Jewelry Box: A Collection of Histories

by Aurelie Sheehan

Straddling memoir and fiction, these sixty-eight short works explore the nuances of sexuality, motherhood, love, ambition, and personal history.

Genres: Fiction

129 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Sara Sams · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were short fictions, small gems, but they felt expansive to me-- and encouraging. As if I, too, could-- or should-- go back through my life and sift through memories that feel long gone, but that might feel closer if I were to hang on more tightly to an image or a color or a word or an object. And that makes me feel a little bit more alive and a little less like a sieve.

From "Tail":

"Superstition is part of it, blooming where the tail leaves off, spreading out, fingers touching all the parts of my day. I'll sit in the doorway, too, if that will make time move backward, reattach what is lost. If it will help me find now what I can now only vaguely remember" (107).

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of flash fictions. There are a lot here, so after a while you can discern certain common elements: Sheehan likes to start these in progress and let you figure out the context as you go; add to this an extreme closeness of POV, where the speaker knows what's going on even if you don't, and the brevity of the pieces in some cases means they might be over before you've caught up. But that doesn't happen much-- most reveal themselves as complete little moments, ones that leap to a lyrical end.

There are quite a few from a young, female POV, making her way and sense of the world. But there are lots that run in other courses as well-- older, full-grown, sophisticated. Others are more musings-- the early "Sex Fantasy" (I hope that's the name; I've returned the book and now I'm doubting my memory) was striking and strange and seemed, more than anything else, to be spoken by the writer, which was not a sense I got from most of the other pieces, which seemed more rooted in particular characters.

Nice work here.

[Peter Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impossible to have lost Aurelie so soon. A relief to hear and feel her voice in this book. A complete piece:

"Ambition"

At first you have to keep your feet in the sand and you are standing, see, but then the water seeps in and you’re up to your waist, then armpits, then neck, then you are simply keeping your head above water, and so you float—jump—and up you go, chin high, feeling liberated and wiggling, knees high and bicycling, arms useful now and dancing, you are always just a little higher than your failure.

[Leni · Rating 4 out of 5]

really really beautiful, interesting concept. loved the switching between different perspectives (first person and third) yet they all read like memoirs.

[Edward Montalvo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful read about the conflicts regarding the identities of women. Each story follows a flash fiction/short-short format that borders a memoir-poetry style. It makes for a very quick read, but you have to slow down or you'll miss the beauty of such a well crafted prose. Her language is thick and riddled with underlying metaphors. If anyone can figure out what "Pain" is about, please let me know. Its ambiguity really showcased her talents and what she can do with language. Aside from some very intriguing conflicts, Sheehan develops some very interesting characters thru very brief moments of time, but you get excited to see some return, like the mother, the dominatrix, and the lover from a past affair. "Big Truck" was by far my favorite and just pumps out the sexual frustration and confusion littered throughout the book in other stories like "Joke" and "Sexual Fantasy." The reread value of this book is superior. Highly recommend adding it your bookshelf.

[Han · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half of these short stories were beautiful and moving, while the other half felt too compact or confusing.

[Sana Nasib · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5