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19 days and 22:36:51
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The Good Eye
Not yet published
Expected 12 May 26Win a free print copy of this book!
19 days and 22:36:51
15 copies available
U.S. only
A major debut collection of globe-spanning stories set in the worlds of art, crime, and fantasy, by an exceptionally elegant and mischievous storyteller.
A stone appears in a woman’s pocket like a charm only to end up lodged in someone else’s throat. A condescending artist throws a dinner party with his too-square wife, only to learn too late that she is far more daring than he ever imagined. A young and besotted apprentice haunts her mentor’s lover after a stinging betrayal.
In The Good Eye, the world can change in an instant. The beautiful turns grotesque, the exalted becomes the disgraced, the genius an imposter. Contradictory forces confront the men and women of Gibson’s collection, as they wrestle with the limits of perception.
Pulsing with style and vibrancy, The Good Eye takes readers on an unforgettable journey, without ever giving in to easy answers, and announces the arrival of a prodigious new talent.
A stone appears in a woman’s pocket like a charm only to end up lodged in someone else’s throat. A condescending artist throws a dinner party with his too-square wife, only to learn too late that she is far more daring than he ever imagined. A young and besotted apprentice haunts her mentor’s lover after a stinging betrayal.
In The Good Eye, the world can change in an instant. The beautiful turns grotesque, the exalted becomes the disgraced, the genius an imposter. Contradictory forces confront the men and women of Gibson’s collection, as they wrestle with the limits of perception.
Pulsing with style and vibrancy, The Good Eye takes readers on an unforgettable journey, without ever giving in to easy answers, and announces the arrival of a prodigious new talent.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
176 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 12, 2026
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5814 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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November 1, 2025Today, November 1, 2025, I read Lisa Allardice's wonderful interview with Margaret Atwood in The Guardian where I discovered that Jess Gibson is her daughter and this book of short stories is Jess' debut novel. I'd like to read it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
"The Good Eye" is competently written and occasionally intriguing but too often the stories feel like sketches rather than fully realized narrative, a little too flat for me, and any sense of a plot is nonexistent: a few things happen and then they end. The title story is intriguing with its art-world "twist," , but then nothing comes from that, no conflict, no tension. Surely anyone can string a few scenes together? I want something more.
Without escalation, conflict, or meaningful consequence, the collection feels a little inert. It's as though gesture alone were enough. There's talent here, certainly, and sharp premises, but I wanted more propulsion and tension, I wanted the stories to be building toward something rather than simply fading out.
Without escalation, conflict, or meaningful consequence, the collection feels a little inert. It's as though gesture alone were enough. There's talent here, certainly, and sharp premises, but I wanted more propulsion and tension, I wanted the stories to be building toward something rather than simply fading out.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Apparently this is Margaret Atwood's daughter, which is interesting.
I would give this collection ***½. Decent short stories and I liked the writing. I'm not sure this book would be for someone looking for a page-turner experience or someone who isn't really into short stories. Perhaps the pacing was a bit slow? I am personally OK with short stories that on the slower paced side.
{owned, paperback, won in a GR giveaway}
I would give this collection ***½. Decent short stories and I liked the writing. I'm not sure this book would be for someone looking for a page-turner experience or someone who isn't really into short stories. Perhaps the pacing was a bit slow? I am personally OK with short stories that on the slower paced side.
{owned, paperback, won in a GR giveaway}
November 19, 2025
Honestly hated this. The writing was adequate but every story in this collection was underwhelming and ended abruptly. And I'm pretty sure the word 'oily' was used in at least three of them.
tbr-arc
January 15, 2026beautiful and grotesque sounds like a Ryan Murphy work, exactly in my zone
*thank you to Cardinal for the ARC*
*thank you to Cardinal for the ARC*
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January 29, 20263.5
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews