The Shell Game: Writers Play with Borrowed Forms

by Kim Adrian (Editor)

Within the recent explosion of creative nonfiction, a new type of form is quietly emerging, what Brenda Miller calls “hermit crab essays.” The Shell Game is an anthology of these intriguing essays that borrow their structures from ordinary, everyday a recipe, a crossword puzzle, a Craig’s List ad. Like their zoological namesake, these essays do not simply wear their borrowed “shells” but inhabit them so perfectly that the borrowed structures are wholly integral rather than contrived, both shaping the work and illuminating and exemplifying its subject.

The Shell Game contains a carefully chosen selection of beautifully written, thought-provoking hybrid essays tackling a broad range of subjects, including the secrets of the human genome, the intractable pain of growing up black in America, and the gorgeous glow residing at the edges of the autism spectrum. Surprising, delightful, and lyric, these essays are destined to become classics of this new and increasingly popular hybrid form.  
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Anthologies, Writing, Teaching

276 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2018

Reviews

[Karly Noelle Abreu White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being an anthology, this is a difficult book to rate. Some of the essays (such as "We Regret to Inform You") benefit greatly from the "hermit crab shell" style, whereas others just seem to use it as a pretentious gimmick (trivia answers, or the genome essay, for example). Subject matter is diverse, from car theft to racism to infertility, but I really could have done with a few less essays about white people having affairs. It's not a subject I have much sympathy for the participants in, no matter how what form they wrap it up in. But there are a few gems in here that are absolutely worth reading, but there are quite a few I really could have done without. I haven't finished it in its entirety, I don't think it's a book you're meant to read in one go, given the anthology format.

[Sarah Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m in no way an expert on the hermit crab form, but I’m going to say this anyway: there are a few essays in here that appear hindered by the form instead of freed.

[Rachel Laverdiere · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought myself this lovely book filled with hermit crab essays for my birthday. I would recommend this collection for anybody who is interested in "outlier" forms of CNF. I especially appreciated Cheyenne Nimes' "Postscript: Forms on the Page"which gave me so many options/ideas of what could work well as a shell for my next hermit crab essay.

[Bridgett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love hermit crab essays. This was a fun read with lots of compelling form and stories told in interesting ways.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The individual essays here are fascinating, although some truly play with form more than others and those ones that don't so much play feel a bit out of place. Overall, though, I struggled to read this collection or find interest in it -- which leads me to a curious consideration: perhaps the hermit crab essay is best encountered in its natural habitat, whatever that might be, instead of in a collection or on display. After all, most hermit crabs in captivity die pretty soon after you bring them home. Maybe they're just meant to be free.

[Isabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

2026: On the re-read, I enjoyed these a lot more. There were still some plodding ones toward the end of the collection I wasn’t as wild about, but I had a lot of fun.


2021: 3.5/5? The essays that worked *really* worked. For instance, I loved Math 1619. However, other essays were boring/dragged on, as they relied too heavily on trivia/research (like that Snail Detorsion essay). A mixed bag, but helpful for brainstorming potential hermit crab shells.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the idea of an essay that borrows its form from some other writing. And several of these pieces (I didn't read them all) are clever, playful, touching. But I have to admit that none of them stood out for me. M sense is that the demands of formal experimentation, rather than the meaning such experimentation should serve, becomes the focus of most of the pieces.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a reading assignment for a creative writing class. However, it was a good read, beyond the subject matter of creative nonfiction. Not all of the essays were to my liking, but many reached me. I especially liked the unusual examples of personal essay that it portrayed.

[emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this. we got one of the chapters assigned to read for our ‘science writing’ course. my prof told us about hermit crab essays and i proceeded to read this entire thing.

this is a very interesting way to write and i learned a lot. i’ve used different forms in nonfiction pieces.

all around amazing

[Sigrun Hodne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary collection of essays that demonstrates just how generative a borrowed form can be. Inventive, intelligent, moving, and often startling: again and again, the constraint becomes not a limitation but a way of discovering what the essay might otherwise never have found. Some pieces are simply unforgettable.

[grace.portell · Rating 4 out of 5]

had to read for engl103. obviously would have never picked this up if it weren't for that class. uhm, I mean there's something for everyone and it introduced me to a beautiful piece. there are a lot of essays in here that I actually really did enjoy, but there were some that I wasn't as interested in. kinda just depends on who you are and what you like!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never know how fair it is to rate a collection, but some essays bowled me over and others had me applying my knowledge of the shells to estimate how much longer they would be. Like the hermit crab itself, not every shell is s good fit, even if the crab can make it work.

[Isla McKetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like any collection my engagement with different pieces varied but I loved the insight into ways that others are experimenting with prose.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource.

[Randall Rocha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Though the borrowed form may, possibly, be a temporary trend, the flexibility of adaption is, I hope, I permanent addition to the handbook of the essay writer.

[Lori Goshert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful essays and a great selection of prompts at the back! I will be rereading this often.

[emma rowan]

favorites: genome tome, snakes & ladders, the spectrum, torn heart was fun too (& math 1619, #miscarriage.exe but i’ve read those)

[Nanako Water · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great examples of essay writing using creative forms.

[Elliot Wynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This blew my mind in college and still blows my mind every time I read it. A book that changed my perspective on writing and reading forever.