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Reptile House
The characters in these nine short stories abandon families, plot assassinations, nurse vendettas, tease, taunt, and terrorize. They retaliate for bad marriages, dream of weddings, and wait decades for lovers. How far will we go to escape to a better dream? What consequences must we face for hope and fantasy? Robin McLean's stories are strange, often disturbing and funny, and as full of foolishness and ugliness as they are of the wisdom and beauty all around us.
Robin McLean holds an MFA from UMass Amherst. She teaches at Clark University and lives in Bristol, New Hampshire, and Sunderland, Massachusetts.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2015
11 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Robin McLean
3 books66 followersRobin McLean was a lawyer and then a potter for 15 years in the woods of Alaska before receiving her MFA at UMass Amherst in Massachusetts. Her first short story collection Reptile House won the 2013 BOA Editions Fiction Prize. The collection was also a finalist for the Flannery O’Connor Short Story Prize in 2011 and 2012. McLean’s stories have appeared widely in such places as The Cincinnati Review, Green Mountains Review, The Western Humanities Review,The Carolina Quarterly, The Nashville Review, The Malahat Review, Gargoyle, The Common, and Copper Nickel, and others.
A figure skater first—having learned to skate and walk at the same time—McLean believes that crashing on ice prepared her for writing fiction. Besides writing, her careers and interests have been diverse: pushcart hotdog sales, lawyer and mediator, potter and tile maker, political activist, union grievance officer, sculptor, haunted corn maze manager as well as zombie trainer. She currently teaches at Clark University and divides her time between Newfound Lake in Bristol, NH, and a 200-year-old farm in Sunderland, MA.
She grew up in Peoria, Illinois, one of four wild and inventive sisters, all who, like their mother, attended Mount Holyoke College.
A figure skater first—having learned to skate and walk at the same time—McLean believes that crashing on ice prepared her for writing fiction. Besides writing, her careers and interests have been diverse: pushcart hotdog sales, lawyer and mediator, potter and tile maker, political activist, union grievance officer, sculptor, haunted corn maze manager as well as zombie trainer. She currently teaches at Clark University and divides her time between Newfound Lake in Bristol, NH, and a 200-year-old farm in Sunderland, MA.
She grew up in Peoria, Illinois, one of four wild and inventive sisters, all who, like their mother, attended Mount Holyoke College.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 13, 2016
in love with this book. On one page (108):
[He] looked down at Marlon standing in the slush. He blinked and subtracted Marlon instantly. Deletion is painful.
Hate is like a rock in the dirt that a guy finds when he digs deep enough with his shovel.
Outstanding, different. As it says on the back the author uses cascades of language which seem to carry its characters along, sometimes happily, sometimes to a violent place. Stories focus on one set of characters, but end up somewhere else, eg one set in a restaurant with an obnoxious group of diners, ends up focusing on the waiter (or 'busboy'). There are leaps forward and backward in time. Most are set in the present, although one is set well in the future where people live to 150 on average and space travel is routine. Whatever, wherever, the writer takes you with her. She is excellent at drilling down to a character's motives and drifting thoughts. I'm not sure how I came to know about this book (someone on goodreads probably), but so glad I did.
[He] looked down at Marlon standing in the slush. He blinked and subtracted Marlon instantly. Deletion is painful.
Hate is like a rock in the dirt that a guy finds when he digs deep enough with his shovel.
Outstanding, different. As it says on the back the author uses cascades of language which seem to carry its characters along, sometimes happily, sometimes to a violent place. Stories focus on one set of characters, but end up somewhere else, eg one set in a restaurant with an obnoxious group of diners, ends up focusing on the waiter (or 'busboy'). There are leaps forward and backward in time. Most are set in the present, although one is set well in the future where people live to 150 on average and space travel is routine. Whatever, wherever, the writer takes you with her. She is excellent at drilling down to a character's motives and drifting thoughts. I'm not sure how I came to know about this book (someone on goodreads probably), but so glad I did.
July 31, 2022
McLean's style of writing thins the veil between fantasy and reality, incorporates the bizarre, creates memorable characters, exposes the flaws of our violent corpulent greedy culture, and features self-imposed vengeance. The dialogue alone makes these stories worth reading.
December 15, 2021
In these nine stories, the characters are stuck, not where they'd thought they'd be, and are struggling to control their fates, yearning to overcome the futility of their lives, the point of view often zooming out to set those lives within a more cosmic frame. There is a slight experimentalism to the stories, the conflicts equally surreal and hyper-realistic, a blend of reportage and lyricism, and the effect is tragicomic.
June 13, 2015
One of the more thoughtful, hilarious, and insightful bits of storytelling I've seen in a long time. The author has a knack for making you consider the weight of small details in every day life, and the epic realities we all have in our heads. I can't recommend it enough.
March 23, 2015
Despite the title, it's not about snakes. Don't worry. But I can't promise you won't get that weird prickly sensation, like there's something right there, just under your skin--that feeling that so many people get while at the reptile house at the zoo.
This collection of short stories is an extraordinary example of how short stories are a completely different art form than novels, or even novellas. The author shines a light on a relatively random set of characters in unrelated settings, all of whom have unpredictable problems that seem completely ordinary. Yet it all hangs together and delivers a coherent punch of social commentary that feels both contemporary and ancient.
My favorite story was Rabbit's Foot, because how can you not love a story with a pussy crab in it. That's all I'm going to say. Don't let anyone tell you too much about any particular story. Go in cold. You will be delighted. And, if you're like me, impatient for more from this debut author.
Try something new. Read this.
This collection of short stories is an extraordinary example of how short stories are a completely different art form than novels, or even novellas. The author shines a light on a relatively random set of characters in unrelated settings, all of whom have unpredictable problems that seem completely ordinary. Yet it all hangs together and delivers a coherent punch of social commentary that feels both contemporary and ancient.
My favorite story was Rabbit's Foot, because how can you not love a story with a pussy crab in it. That's all I'm going to say. Don't let anyone tell you too much about any particular story. Go in cold. You will be delighted. And, if you're like me, impatient for more from this debut author.
Try something new. Read this.
August 15, 2015
Unforgettable
From the title of this family of rollicking and riveting stories, you might think the only journey you’ll take in reading it will be confined to a structure, maybe inside a zoo. Where author Robin McLean leads us instead is always surprising and usually astonishing. There are too many harrowing, perplexing, and delightful turns of events in these works to even begin to describe them here—you’ll have to read to experience. I will say the stories are both breathtaking and breathless; the characters and journeys and struggles gigglingly and heartrendingly rendered, the prose nerve-pricklingly charming. I loved it from beginning to end.
From the title of this family of rollicking and riveting stories, you might think the only journey you’ll take in reading it will be confined to a structure, maybe inside a zoo. Where author Robin McLean leads us instead is always surprising and usually astonishing. There are too many harrowing, perplexing, and delightful turns of events in these works to even begin to describe them here—you’ll have to read to experience. I will say the stories are both breathtaking and breathless; the characters and journeys and struggles gigglingly and heartrendingly rendered, the prose nerve-pricklingly charming. I loved it from beginning to end.
June 15, 2015
An eclectic cast of characters who pass the time playing strange games juxtaposed with life events that frequently are highlighted by dark comedy. Crab races which are clearly a lose-lose situation for the crabs. The author intertwines crosswords puzzles, crab races , and other games with life events, bringing the cast of characters to life in a unique way that left this reader hoping for more. Keep on traveling and keep on sharing these tales which bring a sense of the weird along with chuckles, the occasional guffaw, and a subtle, dark humor.
July 21, 2016
These stories delighted me, particularly "The Amazing Discovery and Natural History of Carlsbad Caverns." They build in subtle, terrifying ways. I loved the insights into the characters she's created. They became real people in my mind and stick in my head, and it's been about a year since I've finished this book.
I spoke with Robin about her book on NHPR.
I spoke with Robin about her book on NHPR.
June 24, 2015
This is a brilliant collection of short stories, wholly original, the unique stories linked only by their startling humanity. The stories are inhabited by characters who--whether they are off-center, funny, tragic, horrifying, deeply sympathetic or just plain delusional--are always one-off and fascinating. I finished the book in awe of the author's talent. The only writer I can think to compare Robin McLean to is Kurt Vonnegut.
March 6, 2015
Wide open beautiful, powerful stories whose effect accrues until you realize what you're reading is a punch from the heart.
May 20, 2015
This is just stunning -- its pleasures so complex & particular, so that you couldn't mistake McLean's stories for anyone else's. A terrific debut.
July 8, 2015
Edgy collection of terrific short stories from a Mount Holyoke grad who we were lucky enough to have for dinner! The characters stay with you and the writing is superb.
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July 5, 2016Lyrical and haunting. I loved every story in this collection.
October 23, 2016
Tightly written stories with beautiful prose, fresh conveyances, and wonderful "Easter eggs" for careful readers. Slow down and savor this one!
May 15, 2022
Nine short stories. Two are science fiction – Cold Snap is about a climate change toward extreme cold and Blue Nevis about is about space travel farther out than humans have yet been. All stories are dark, even Take the Car, Take the Girl, which begins as a comedy of manners of four people at a restaurant table. Every story ends with disaster in some way, if only the theft of a vehicle. The stories generally show the failure of human endeavor. Characters are seriously flawed, often unlikeable.
Robin McClean can effectively introduce horrific elements with plain language, for example, in No Name Creek: “Once, on a summer night as boys, Boak and Ben came to a camp on a shore where the men laughed and the [female dog] barked and the puppies were cooked up in a drum” (98). At other times she implies the violence, or she turns away from a violent climax with a description of something tangential, as in The True End to All Sad Times: “They saw how the birds would circle the wreck at daylight. Land by loaves. Peck bags for crumbs so close to asphalt, they’d have to lift their wings with each passing car” (128)
McClean often juxtaposes contrasting, even opposing elements. In the title story, she follows a scene of birth with a remembered scene of a python swallowing another snake and a further incident foreshadowed by the swallowing. Similarly, several times she parallels a narrative with another text. In For Swimmers, this text is a father’s set of instructions for swimming safety; in The Amazing Discovery and Natural History of Carlsbad Caverns, it is a father’s bedtime story of the man who found the caverns; and in Blue Nevus, it is list items from various National Space Agency manuals and from a Lennox High School Mascot Manual. Sometimes she interrupts the time sequence for a comment on future or past events; both types occur in The Amazing Discover.
Blue Nevus is the longest and most ambitious story, but I felt that it tried to accomplish too much; it lost me when McClean brought in the talking giraffes (168-169). My favorite is The Amazing Discovery, a tale of three men in a taxi in 1963 surrounded by the vastness and great age of Carlsbad Caverns.
Robin McClean can effectively introduce horrific elements with plain language, for example, in No Name Creek: “Once, on a summer night as boys, Boak and Ben came to a camp on a shore where the men laughed and the [female dog] barked and the puppies were cooked up in a drum” (98). At other times she implies the violence, or she turns away from a violent climax with a description of something tangential, as in The True End to All Sad Times: “They saw how the birds would circle the wreck at daylight. Land by loaves. Peck bags for crumbs so close to asphalt, they’d have to lift their wings with each passing car” (128)
McClean often juxtaposes contrasting, even opposing elements. In the title story, she follows a scene of birth with a remembered scene of a python swallowing another snake and a further incident foreshadowed by the swallowing. Similarly, several times she parallels a narrative with another text. In For Swimmers, this text is a father’s set of instructions for swimming safety; in The Amazing Discovery and Natural History of Carlsbad Caverns, it is a father’s bedtime story of the man who found the caverns; and in Blue Nevus, it is list items from various National Space Agency manuals and from a Lennox High School Mascot Manual. Sometimes she interrupts the time sequence for a comment on future or past events; both types occur in The Amazing Discover.
Blue Nevus is the longest and most ambitious story, but I felt that it tried to accomplish too much; it lost me when McClean brought in the talking giraffes (168-169). My favorite is The Amazing Discovery, a tale of three men in a taxi in 1963 surrounded by the vastness and great age of Carlsbad Caverns.
September 14, 2020
Every sentence is crafted to perfection.
Hilariously observant at times, delightfully surprising with an ever-present dark foreboding as characters have their unrealised biographies authorially intruded upon.
There is a genuine uniqueness to this work that demands admiration.
This review reads a little like a wine-tasting.
Hilariously observant at times, delightfully surprising with an ever-present dark foreboding as characters have their unrealised biographies authorially intruded upon.
There is a genuine uniqueness to this work that demands admiration.
This review reads a little like a wine-tasting.
Read
May 8, 2024Maybe just not what I’m in the mood for right now, but this did not really grab my attention. Might return to it at a later time
November 30, 2022
About the writing style: The author says SO much with so few words, and usually not the words one might predict or expect. The effect is like sprinkling golden nuggets of surprise across an open expanse, giving the reader a continuing sense of discovery along with an abundance of space for exercising the imagination. So engaging!
The characters and plots sometimes freaked me out. I read Reptile House a year ago and I’m still thinking about some of the stories. I could write on and on about the emotions that each one caused me to feel. I was caught by surprise from the start.
I read "Cold Snap" as I winged my way over Alaska. How fitting, I thought… As the cold in the story deepened and the isolation intensified, I felt as though I was in a Hitchcock movie. I hope it becomes a movie… Brilliant!
I found it easy to imagine the unpleasant events in one's life that could lead to events like those in "Take the Car Take the Girl." But "Carlsbad Caverns" was way beyond my experience (thank God!) – I haven’t read a story quite like that since Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" - what a nightmare!
