What do you think?
Rate this book
And So I Took Their Eye
Impossible to put down.... And So I Took Their Eye defies pat categorization and rests its appeal upon the unexpected. Prepare to be amazed.
— D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer at the Midwest Book Review (Book of the Month)
A thoughtful collection that situates engaging characters in an array of distinctive settings.
— Kirkus Review
When a body is found on the black-sand beaches of Guatemala, it sparks a chain of events that ripple across the globe.
From an Italian tailor crushed under the weight of his father’s legacy to a mother challenging local snobbery on the cricket fields of England, a vengeful Bolivian priest chasing Che Guevara’s ghost, to a Bay Area therapist blind to his own advice, the lives of a seemingly unconnected group of strangers become fatefully entangled in murder, arson, betrayal, and love.
Guided by the ancient creed of "an eye for an eye," And So I Took Their Eye is a gripping collection of interlinked stories exploring what happens when justice is taken into your own hands—and ultimately, what it means to be human. Set against the legacy of U.S. imperialism in Latin America, the hollow virtue-signaling of Silicon Valley progressives, and the ways toxic masculinity—both overt and insidious—shapes the lives of people and the systems they are trapped in, this collection examines abuses of power in a world fractured by inequalities.
As these characters confront these brutal truths, morality blurs, forcing them to question the meaning of belonging and the lengths they’ll go to carve out their place in an unforgiving world.
— D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer at the Midwest Book Review (Book of the Month)
A thoughtful collection that situates engaging characters in an array of distinctive settings.
— Kirkus Review
When a body is found on the black-sand beaches of Guatemala, it sparks a chain of events that ripple across the globe.
From an Italian tailor crushed under the weight of his father’s legacy to a mother challenging local snobbery on the cricket fields of England, a vengeful Bolivian priest chasing Che Guevara’s ghost, to a Bay Area therapist blind to his own advice, the lives of a seemingly unconnected group of strangers become fatefully entangled in murder, arson, betrayal, and love.
Guided by the ancient creed of "an eye for an eye," And So I Took Their Eye is a gripping collection of interlinked stories exploring what happens when justice is taken into your own hands—and ultimately, what it means to be human. Set against the legacy of U.S. imperialism in Latin America, the hollow virtue-signaling of Silicon Valley progressives, and the ways toxic masculinity—both overt and insidious—shapes the lives of people and the systems they are trapped in, this collection examines abuses of power in a world fractured by inequalities.
As these characters confront these brutal truths, morality blurs, forcing them to question the meaning of belonging and the lengths they’ll go to carve out their place in an unforgiving world.
161 pages, ebook
Published July 17, 2025
3 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Ben C. Davies
1 book20 followersBen C. Davies is a Californian-based author whose debut short story collection, And So I Took Their Eye, will be published by Bridge House Publishing in 2025. Originally from the UK, his short fiction has appeared in journals such as The Fiery Scribe Review, Left Brain Media, and Downtime Review, while his articles have been featured in Electric Literature, Work, Huck, and Lost.
He serves as an editor for the Ginosko Literary Journal, a member of the San Francisco Writers Grotto, and is currently at work on his debut novel, Black Sand. In addition to his writing, Davies is the co-founder and director of Studio Luce, a Guatemalan writing retreat and artist residency, and helps authors with marketing and publicity through Studio Luce Books.
He serves as an editor for the Ginosko Literary Journal, a member of the San Francisco Writers Grotto, and is currently at work on his debut novel, Black Sand. In addition to his writing, Davies is the co-founder and director of Studio Luce, a Guatemalan writing retreat and artist residency, and helps authors with marketing and publicity through Studio Luce Books.
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
July 31, 2025
This is a fantastic and gripping read. The stories are cleverly intertwined, full of rich imagery and thoughtful, resonant themes. What really sets this collection apart is its range. The stories span different parts of the world, yet are subtly connected by different themes of revenge. I really enjoyed reading this start to finish. Highly recommend!
August 8, 2025
It draws you completely because it feels at once like a collection of short stories and like a novel, with each story contributing to a larger emotional arc centred on the theme of revenge. There’s something deeply satisfying about the way each story stands on its own while still echoing through the others and every echo feels like a tiny discovery.
Most of the stories weave in subtle threads of critical theory (postcolonial thought or contemporary cultural critique) into the storytelling. Dear Babo, with its Italian tailor struggling against the currents of the digital age and the slow creep of McDonaldisation is a quietly devastating portrait of the erosion of the culture of craftsmanship but also a very intimate portrait of a man’s life coming undone. Whose Story draws a scathing caricature of a kind of liberal, goofy, do-gooder version of toxic masculinity that hides behind good intentions and rehearsed self-awareness. These ideas are present, but not heavy-handed; they’re folded into the characters’ lives, the atmospheres, the social dynamics.
What really carried me through was the prose: clear, attentive, highly sensitive, and lyrical, but never showy. There’s such a careful attention to detail, to tone, to how people inhabit their bodies and spaces. Small things like a shift in gesture, a certain rhythm in dialogue, the texture of an image, do so much work here. The writing lets you see people from the inside, and it holds their complexity without judgment.
Revenge, in this book, isn’t really about violence or catharsis. It’s quieter, more psychological, but also universal and historical. It’s about the power to name what happened, the stories we tell ourselves, and the acts that sometimes follow. This is a book that lets pain and dignity sit side by side without rushing to resolve them.
A highly nurturing read!
Most of the stories weave in subtle threads of critical theory (postcolonial thought or contemporary cultural critique) into the storytelling. Dear Babo, with its Italian tailor struggling against the currents of the digital age and the slow creep of McDonaldisation is a quietly devastating portrait of the erosion of the culture of craftsmanship but also a very intimate portrait of a man’s life coming undone. Whose Story draws a scathing caricature of a kind of liberal, goofy, do-gooder version of toxic masculinity that hides behind good intentions and rehearsed self-awareness. These ideas are present, but not heavy-handed; they’re folded into the characters’ lives, the atmospheres, the social dynamics.
What really carried me through was the prose: clear, attentive, highly sensitive, and lyrical, but never showy. There’s such a careful attention to detail, to tone, to how people inhabit their bodies and spaces. Small things like a shift in gesture, a certain rhythm in dialogue, the texture of an image, do so much work here. The writing lets you see people from the inside, and it holds their complexity without judgment.
Revenge, in this book, isn’t really about violence or catharsis. It’s quieter, more psychological, but also universal and historical. It’s about the power to name what happened, the stories we tell ourselves, and the acts that sometimes follow. This is a book that lets pain and dignity sit side by side without rushing to resolve them.
A highly nurturing read!
August 21, 2025
Ben’s 'And So I Took Their Eye' is a brilliant collection of short stories that move seamlessly across different places, yet remain connected through recurring characters and an unflinching theme: revenge in its many forms. What I loved most was the variety - each story stands firmly on its own, but together they weave into a larger, darker exploration of human motives and consequences. Ben’s writing is sharp, engaging, and full of nuance, drawing you into each world before leaving you eager for the next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see where his storytelling goes in his next work.
December 9, 2025
I have really enjoyed reading "And So I Took Their Eye". Ben Davies in this book shows a talent for writing fast-paced stories which still provide manifold detail and enable you easily imagine yourself being a part of and experience the events in his stories in person. At the same time, he manages to keep the reader interested by not always making it obvious what's going to happen next and leaving you a bit guessing on what that will be. Lastly, even though the stories presented in "And So I Took Their Eye" are labelled as being different short stories, they are all interconnected in various ways that are not always obvious but make a lot of sense you figure it out, which is a strategy which, among others, made me not want to put the book away and finish it in a single reading session.
To me personally, being part of the community in a small Guatemalan village, I obviously enjoyed reading the parts covering aspects of Guatemalan smalltown life most. Ben Davies shows a great understanding of this particular aspect in his book and all the time he took investigating and experiencing Guatemalan life have obviously paid off big time!
100% Recommended!!!
To me personally, being part of the community in a small Guatemalan village, I obviously enjoyed reading the parts covering aspects of Guatemalan smalltown life most. Ben Davies shows a great understanding of this particular aspect in his book and all the time he took investigating and experiencing Guatemalan life have obviously paid off big time!
100% Recommended!!!
August 8, 2025
We have all heard the phrase “an eye for an eye,” but in And So I Took Their Eye, author Ben C. Davies brings forth a complex, fascinating, and intricate exploration of that notion. And So I Took Their Eye is a collection of ten short, subtly interwoven stories.
The excellent collection starts off with “A Gringo Died Today.” In this masterpiece of short fiction, Davies writes in a fractured recollection of a terrible crime (trigger warning for sexual assault) that will have dark repercussions. The second story is “The Eagle of the Desert,” wherein readers will learn of a British traveler who has disappeared his life into a Mexican yoga retreat. Next is “Teatime at the Cricket,” where a cold act of snobbery leads to righteous chaos. “Whose Story?” details a confident retelling of a seemingly brave vacation story, but underlying tension—and the ultimate truth—eventually bubbles to the surface as a delicate, deliberate laugh.
“Dear Babbo” presents as a series of letters from a man struggling with his business to his father, but as the man’s trajectory ebbs ever downwards, things begin to unravel. The story of a priest haunted by a vengeful promise he made as a child that threatens some travelers comes to fruition in “The Haunted Priest.” “Therapy for Therapists” is told, in part, through clinical therapy notes, showing how a therapist can be both aware and unaware at the same time. The startling revelation of how one man views issues in his community is the focus of “True Colours.” The penultimate story, “Cleaning Teslas,” follows Juana, who seeks retribution for something that occurred in the earlier tale, “Therapy for Therapists.” Finally, “Hero’s End” rounds out this collection by following more of the aftermath of “A Gringo Died Today,” the first of the stories.
As I have already indicated, And So I Took Their Eye is a fantastic short story collection. The interconnections unfold deftly and allow readers new perspectives on what they’ve read previously. Besides the plot connections, the overarching theme of “an eye for an eye” ties the stories together. “An eye for an eye” is the vengeful call we have all felt in our gut at some point, but Davies dives deep and beautifully into this notion in quite a thought-provoking way.
My favorite stories in the collection were “A Gringo Died Today” and “Whose Story?”. “A Gringo Died Today” is masterful. It is a perfect pick to open the collection. It allows the readers to take a somewhat dreamlike wander through one man’s recollections of recent traumatic events. The way it unfolds is tantalizing. Additionally, it sets up the stories that follow. “Whose Story?” I loved because it was subtle, realistic, and nuanced.
While I had my favorites, all the stories in And So I Took Their Eye by Ben C. Davies will resonate with readers. With a skilled hand, Davies weaves the stories together both in plot and theme. Although the stories can be read and enjoyed separately, they are best as a collection.
The excellent collection starts off with “A Gringo Died Today.” In this masterpiece of short fiction, Davies writes in a fractured recollection of a terrible crime (trigger warning for sexual assault) that will have dark repercussions. The second story is “The Eagle of the Desert,” wherein readers will learn of a British traveler who has disappeared his life into a Mexican yoga retreat. Next is “Teatime at the Cricket,” where a cold act of snobbery leads to righteous chaos. “Whose Story?” details a confident retelling of a seemingly brave vacation story, but underlying tension—and the ultimate truth—eventually bubbles to the surface as a delicate, deliberate laugh.
“Dear Babbo” presents as a series of letters from a man struggling with his business to his father, but as the man’s trajectory ebbs ever downwards, things begin to unravel. The story of a priest haunted by a vengeful promise he made as a child that threatens some travelers comes to fruition in “The Haunted Priest.” “Therapy for Therapists” is told, in part, through clinical therapy notes, showing how a therapist can be both aware and unaware at the same time. The startling revelation of how one man views issues in his community is the focus of “True Colours.” The penultimate story, “Cleaning Teslas,” follows Juana, who seeks retribution for something that occurred in the earlier tale, “Therapy for Therapists.” Finally, “Hero’s End” rounds out this collection by following more of the aftermath of “A Gringo Died Today,” the first of the stories.
As I have already indicated, And So I Took Their Eye is a fantastic short story collection. The interconnections unfold deftly and allow readers new perspectives on what they’ve read previously. Besides the plot connections, the overarching theme of “an eye for an eye” ties the stories together. “An eye for an eye” is the vengeful call we have all felt in our gut at some point, but Davies dives deep and beautifully into this notion in quite a thought-provoking way.
My favorite stories in the collection were “A Gringo Died Today” and “Whose Story?”. “A Gringo Died Today” is masterful. It is a perfect pick to open the collection. It allows the readers to take a somewhat dreamlike wander through one man’s recollections of recent traumatic events. The way it unfolds is tantalizing. Additionally, it sets up the stories that follow. “Whose Story?” I loved because it was subtle, realistic, and nuanced.
While I had my favorites, all the stories in And So I Took Their Eye by Ben C. Davies will resonate with readers. With a skilled hand, Davies weaves the stories together both in plot and theme. Although the stories can be read and enjoyed separately, they are best as a collection.
July 24, 2025
This is the first book of short stories I have read in many many years and it did not disappoint. Each story was captivating and interesting and they all tied together beautifully. I could definitely see this being a full length novel.
July 25, 2025
Ben C. Davies writes with precision, curiosity, and a willingness to get close to the reader's nerves. In And So I Took Their Eye, he experiments with structure—one story unfolds entirely in therapy notes, another takes the shape of a letter from a son to his estranged father, others play with point-of-view. Each story investigates vengeance, and how it plays out across countries and communities--with greater and lesser consequence. Along the way, Davies defines his own voice in his homage to the shapes, tones, and rhythms produced by writers he loves.
Whether it’s the priest in Bolivia, the British traveler hiding out at a yoga retreat in Mexico, or the daughter watching her mother seek quiet revenge over tea at an English cricket match, these are stories about what we carry, what we can’t undo, and what lingers.
Whether it’s the priest in Bolivia, the British traveler hiding out at a yoga retreat in Mexico, or the daughter watching her mother seek quiet revenge over tea at an English cricket match, these are stories about what we carry, what we can’t undo, and what lingers.
July 8, 2025
I received an early copy of this book and loved it. It's fast paced, and keeps you guessing. The stories are interconnected, which keeps you engaged as you try to spot the links between them, often in unexpected ways.
My favorite was Whose Story?, though I also really enjoyed the one set in Italy and the ones based in Guatemala
My favorite was Whose Story?, though I also really enjoyed the one set in Italy and the ones based in Guatemala
August 21, 2025
The Review
This was such a compelling and gripping short story collection. Each story felt very atmospheric, drawing the reader into the culture clash that occurs when tourists and travelers enter a country not their own and bring their sense of righteousness and superiority instead. The dynamic character development and the way the author was able to keep the stories interconnected with one another without sacrificing the unique stories each character experiences made this a memorable collection.
What hit home was the theme the author brought to life in this anthology, which was the fine line between justice and vengeance. The world is so full of increased attacks on things like immigration. There have been increased waves of aggressiveness from people, especially where toxic masculinity is concerned. This book brings these elements into the stories of the anthology to showcase how far people can be pushed, and what happens when people push back. The opening and closing stories especially really captured these themes while also adding mystery, intrigue, and exploring the ways trauma can impact a person.
The Verdict
Thought-provoking, enthralling, and mesmerizing, author Ben C. Davies’s “And So I Took Their Eye” is a must-read short story collection. The twists and turns each story takes, how the author weaves each tale together so seamlessly, and the deep study of the human condition and how the lines between justice and revenge can become so blurry at times make this a memorable collection that will stay with readers long after the final page.
This was such a compelling and gripping short story collection. Each story felt very atmospheric, drawing the reader into the culture clash that occurs when tourists and travelers enter a country not their own and bring their sense of righteousness and superiority instead. The dynamic character development and the way the author was able to keep the stories interconnected with one another without sacrificing the unique stories each character experiences made this a memorable collection.
What hit home was the theme the author brought to life in this anthology, which was the fine line between justice and vengeance. The world is so full of increased attacks on things like immigration. There have been increased waves of aggressiveness from people, especially where toxic masculinity is concerned. This book brings these elements into the stories of the anthology to showcase how far people can be pushed, and what happens when people push back. The opening and closing stories especially really captured these themes while also adding mystery, intrigue, and exploring the ways trauma can impact a person.
The Verdict
Thought-provoking, enthralling, and mesmerizing, author Ben C. Davies’s “And So I Took Their Eye” is a must-read short story collection. The twists and turns each story takes, how the author weaves each tale together so seamlessly, and the deep study of the human condition and how the lines between justice and revenge can become so blurry at times make this a memorable collection that will stay with readers long after the final page.
September 18, 2025
This well-traveled author explores the complex relationship between revenge and justice in Guatemala, Mexico, England, Greece, Italy, Bolivia, and California, following a wide range of vivid characters that travel through the stories, linking them in his theme. He shines a light on class hierarchies and divisions across cultures, on hypocrisy and cluelessness, on tourists and natives. He begins and ends in Guatemala, a place where I have lived and can attest to the authenticity of his portrait of this beautiful and heart-breaking country.
September 26, 2025
A thought-provoking collection of interconnected tales which take you around the world, while staying true to an overarching theme of revenge. It’s a fantastic concept that’s brilliantly executed.
The writing is beautiful and totally absorbing – every story left an imprint on me.
The writing is beautiful and totally absorbing – every story left an imprint on me.
November 15, 2025
Excellent, engrossing, and thought provoking! A thoroughly enjoyable read I would recommend to anyone!!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews