world, not to use my self care time reminding myself of the current political climate. But then I got to the next story "Wood Sorrel House" and I was HOOKED!
It felt like it was an ode to the Twilight Zone, very much in the vein of "It's A Good Life" (if you know you know). Wood Sorrel House follows a couple and their child as they vacation at a cabin in the woods. But as the vacation goes on the couple start to question things like why is there no road to the cabin, no car, how did they get there, why does the food constantly replenish itself but there's no one else around? It was just plain freaky, especially for someone like me who happens to live in a cabin in the woods.
If that peaks your interest then the rest of the stories are just as captivating. Definitely looking forward to more from this author!
July 30, 2025
Uuuuuuuuhm. I don’t think I got what the author was trying to do here. The ideas were contemporarily interesting (conspiracy theories, climate change, UFOs…) but the execution was very meh. I just didn’t care for any story or understand why none of them had been written. I don’t think I liked any of them but I particularly disliked Red Light.
The stories had the recurrent theme of paranoia and anxiety and I didn’t understand where it was coming from most of the times. The stories seemed to have some sort of idea that was more of a direction than a plot, and then all we got was inner monologue ramblings about sex/erections, politics, and conspiracy theories. I do want to give credit where it was due and say the ideas, while not used at all, sounded really cool. I actually picked this up because the brief blurb mentioned what some of the stories were about and they sounded like a five star read. But you had to squint from afar and scratch your head for a while to even spot where the “plot” was hiding. Idk. The author can certainly write but this was definitely 100% not my cup of tea.
This was my favorite sentence: “I had a distinct impression that I was holding not my son but a wiry muscular eel.”
The stories had the recurrent theme of paranoia and anxiety and I didn’t understand where it was coming from most of the times. The stories seemed to have some sort of idea that was more of a direction than a plot, and then all we got was inner monologue ramblings about sex/erections, politics, and conspiracy theories. I do want to give credit where it was due and say the ideas, while not used at all, sounded really cool. I actually picked this up because the brief blurb mentioned what some of the stories were about and they sounded like a five star read. But you had to squint from afar and scratch your head for a while to even spot where the “plot” was hiding. Idk. The author can certainly write but this was definitely 100% not my cup of tea.
This was my favorite sentence: “I had a distinct impression that I was holding not my son but a wiry muscular eel.”
July 10, 2024
Beautiful Days
By Zach Williams
Thank you so much @doubledaybooks @prhaudio for the h gifted copy and free audiobook.
Blurb:
A striking and savage debut story collection that confronts parenthood, mortality, and life’s broken promises.
✨ My thoughts:
An unsettling collection of stories that can be read or listened to in one sitting! This collection had something for everyone and is bound to leave its readers feeling unnerved. Dan Bittner narrated the audiobook and did a phenomenal job. As always with short stories, some will be liked more than others but overall they’re all good and enjoyable. You’ll feel a little uncomfortable, a little disturbed, and definitely wonder what the heck you just read. I can’t wait to see what Zach Williams comes up with next because I will be reading more of his work in the future. Beautiful Days is out now!
Happy reading 📖
By Zach Williams
Thank you so much @doubledaybooks @prhaudio for the h gifted copy and free audiobook.
Blurb:
A striking and savage debut story collection that confronts parenthood, mortality, and life’s broken promises.
✨ My thoughts:
An unsettling collection of stories that can be read or listened to in one sitting! This collection had something for everyone and is bound to leave its readers feeling unnerved. Dan Bittner narrated the audiobook and did a phenomenal job. As always with short stories, some will be liked more than others but overall they’re all good and enjoyable. You’ll feel a little uncomfortable, a little disturbed, and definitely wonder what the heck you just read. I can’t wait to see what Zach Williams comes up with next because I will be reading more of his work in the future. Beautiful Days is out now!
Happy reading 📖
January 14, 2025
I appreciate the good ideas and references to climate change and other contemporary concerns. I tend to enjoy the uncanny in fiction, but I don't think the author's treatments work that well. "Mousetraps" is a good example: loved the tense interactions in the hardware store, not that enthusiastic about the fantastic ending. Overall enjoyable though.
April 23, 2025
"Endings are elusive […]", said Donald Barthelme.
He was right.
My brain simmers and my heart does not sing.
He was right.
My brain simmers and my heart does not sing.
July 14, 2024
Williams has a very unique writing style that demonstrates developed skills. Many will love this story by his different approach with narrative writing.