The men in "No Name Creek" were very different from the people in my world. They had wonderfully rendered personalities that were clearly rough-edged, but also endearing on some level; much like several of the other characters in McLean’s stories. She must have a lot of experience with people like this since she describes them so well.
The far edges of mental health are explored in "The True End" and "Blue Nevus." How in the world did the author think up these characters, and get so deep into their heads? Again, it’s a little scary!
I think "For Swimmers" was my favorite story in the collection. Perhaps I could relate to it more than some of the other stories, having had experience with some of the feelings described; a sense of belonging to a place, reminiscing wistfully, rapture followed by protracted disappointment in love, suppressed loneliness, a resolve to carry on, the poetic symmetry of life and death... it all made the story into a rich tapestry and a wonderful reading experience; much like the whole book.
As I flip back through the pages I feel like I could write for ages about the emotions that each story provoked and the ways the characters affected me. All and all the book made a huge impression on me and I can hardly wait to read more of this author’s work. I hope more will appear soon.
The characters and plots sometimes freaked me out. I read Reptile House a year ago and I’m still thinking about some of the stories. I could write on and on about the emotions that each one caused me to feel. I was caught by surprise from the start.
I read "Cold Snap" as I winged my way over Alaska. How fitting, I thought… As the cold in the story deepened and the isolation intensified, I felt as though I was in a Hitchcock movie. I hope it becomes a movie… Brilliant!
I found it easy to imagine the unpleasant events in one's life that could lead to events like those in "Take the Car Take the Girl." But "Carlsbad Caverns" was way beyond my experience (thank God!) – I haven’t read a story quite like that since Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" - what a nightmare!
The men in "No Name Creek" were very different from the people in my world. They had wonderfully rendered personalities that were clearly rough-edged, but also endearing on some level; much like several of the other characters in McLean’s stories. She must have a lot of experience with people like this since she describes them so well.
The far edges of mental health are explored in "The True End" and "Blue Nevus." How in the world did the author think up these characters, and get so deep into their heads? Again, it’s a little scary!
I think "For Swimmers" was my favorite story in the collection. Perhaps I could relate to it more than some of the other stories, having had experience with some of the feelings described; a sense of belonging to a place, reminiscing wistfully, rapture followed by protracted disappointment in love, suppressed loneliness, a resolve to carry on, the poetic symmetry of life and death... it all made the story into a rich tapestry and a wonderful reading experience; much like the whole book.
As I flip back through the pages I feel like I could write for ages about the emotions that each story provoked and the ways the characters affected me. All and all the book made a huge impression on me and I can hardly wait to read more of this author’s work. I hope more will appear soon.
July 30, 2020
My review from The Common online:
Robin McLean’s story collection, Reptile House, opens at an end—when a freeze of apocalyptic proportions devastates the town of Easter, (“Cold Snap”)—and ends at a beginning—when an unhappy man’s wife gives birth to another baby (the title story). This sort of upset runs rampant throughout McLean’s debut work. McLean’s surreal tales about ordinary characters deliver emotional truth in poetic language. Concrete and surreal, they spill beyond the conventional short story forms.
A book for lovers of language, Reptile House won the 2015 BOA Short Story Fiction Prize, sponsored by BOA Editions, Ltd., a publishing house committed strictly to poetry, until 2007 when it launched its American Reader Series with the goal of publishing fiction “more concerned with artfulness of writing than the twists and turns of plot.” Indeed, the nine short stories that form Reptile House seem to spring from language in an intuitive way.
This passage from “No Name Creek,” a story in which two brothers, Ben and Boak, head out to hunt moose...
Continuing reading: https://www.thecommononline.org/revie...
Robin McLean’s story collection, Reptile House, opens at an end—when a freeze of apocalyptic proportions devastates the town of Easter, (“Cold Snap”)—and ends at a beginning—when an unhappy man’s wife gives birth to another baby (the title story). This sort of upset runs rampant throughout McLean’s debut work. McLean’s surreal tales about ordinary characters deliver emotional truth in poetic language. Concrete and surreal, they spill beyond the conventional short story forms.
A book for lovers of language, Reptile House won the 2015 BOA Short Story Fiction Prize, sponsored by BOA Editions, Ltd., a publishing house committed strictly to poetry, until 2007 when it launched its American Reader Series with the goal of publishing fiction “more concerned with artfulness of writing than the twists and turns of plot.” Indeed, the nine short stories that form Reptile House seem to spring from language in an intuitive way.
This passage from “No Name Creek,” a story in which two brothers, Ben and Boak, head out to hunt moose...
Continuing reading: https://www.thecommononline.org/revie...
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews