That Tiny Life

by Erin Frances Fisher MFA

In settings that range from the old American West to pre-revolutionary France, from a present-day dig site in the high tablelands of South America to deep space, That Tiny Life is a wide-ranging and utterly original collection of short fiction and a novella that examines the idea of progress ― humanity’s never-ending cycle of creation and destruction. In the award-winning story, “Valley Floor,” a surgeon performs an amputation in the open desert in the American West. In “Da Capo al Fine,” set in eighteenth-century France, the creator of the fortepiano designs another, more brutal instrument. And in “That Tiny Life,” the reader gets a glimpse into a future in which human resource extraction goes far beyond Earth. Each story is infused with impeccably researched detail that brings obscure and fascinating subject matter into bright relief, be it falconry, ancient funeral rites, or space exploration. The result is an amazing interplay of minute detail against the backdrop of huge themes, such as human expression and impact, our need for connection, the innate violence in nature, and the god-complex present in all acts of human creation. A highly accomplished, evocative, and wholly impressive work of short fiction, That Tiny Life introduces readers to a writer with limitless range and imagination.

Genres: Short Stories, Contemporary

288 pages, Paperback

Published March 13, 2018

Reviews

[Shaelin Bishop · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
3 for the stories. 2 for the novella.

[Dominique "Eerie" Sobieska · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Advance Reading Copy Review*

Erin Frances Fisher's collection of short stories is moving, detailed, original, full of life and gives you an intimate view of each individual written. The acclaimed "Valley Floor" was a joy to read. Simple. Short. To the point. But not my favourite. "Winter Road" had caught my attention to the detail of one man returning home.

If you wish to submerge yourself in light literature with grand themes, detailed humans - I suggest this to you.

Beautiful composition, powerfully written and evocative.

[Prcs Rambharose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Book Is due out In March 2018... I received an Advanced Reading Copy.
The book consists of 4 short story's and one novella.
The story I liked the most was the award winning story'Valley Floor'a surgeon does an Amputation in the open desert In the In the American West,
Each Story has been well researched and subject choice and detail Is well written in each short story.
I like the cover It is bright and eye catching and is divided into five sections illustrating what each story is about

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an uncorrected proof as part of Goodread's giveaways.

This is a collection of short stories and a novella with vivid characters in imaginative settings. However, I wasn't able to connect to any of the characters nor stories. They all read pleasantly enough, but none were particularly memorable or intriguing such that I wouldn't want to put this book down. I'm sure others may feel otherwise.

Favourite: That Tiny Life

[litost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each of the six stories are different; some are even different genres, including historical, contemporary, and science fiction. The stories are not personal, but from the author’s research & imagination. Promising. I look forward to her first novel.

[Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

This spare collection packs a novel-sized punch. Fans of Carmen Maria Machado, Karen Russell, and Wells Tower who appreciate a finely-tuned musical eye and ear like Erin's will enjoy "That Tiny Life."

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers of this extraordinary collection will be taken by the scope and range of the stories. By the precision of craft and visceral detail. The true inhabiting of bodies, in the characters, the creatures, and also in the natural world as a body beyond. But what truly separates Fisher’s prose is the heart, the blood, the guts, the all of it, that drive this book, as a body. It seems so distinct in parts, but runs together with a singular, unifying force that very few writers could muster. It is a collection that thrums with that undeniable heart and energy, no matter where the stories land or lead.

[Sally]

Warning: gore.