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Little Village
Of Echoes Born
Outside a hospital in Ottawa, a heartbeat returns long enough for a good-bye. Downtown, a man steps into shadows of the past to help those who have died find their way free from their memories. In Niagara, an icewine vintage is flavored with the truth of what happened on a dark evening of betrayal. In British Columbia, the snow itself can speak to someone who knows how to listen.
The past echoes through these queer tales—sometimes soft enough to grant a second chance at love, and other times loud enough to damn a killer—never without leaving those who’ve heard it unchanged.
Of Echoes Born is the first short story collection from Lambda Literary Award finalist ’Nathan Burgoine.
The past echoes through these queer tales—sometimes soft enough to grant a second chance at love, and other times loud enough to damn a killer—never without leaving those who’ve heard it unchanged.
Of Echoes Born is the first short story collection from Lambda Literary Award finalist ’Nathan Burgoine.
254 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2018
3 people are currently reading
167 people want to read
About the author
'Nathan Burgoine
50 books461 followers'Nathan Burgoine grew up a reader and studied literature in university while making a living as a bookseller. His first published short story was "Heart" in the collection Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction. Since then, he has had dozens of short stories published, and despite being "the tall queer guy who writes mosly shorter queer fictions" novels have happened between the novellas and short stories.
A cat lover, 'Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. Their ongoing "cat or dog?" détente ended with the rescue and adoption of huskies. They live in Ottawa, Canada, where socialized health care and gay marriage have yet to cause the sky to cave in.
You can find 'Nathan on the web at nathanburgoine.com.
A cat lover, 'Nathan managed to fall in love and marry Daniel, who is a confirmed dog person. Their ongoing "cat or dog?" détente ended with the rescue and adoption of huskies. They live in Ottawa, Canada, where socialized health care and gay marriage have yet to cause the sky to cave in.
You can find 'Nathan on the web at nathanburgoine.com.
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December 22, 2023Edit: December 21st, 2023: Bold Strokes Books is having a "Friends and Family!" sale until December 25th, 2023 at 11:59EDT, knocking 20% off e-books with Community/Friends as a theme, over at their webstore, including Of Echoes Born!
This link take you right to 'Of Echoes Born' on the BSB webstore.
Edit: I blogged at the Bold Strokes Books website about Of Echoes Born, where the title came from, and why it's important queer voices keep telling queer stories.
Hello! It's me, the author, being all authory.
Short fiction was where I started loving reading, and short fiction was my entry into the writing world. Being able to offer a collection this year is making me more than a little giddy. There are a dozen tales in Of Echoes Born, six of which are new for this collection, and two of which are the opening and closing tales about Ian Simon, a character who appeared (briefly) in my first ever published short, "Heart." I wrote a blog about Ian, if you're curious about his origins.
I can't wait to introduce Ian, and all the other characters in the collection, as well as my fictional Gay Village, where a great deal of all the short fiction I've written interconnects. (More on that here, if you'd like a map of how it all links together).
Also, occasionally on my blog I'll write Flash Fiction pieces that tie in to characters I've written previously. There are already a few there for characters who appear in Of Echoes Born, which you can see here. So, if you wanted to check-in with some of the characters for a second time, they're waiting for you.
This link take you right to 'Of Echoes Born' on the BSB webstore.
Edit: I blogged at the Bold Strokes Books website about Of Echoes Born, where the title came from, and why it's important queer voices keep telling queer stories.
Hello! It's me, the author, being all authory.
Short fiction was where I started loving reading, and short fiction was my entry into the writing world. Being able to offer a collection this year is making me more than a little giddy. There are a dozen tales in Of Echoes Born, six of which are new for this collection, and two of which are the opening and closing tales about Ian Simon, a character who appeared (briefly) in my first ever published short, "Heart." I wrote a blog about Ian, if you're curious about his origins.
I can't wait to introduce Ian, and all the other characters in the collection, as well as my fictional Gay Village, where a great deal of all the short fiction I've written interconnects. (More on that here, if you'd like a map of how it all links together).
Also, occasionally on my blog I'll write Flash Fiction pieces that tie in to characters I've written previously. There are already a few there for characters who appear in Of Echoes Born, which you can see here. So, if you wanted to check-in with some of the characters for a second time, they're waiting for you.
February 6, 2020
I'm so sad I finished this because that means there's no more stories. :( Stunning collection of paranormal short stories about queer men, some of them romances, some of them heartbreaking, all of them the perfect length for what Burgoine wanted to share. Buy it, get your library to buy it, whatever you need to do, but WOW.
July 4, 2018
5+++ Mind blowing, spiritual, magical and endearing.
Several stories - several beauties - several deeply moving colorful stories
I was blown away by this book, by the way it’s written. So much symbolic and magic it was amazing impressive.
Each story had its own beauty and every single one was even more stunning than the other.
Dazzling themes with unbelievable gifted people ... I was just so impressed how this was woven.
Throughout the whole story there were beautiful colors who were enchanting and put a spell on me. The vibration that came from every page was so tangible. I cried ugly tears...
Deeply moving, emotional ... I’m in awe..... an absolute mustread for the ones who love all what I said above!!
Kindly received an arc from the publisher
Several stories - several beauties - several deeply moving colorful stories
I was blown away by this book, by the way it’s written. So much symbolic and magic it was amazing impressive.
Each story had its own beauty and every single one was even more stunning than the other.
Dazzling themes with unbelievable gifted people ... I was just so impressed how this was woven.
Throughout the whole story there were beautiful colors who were enchanting and put a spell on me. The vibration that came from every page was so tangible. I cried ugly tears...
Deeply moving, emotional ... I’m in awe..... an absolute mustread for the ones who love all what I said above!!
Kindly received an arc from the publisher
July 4, 2018
This is such a beautiful collection of stories. Some of them are gently romantic and some of them are quite haunting, but each one is special and very satisfying. I'm not a great fan of anthologies because I often find that the stories are just too short but in this volume even though each story is short, each story is fully complete and deep, and fully told.
I knew that I was going to enjoy this book because I enjoy everying that I read from this author but I didn't know how much I was going to enjoy this.
The volume starts with a story about a young man who sees people in different colours. Each colour has meaning and tells him more about the person that he sees and he also sees visions because he is gifted. It is a gift that runs through his family and one that he eventually learns to accept but not before growing in his gift and understanding it.
The very first story then acts as a kind of theme for the rest of the stories and each new story is introduced with an explanation about what a colour means. The colour green introduces us to story where a business partner is envious of the man who he does business with and this leads to tragedy. The colour purple introduces us to story about an elderly couple are facing dementia and terminal illness. Each story has a beautiful introduction and then unfolds into a beautiful story.
Much as I loved reading these, I think each of the stories could be developed into a standalone novel because then my satisfaction would be so much deeper.
The writing is perfect for me. Just the right phrases and language for each story. The right pace, the right endings, the right characters, everything fits together so beautifully.
It's just a perfect anthology.
Copy provided by Bold Stroke Books via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
August 28, 2018
Of Echoes Born is a triumph in storytelling. The overarching concept is beautiful; the individual pre-story sections weave a blanket of queer comfort in which to wrap yourself (the realisation at the end as to who they are written for made me tear up); and the inter-connectedness of each tale was breathtakingly enacted. This collection of stories deserves far more recognition than it's getting. Were it aimed at a mainstream audience, it would undoubtedly be a New York Times bestseller. That it's written for us, the queer community. That it's exquisite sentences were penned to uplift, to remind, and to give us solace. That is something we should treasure. This is one of those books that should be on the top ten books that absolutely must be read by anyone who identifies as queer in any way. It is simply that powerful. It is simply that special.
In addition to the set of short stories that will stay with me forever, I have four major takeaways:
1) I want Lightning Todd to visit me.
2) I'd like snowballs and jackets to talk to me.
3) I love the metaphor of a rose bush and life.
4) Someone should paint the rune memorial in every gay village in the world.
Read this now. Buy it for every queer friend. Prompt the straight people in your life to read it. And when you've done all of that, cherish this masterpiece and re-read at every opportunity.
In addition to the set of short stories that will stay with me forever, I have four major takeaways:
1) I want Lightning Todd to visit me.
2) I'd like snowballs and jackets to talk to me.
3) I love the metaphor of a rose bush and life.
4) Someone should paint the rune memorial in every gay village in the world.
Read this now. Buy it for every queer friend. Prompt the straight people in your life to read it. And when you've done all of that, cherish this masterpiece and re-read at every opportunity.
July 24, 2023
Why did I wait to read this???
There and Then: so good. Genuinely stunning. And it provides the frame for the rest of the stories.
Time and Tide: Intriguing.
Pentimento: Marvelous.
A Little Village Magic: Oh my goodness. Funny and sweet.
The Psychometry of Snow: Best read slowly, to miss nothing.
The Finish: Oof.
Here Be Dragons: Oh boy this one got to me.
Struck: This one's fun.
Heart: Devastating.
Negative Space: Perfect ending.
Elsewhen: Great, clever.
Here and Now: And here we complete the circle. Spectacular.
I usually avoid story collections and anthologies because the percentage I enjoy is invariably low. Well, Burgoine blew that average out of the water with Of Echoes Born. I want to hug it, but I bought the kindle version, so I'll just have to settle for pointing y'all at it in case it's for you, too.
There and Then: so good. Genuinely stunning. And it provides the frame for the rest of the stories.
Time and Tide: Intriguing.
Pentimento: Marvelous.
A Little Village Magic: Oh my goodness. Funny and sweet.
The Psychometry of Snow: Best read slowly, to miss nothing.
The Finish: Oof.
Here Be Dragons: Oh boy this one got to me.
Struck: This one's fun.
Heart: Devastating.
Negative Space: Perfect ending.
Elsewhen: Great, clever.
Here and Now: And here we complete the circle. Spectacular.
I usually avoid story collections and anthologies because the percentage I enjoy is invariably low. Well, Burgoine blew that average out of the water with Of Echoes Born. I want to hug it, but I bought the kindle version, so I'll just have to settle for pointing y'all at it in case it's for you, too.
August 8, 2018
A Joyfully Jay review.
5 stars
As you can tell by the 5-star rating, I simply adored this collection of short stories. Burgoine has subtly built a stunning alternate reality of present day Canada. The story crafting is truly superb. The kick-off story features a closeted teenager named Christian who befriends a fellow misfit/malcontent named Dawn. Christian and Dawn have different connections to track star, Bao, but any ideas of romance get kicked to the curb when Christian’s ability to see what might be described as “auras” of color clue him into the emotional states and wellbeing (or lack thereof) of people. What follows is a collection of short stories that are all subtly interconnected, even if only in a superficial way. Personally, I appreciated and rather enjoyed simple references in passing to the other stories or characters in this collection. If nothing else, this allows the reader to feel like they are in on the secret, that this world is all somehow one and the same despite a parade of characters who display various paranormal-esque abilities, and (and this is crucial for me) in such a way that avoids the story sounding like everything just oh-so-conveniently interconnects. Crucially, I didn’t notice that every story has a definitive link to another one (maybe it does and I missed it, but that’s something to look for on a second read through—and this book is certainly worth a second or third read through).
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
5 stars
As you can tell by the 5-star rating, I simply adored this collection of short stories. Burgoine has subtly built a stunning alternate reality of present day Canada. The story crafting is truly superb. The kick-off story features a closeted teenager named Christian who befriends a fellow misfit/malcontent named Dawn. Christian and Dawn have different connections to track star, Bao, but any ideas of romance get kicked to the curb when Christian’s ability to see what might be described as “auras” of color clue him into the emotional states and wellbeing (or lack thereof) of people. What follows is a collection of short stories that are all subtly interconnected, even if only in a superficial way. Personally, I appreciated and rather enjoyed simple references in passing to the other stories or characters in this collection. If nothing else, this allows the reader to feel like they are in on the secret, that this world is all somehow one and the same despite a parade of characters who display various paranormal-esque abilities, and (and this is crucial for me) in such a way that avoids the story sounding like everything just oh-so-conveniently interconnects. Crucially, I didn’t notice that every story has a definitive link to another one (maybe it does and I missed it, but that’s something to look for on a second read through—and this book is certainly worth a second or third read through).
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
May 29, 2018
If you're a fan of ’Nathan's short fiction (and I am), one of the special pleasures of his debut collection, which contains both new and previously published stories, is finding all of the "Easter eggs" scattered throughout: the name of a winery that shows up from one story to the next, a character in the background of one story who moves center stage in another. In the two stories that bookend the collection, "There and Then" and "Here and Now," this pays off in particular, and gave me the kind of "aha" moment I enjoy when all the pieces of the mosaic fall into place and the picture is complete.
May 28, 2018
I have been reading ‘Nathan Burgoine’s short stories in various anthologies for quite some time, so when I heard he was coming out with a short story collection of his own I was thrilled. This collection does not disappoint. I was planning to slowly savor it, but I ended up devouring it. This is such a lovely mix of stories that will touch your heart. I especially loved the fact that these stories intersect in subtle ways.
I imagine this will be a collection I return to time and again.
I imagine this will be a collection I return to time and again.
May 12, 2020
There's just something wonderful about a well-written short story. It seems more difficult, to me, to complete a narrative in only a few thousand words rather than in fifty thousand, or a hundred thousand. To suck you in and get you invested in a character in a tenth of the words is no small feat. For a single author to do that a dozen times in one collection is some kind of miracle.
I loved every single one of these stories, and I have every intention, already, of rereading it again. Soon.
I loved every single one of these stories, and I have every intention, already, of rereading it again. Soon.
June 28, 2018
A beautiful batch of intricately woven tales, all bound together by common characters and places. It's not often that stories can make my heart both ache and soar at the same time, but this book does. Love, love, love these tales.
August 11, 2018
A touching collection of short stories that all link together to form a big picture. Loved them all. Heart warming and encouraging. Easily something to turn to when the world is a little too big, and you need to be reminded that the prettiest things are worth waiting for.
June 29, 2018
Words usually come so easily to me, but it's like I've been struck speechless after reading this book. My heart felt pangs just from the Acknowledgements section, where the author speaks about families who "untell" the queer stories of those who have passed away, erasing their identity.
But once I began Of Echoes Born, I was immediately blown away by the ingenuity of how colours played such essential roles, and by the paranormal/supernatural threads of the characters. I loved each intro to the individual stories and how they intertwined.
I knew 'Nathan Burgoine had published many, many short stories. I can now see why. This book is exquisite and wonderfully written. It feels less like a collection of short stories and more like a tour through interconnected lives.
Highly recommend this one!
But once I began Of Echoes Born, I was immediately blown away by the ingenuity of how colours played such essential roles, and by the paranormal/supernatural threads of the characters. I loved each intro to the individual stories and how they intertwined.
I knew 'Nathan Burgoine had published many, many short stories. I can now see why. This book is exquisite and wonderfully written. It feels less like a collection of short stories and more like a tour through interconnected lives.
Highly recommend this one!
September 30, 2018
I meant to slow down when I realized the stories in this book had connections, not just in theme, but in the characters themselves. I meant to, but couldn't. I gulped the stories like the treat they were.
I love paranormal fiction and this book was chock full of it: auras, psychic and healing abilities, premonitions and precognition. I won't elaborate and spoil it for anyone, but it's well done and described in a way that makes you feel the experience. One of the things I liked most of all about these stories is that the main characters are all the sort of people you'd immediately want as friends - empathetic, sympathetic, self-deprecating, humble, and selfless. You'll love them from the get-go.
This is a laughing book and a sighing book and, yes, a crying book. It's got a little bit of everything except warnings to slow down and savor the stories.
I'm going to loan this book to one of my favorite tellers at our local bank. If I get it back, that's wonderful. If not, I hope it has a marvelous journey and touches as many hearts as hands it passes through.
This book is registered at Bookcrossing
I love paranormal fiction and this book was chock full of it: auras, psychic and healing abilities, premonitions and precognition. I won't elaborate and spoil it for anyone, but it's well done and described in a way that makes you feel the experience. One of the things I liked most of all about these stories is that the main characters are all the sort of people you'd immediately want as friends - empathetic, sympathetic, self-deprecating, humble, and selfless. You'll love them from the get-go.
This is a laughing book and a sighing book and, yes, a crying book. It's got a little bit of everything except warnings to slow down and savor the stories.
I'm going to loan this book to one of my favorite tellers at our local bank. If I get it back, that's wonderful. If not, I hope it has a marvelous journey and touches as many hearts as hands it passes through.
This book is registered at Bookcrossing
October 7, 2018
Read: 7 October, 2018
This collection absolutely blew me away. I tend to struggle a lot with short stories - by the time I've found my footing with the characters and the setting, it's already all over. Things happen to characters and I just don't really feel what I know I'm supposed to be feeling because they are still strangers.
But Of Echoes Born was more like Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. The characters were so strong that I got an immediate sense of them. Burgoine will give me a whole love story in a handful of pages and I will feel it - I will feel that attraction the characters have for each other, I will understand their little inside jokes, I will totally buy into the love that they share.
Which, of course, just made my heart so much easier to break - which Burgoine did, again and again throughout the book. It never felt gratuitous or manipulative, though. Burgoine breaks, but he also heals, and nearly every story feels redemptive.
I really love that characters and locations come back through the stories, giving the collection a feeling of community. I'm pretty sure I also recognised at least one character from Triad Blood, though it's been a while.
I also love the way that art is used in these stories - and not just one type of art, but everything from painting to clothing design.
There & Then
I'm not a terribly huge fan of rape being used as a plot point, and I do think that this story could have worked without it. That said, I did really enjoy the story. I loved the magic system, and the way that the story taught me to feel for characters just based on what colours were named. I also enjoyed the origin story aspect of having the character discover what his powers mean and what he can choose to do with them.
Time and Tide
There's a romance trope where a character comes home and is forced to confront a love from the past. I didn't like this story as much as others in the collection, mostly because the magic and the art didn't blend into the story the way they do in the other stories.
Pentimento
This isn't a story where the characters happen to be gay, but a story where the homosexuality is the story. There's the enforced closet, all the relationships that were never given a chance out of fear, and the complicated relationship between generations. But instead of being a sad, dark story - which it got very close to being - this is a story about magic art that heals history. I felt so uplifted when I got to the end, which was a wonderful feeling after a story that had, up until then, been so dark.
A Little Village Magic
Pentimento moved me, Village Magic outright had me blubbering. There's the surface story about budding magical powers and a romantic relationship, but the backdrop is the restoration of a defaced LGBTQ+ monument. I love the message of found family.
The Psychometry of Snow
A twist on the 'going home' romance story, but again with the addition of magic. I liked this one a lot more than "Time and Tide", if only because the magic system worked a bit better for me. I felt like "Time and Tide" needed too much exposition, which bogged the story down a bit, whereas the magic in "Psychometry" was pretty easy to grasp and then we had time to get on with things.
The Finish
This one was intense. Right from the beginning, we know that something will go terribly wrong, and that anticipation just gets ramped up with the time skipping and the frantic sex. The payoff was upsetting, of course, but it worked.
Here Be Dragons
Another one that had me crying. This might be a book written by a young(-ish?) author, but the sensitivity and feeling of what mental loss does to a couple is all there.
Struck
This one is a kinda funny story with a creepily laughable character, but then it sneaks in this delightfully heartfelt story about finding love and I really enjoyed it.
Heart
Burgoine is fantastic at evoking deep emotions in the limited format of a short story. I really fell for Miah and Aiden, and I bought them as a couple. Within a handful of pages, I cared enough for them to be really struck by their loss.
Negative Space
This could have been just another urban fantasy story about solving crime through magic. But Burgoine focuses all the attention on the main character, André, instead. So what we get instead is a story about suffering turned outward to help others.
Elsewhen
The main "character" in this one is Ottawa, as the protagonist helps spirits "cross over". It was neat to see some of the city's history. Mostly, though, this is another story about the queer community, and all those relationships that were stifled by bigotry. Like "Pentimento", Burgoine doesn't just wallow in the sadness of it, but rather redeems his lovers. It's beautiful, and sweet, and sad, and it's healing in a way.
Here & Now
A book end story, we come back to Christian (now Ian) and Dawn from "There & Then". There's enough here for the story to stand on its own, but it works beautifully as a sequel - answering questions that had been raised in "There & Then", and finishing off the arcs for each character. I particularly loved that, while Ian was healing for Christian in "There & Then", that very same interaction is shown to be healing for Ian, too. Both versions of himself needed help, and they were there for each other. Which is just such a wonderful metaphor.
This collection absolutely blew me away. I tend to struggle a lot with short stories - by the time I've found my footing with the characters and the setting, it's already all over. Things happen to characters and I just don't really feel what I know I'm supposed to be feeling because they are still strangers.
But Of Echoes Born was more like Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. The characters were so strong that I got an immediate sense of them. Burgoine will give me a whole love story in a handful of pages and I will feel it - I will feel that attraction the characters have for each other, I will understand their little inside jokes, I will totally buy into the love that they share.
Which, of course, just made my heart so much easier to break - which Burgoine did, again and again throughout the book. It never felt gratuitous or manipulative, though. Burgoine breaks, but he also heals, and nearly every story feels redemptive.
I really love that characters and locations come back through the stories, giving the collection a feeling of community. I'm pretty sure I also recognised at least one character from Triad Blood, though it's been a while.
I also love the way that art is used in these stories - and not just one type of art, but everything from painting to clothing design.
There & Then
I'm not a terribly huge fan of rape being used as a plot point, and I do think that this story could have worked without it. That said, I did really enjoy the story. I loved the magic system, and the way that the story taught me to feel for characters just based on what colours were named. I also enjoyed the origin story aspect of having the character discover what his powers mean and what he can choose to do with them.
Time and Tide
There's a romance trope where a character comes home and is forced to confront a love from the past. I didn't like this story as much as others in the collection, mostly because the magic and the art didn't blend into the story the way they do in the other stories.
Pentimento
This isn't a story where the characters happen to be gay, but a story where the homosexuality is the story. There's the enforced closet, all the relationships that were never given a chance out of fear, and the complicated relationship between generations. But instead of being a sad, dark story - which it got very close to being - this is a story about magic art that heals history. I felt so uplifted when I got to the end, which was a wonderful feeling after a story that had, up until then, been so dark.
A Little Village Magic
Pentimento moved me, Village Magic outright had me blubbering. There's the surface story about budding magical powers and a romantic relationship, but the backdrop is the restoration of a defaced LGBTQ+ monument. I love the message of found family.
The Psychometry of Snow
A twist on the 'going home' romance story, but again with the addition of magic. I liked this one a lot more than "Time and Tide", if only because the magic system worked a bit better for me. I felt like "Time and Tide" needed too much exposition, which bogged the story down a bit, whereas the magic in "Psychometry" was pretty easy to grasp and then we had time to get on with things.
The Finish
This one was intense. Right from the beginning, we know that something will go terribly wrong, and that anticipation just gets ramped up with the time skipping and the frantic sex. The payoff was upsetting, of course, but it worked.
Here Be Dragons
Another one that had me crying. This might be a book written by a young(-ish?) author, but the sensitivity and feeling of what mental loss does to a couple is all there.
Struck
This one is a kinda funny story with a creepily laughable character, but then it sneaks in this delightfully heartfelt story about finding love and I really enjoyed it.
Heart
Burgoine is fantastic at evoking deep emotions in the limited format of a short story. I really fell for Miah and Aiden, and I bought them as a couple. Within a handful of pages, I cared enough for them to be really struck by their loss.
Negative Space
This could have been just another urban fantasy story about solving crime through magic. But Burgoine focuses all the attention on the main character, André, instead. So what we get instead is a story about suffering turned outward to help others.
Elsewhen
The main "character" in this one is Ottawa, as the protagonist helps spirits "cross over". It was neat to see some of the city's history. Mostly, though, this is another story about the queer community, and all those relationships that were stifled by bigotry. Like "Pentimento", Burgoine doesn't just wallow in the sadness of it, but rather redeems his lovers. It's beautiful, and sweet, and sad, and it's healing in a way.