Each story stands alone interconnected by the concept of paranoia. Although many just reminded me of a teenage level angst combined with a mature adult level of content.
One of my struggles is that my favorite story was the first one. I would have loved to just read a complete story about this dystopian. This story made the others come off as lacking with such a fantastic start. It was intriguing had strong developed characters and huge stakes to captivate readers. Something I cannot state for other stories within this work.
Each story stands alone interconnected by the concept of paranoia. Although many just reminded me of a teenage level angst combined with a mature adult level of content.
One of my struggles is that my favorite story was the first one. I would have loved to just read a complete story about this dystopian. This story made the others come off as lacking with such a fantastic start. It was intriguing had strong developed characters and huge stakes to captivate readers. Something I cannot state for other stories within this work.
August 11, 2024
No. Creepy but not in an interesting way
August 30, 2024
Excellent:
Neighbors
Trial run
Wood sorrel house
Mousetraps
Lucca Castle
Very Good
Red light
Golf cart
Return to Crashaw
OK
The new toe
Neighbors
Trial run
Wood sorrel house
Mousetraps
Lucca Castle
Very Good
Red light
Golf cart
Return to Crashaw
OK
The new toe
May 7, 2024
This was a dark and ominous collection of stories that made me feel off-kilter at the best of times. Unsettling in a very raw way, think Black Mirror meets Leave the World Behind. If you enjoy things that make you question reality and existence then you’ll probably like this debut.
I, however, am not the key demographic for this type of narrative. I didn’t enjoy the angst and discomfort I felt while reading and honestly felt stressed as I started each new story. I will say that the writing was really good and I can see Zach having a bright future in the literary world. I’ve been vacillating between 2.5 and 3 stars . Still can’t decide how I really feel so I’ll just leave it at that.
Big thanks to Doubleday for the #gifted copy!
𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚢: 𝙹𝚞𝚗𝚎 𝟷𝟷
February 19, 2025
Nature does its business. Humans, often cosseted, shrink from other fears, such as communicating with each other. Zach Williams’ worlds are often fantastic—but carry a cockeyed logical extension from our uncertain world. Relationships, such as they are, are tentative, temporary, transactional. Community is gone, or barely glimpsed or even imagined. These unsettling stories make you think of the current world and the one ahead.
Can we ever be safe from scary things, even if your basic needs are provided in a beautiful, if lonely, setting? That’s a theme of “Wood Sorrel House.” I don’t want to spoil anything here, but the last paragraph, of an aging woman and her eternally infant son, imagines an ending:
“She’ll eat less and less, lie on her mat, boil more wood sorrel with salt. He’ll walk up the ramps, sleep in the grass, play in the bleached old turtle shell. The sun will rise early and set late. There will be beautiful days.”
Is this writer worth your time? Yes. In story three, set in Manhattan, a grieving husband notices “broken parking meters stood lined up like an execution, yellow bags over their heads.”
A consistent view, expressed by one character: “The city’s a dangerous place. … The fabric’s wearing thin. Everyone’s afraid of one another. You can feel it; everyone knows it—it’s all going to shot out there.”
My favorite story is the last, in the voice of a 74 yo tour guide at a strange remote site. Min Jin Lee said recently she wanted to write social fiction—character driven but showing you a lot about society. From that last story “Return to Crashaw” all the way back to the first, “Trial Run,” Zach Williams accomplishes that.
Can we ever be safe from scary things, even if your basic needs are provided in a beautiful, if lonely, setting? That’s a theme of “Wood Sorrel House.” I don’t want to spoil anything here, but the last paragraph, of an aging woman and her eternally infant son, imagines an ending:
“She’ll eat less and less, lie on her mat, boil more wood sorrel with salt. He’ll walk up the ramps, sleep in the grass, play in the bleached old turtle shell. The sun will rise early and set late. There will be beautiful days.”
Is this writer worth your time? Yes. In story three, set in Manhattan, a grieving husband notices “broken parking meters stood lined up like an execution, yellow bags over their heads.”
A consistent view, expressed by one character: “The city’s a dangerous place. … The fabric’s wearing thin. Everyone’s afraid of one another. You can feel it; everyone knows it—it’s all going to shot out there.”
My favorite story is the last, in the voice of a 74 yo tour guide at a strange remote site. Min Jin Lee said recently she wanted to write social fiction—character driven but showing you a lot about society. From that last story “Return to Crashaw” all the way back to the first, “Trial Run,” Zach Williams accomplishes that.
February 4, 2025
When Percival Everett recommends a book, (he was asked at a literary event), one listens to his advice. I’m happy to say, he did not lead me astray. Quite the opposite. He led me to a writer I had not heard of, and to some incredible storytelling. These stories create an uneasy, unsettling feeling while reading. In some stories, one is not quite sure what is happening, as the plot unfolds, or who is present, or not. I learned early on, not to read these stories before bed. I continue to contemplate the meaning or messages of these stories. Some stories are reminiscent of Shirley Jackson. Highly recommended.
March 21, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for the ebook. This book of short stories is grounded in both the every day and the fantastical, mostly within the same story (A father gives his young son a bath an finds that somehow he now has an extra toe). The standouts are a family on vacation who can never leave, as they get older and their young child doesn’t. A man who goes to check on his elderly neighbor and finds an unexplained stranger in the house. It opens with a small office drama that feels inconvenient as much as it does sinister. This is such a nice start to this writer's career.
June 29, 2024
Zach Williams' "Beautiful Days" is a collection of short stories that brings to mind the infinitely creative twist on reality seen in the original "The Twilight Zone" series – "a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination." As I read these stories, I couldn’t shake the ominous feeling reminiscent of watching "The Twilight Zone." The stories are creative, bizarre, and profound. For short stories to be this impactful and thought-provoking is truly impressive, and Williams has achieved it here.
June 26, 2024
Paranoia looms large and yet beautiful moments of humanity shine through.
"She'll eat less and less, lie on her mat, boil wood sorrel with salt. He'll walk up the ramps, sleep in the grass, play in the bleached old turtle shell. The sun will rise early and set late. There will be beautiful days."
"She'll eat less and less, lie on her mat, boil wood sorrel with salt. He'll walk up the ramps, sleep in the grass, play in the bleached old turtle shell. The sun will rise early and set late. There will be beautiful days."
October 2, 2025
Das Buech füehlt sech ah als würd mer en episode vo black mirror läse aber ohni dass mer de aafang oder s endi kennt.
June 23, 2025
Yes, I'm paranoid — but am I paranoid enough?
October 21, 2025
If I had to describe the short stories that Zach Williams has collected in his debut in one word, it would probably be unsettling. At first glance, the stories he tells appear to be harmless everyday occurrences. During a storm, an employee flees from the power cut in his tiny apartment into the almost empty open-plan office where he works. A family goes on vacation to a cabin in the woods. An old guide drives the last group of the day to the famous rock formations on Crashaw. And yet uncertainty soon creeps into every story. There are only two other people in the spacious, empty office, a colleague and a security guard, who quickly turn out to be rather disturbing contemporaries. The family in the forest wonders how they actually got there. There is no car parked outside the door and no access road. And one of the reasons Crashaw's rock formations are so famous is that they appeared virtually overnight a few years ago.
You can already see that William's stories are not exatly the realistic type. Although that's not true either. His settings feel very realistic, almost vivid. A man in his early thirties returns to the family ranch after a failed career at Spotify and tries to make ends meet with pixel art. A successful couple tries to make a new start in San Francisco after an affair overturned their former life. A man wants to buy a mousetrap in a hardware store. But then Williams weaves in little stumbling blocks, uncertainties that question the apparent normality. Sometimes they are little more than a slight shift in the atmosphere of the story, a fleeting moment that is hard to grasp. Then again it is more obvious, like the rock formations that suddenly appear or a sixth toe on the foot of the young son, which was definitely not there a minute ago. Normality is literally pushed a little to one side in order to look behind it. The absurd, disturbing element of the story acts as a contrasting agent to get to the essence of what is being looked at.
At what is looked at are the people whose stories Williams tells. At the center of each story is a person whose existence Williams condenses into a short episode. We see people who are under constant tension, who are broken or lost, people who run without getting anywhere. His protagonists have little to no agency, they are not acting, but reacting. They try to navigate through a world that has become fragile and incomprehensible, because their knowledge and expectations do not, or only partially, match the reality they experience. There is a vague sense of danger rising from that helplessness. A danger that is always palpable, but never visible. This gives the stories a disturbing quality, they are scary, even if they are not horror stories in the true sense of the word.
It is kinda obvious to read Willliam's stories as a commentary on contemporary America. BEAUTIFUL DAYS was published in 2024, in the middle of the election campaign. Something has become fragile in America, and the danger that has long been palpable has now become almost too visible during the first few months of Donald Trump's second term. And yet his book is not a direct commentary. Williams is not looking for causalities, he is describing a state. His writing works like the films of the recently deceased David Lynch did. They look at the visible reality through their own specific lens and translate the underlying existential uncertainty into a language that makes these feelings tangible for us readers. An interesting and disturbing experience.
I also reviewed the book for a radio show (in German). If you want to listen in, follow this link: https://rdl.de/beitrag/rezension-zach...
You can already see that William's stories are not exatly the realistic type. Although that's not true either. His settings feel very realistic, almost vivid. A man in his early thirties returns to the family ranch after a failed career at Spotify and tries to make ends meet with pixel art. A successful couple tries to make a new start in San Francisco after an affair overturned their former life. A man wants to buy a mousetrap in a hardware store. But then Williams weaves in little stumbling blocks, uncertainties that question the apparent normality. Sometimes they are little more than a slight shift in the atmosphere of the story, a fleeting moment that is hard to grasp. Then again it is more obvious, like the rock formations that suddenly appear or a sixth toe on the foot of the young son, which was definitely not there a minute ago. Normality is literally pushed a little to one side in order to look behind it. The absurd, disturbing element of the story acts as a contrasting agent to get to the essence of what is being looked at.
At what is looked at are the people whose stories Williams tells. At the center of each story is a person whose existence Williams condenses into a short episode. We see people who are under constant tension, who are broken or lost, people who run without getting anywhere. His protagonists have little to no agency, they are not acting, but reacting. They try to navigate through a world that has become fragile and incomprehensible, because their knowledge and expectations do not, or only partially, match the reality they experience. There is a vague sense of danger rising from that helplessness. A danger that is always palpable, but never visible. This gives the stories a disturbing quality, they are scary, even if they are not horror stories in the true sense of the word.
It is kinda obvious to read Willliam's stories as a commentary on contemporary America. BEAUTIFUL DAYS was published in 2024, in the middle of the election campaign. Something has become fragile in America, and the danger that has long been palpable has now become almost too visible during the first few months of Donald Trump's second term. And yet his book is not a direct commentary. Williams is not looking for causalities, he is describing a state. His writing works like the films of the recently deceased David Lynch did. They look at the visible reality through their own specific lens and translate the underlying existential uncertainty into a language that makes these feelings tangible for us readers. An interesting and disturbing experience.
I also reviewed the book for a radio show (in German). If you want to listen in, follow this link: https://rdl.de/beitrag/rezension-zach...
October 14, 2024
These are weird stories. I love that! Ever since reading Comb it Wet or Dry as a kid I’ve loved an out/there story presented with disarming non-chalance. Underlying the novelty and excitement of the stories themselves is Zach Williams’ masterful use of language and insightful observations.
“And what I’d learned is that in the dance with destiny, you have to lead.”
“Pale weeds grew through cracks in the pavement, far from one another, waiting for death. What a sad thing I thought, to sprout up that way, only to find yourself choked in hard-set rock.”
My favorite stories were Golf Cart, Lucca Castle , Ghost Image and Neighbors.
“And what I’d learned is that in the dance with destiny, you have to lead.”
“Pale weeds grew through cracks in the pavement, far from one another, waiting for death. What a sad thing I thought, to sprout up that way, only to find yourself choked in hard-set rock.”
My favorite stories were Golf Cart, Lucca Castle , Ghost Image and Neighbors.
August 18, 2024
I eagerly awaited this collection, as Wood Sorrel House was one of my favorite short stories of recent years. Each story attempts to locate and sustain a note of uncanniness, though the modulation varies. Most of them also easily pass the "first page test".
My other favorites, in order of preference: Ghost Image, Mousetraps, and Lucca Castle.
My other favorites, in order of preference: Ghost Image, Mousetraps, and Lucca Castle.
May 10, 2024
After reading these stories, I’ve decided that I was not a good target audience. There is no denying that they are well written but I failed to understand the author’s intent.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the ARC to read and review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the ARC to read and review.
August 25, 2024
I’m not sure if my 2* review is because I read this as an audio book or not bit would have to say this was not a book I enjoyed over all. While some of the stories were intriguing I found they all just ended abruptly leaving me wanting an ending of some sort.
October 26, 2024
A collection of stories with sinister intentions and paranoia lurking underneath at every turn. Williams never erupts these to the surface, which makes all of these at minimum propulsive. They almost feel like the midpoint between a nightmare and a puzzle.
August 14, 2024
I do not get the hype…
December 12, 2024
a brilliant debut novel of short stories set against the backdrop of a not so far not so future america.
i will keep going back to his stories!!.
i will keep going back to his stories!!.
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