Here & Now
A book end story, we come back to Christian (now Ian) and Dawn from "There & Then". There's enough here for the story to stand on its own, but it works beautifully as a sequel - answering questions that had been raised in "There & Then", and finishing off the arcs for each character. I particularly loved that, while Ian was healing for Christian in "There & Then", that very same interaction is shown to be healing for Ian, too. Both versions of himself needed help, and they were there for each other. Which is just such a wonderful metaphor.
Read
November 14, 2020Sort of ignore the fact that it took me two years to get through this. Lot's been going on and it's not because of difficulty with the book, just life. Picked it up. Put it down. Read a story here or there but finally read all of them in entirety over the last couple to days. (Unlike another anthology I've had for about as long, if not longer, that is *still* a slog to get through, but enough about that.)
Of Echoes Born is very bittersweet (readers, fans, see what I did there? Ignore my attempts at cleverness. Moving on.) Several of the stories feel more cathartic than have happy endings and while I do love a good HEA--and there are ones that do have them (Lightning Todd!)--they aren't neat and tidy ones. They feel real, for lack of a better term. The MC of one faces his demons with the help of the ally he's made along the way. Another learns of a long held crush and finds that there's the potential for romance between them. But in others, there are moments where you feel the longing and the sadness that come from the closure that the MCs get more than a happy ending. If you're looking for sappy sweet, this won't be your jam. But if you want stories of life, love, and loss with some supernatural elements thrown in, then this is most definitely something you want to pick up.
What I also loved was that a lot of the stories *do* tie together in some way. It was a delight seeing a fashion label mentioned in one story and going "Hey, that's those guys!" or feeling for the characters when one speaks of losing his employee only to have just read what happened to him two stories back. 'Nathan's created his own world with them and I, for one, am happy to have been granted entrance to it through the book.
Of Echoes Born is very bittersweet (readers, fans, see what I did there? Ignore my attempts at cleverness. Moving on.) Several of the stories feel more cathartic than have happy endings and while I do love a good HEA--and there are ones that do have them (Lightning Todd!)--they aren't neat and tidy ones. They feel real, for lack of a better term. The MC of one faces his demons with the help of the ally he's made along the way. Another learns of a long held crush and finds that there's the potential for romance between them. But in others, there are moments where you feel the longing and the sadness that come from the closure that the MCs get more than a happy ending. If you're looking for sappy sweet, this won't be your jam. But if you want stories of life, love, and loss with some supernatural elements thrown in, then this is most definitely something you want to pick up.
What I also loved was that a lot of the stories *do* tie together in some way. It was a delight seeing a fashion label mentioned in one story and going "Hey, that's those guys!" or feeling for the characters when one speaks of losing his employee only to have just read what happened to him two stories back. 'Nathan's created his own world with them and I, for one, am happy to have been granted entrance to it through the book.
June 4, 2018
Fantastic, varied collection that regularly left me with goosebumps
I was initially drawn in by the cover, but the Of Echoes Born blurb convinced me to stay and read. I always enjoy well written short stories, so the promise of a varied collection of them by a new-to-me author was one I couldn't pass up. Of Echoes Born contains plenty of hints of romance, but the focus is more on highlighting voices. Each story served like a snapshot in time of a defining moment in that particular character's life- when they've find solace, strength, or confidence in themself. The writing was crisp and flowed, the characters interesting, the stories memorable.
Each story was distinct but there was a cohesiveness that made the transitions seamless. This was enhanced when characters, places, important names would pop up from story to story, uniting the theme almost giving nods to those who came before. While I enjoyed each short, my favorite aspect were the bookends of the collection. It was a surprise, tying everything together and leaving me covered in goosebumps. If you enjoy short stories, Of Echoes Born is certainly worth the read.
*eARC received via Netgalley. The author and publisher had no influence over this review*
I was initially drawn in by the cover, but the Of Echoes Born blurb convinced me to stay and read. I always enjoy well written short stories, so the promise of a varied collection of them by a new-to-me author was one I couldn't pass up. Of Echoes Born contains plenty of hints of romance, but the focus is more on highlighting voices. Each story served like a snapshot in time of a defining moment in that particular character's life- when they've find solace, strength, or confidence in themself. The writing was crisp and flowed, the characters interesting, the stories memorable.
Each story was distinct but there was a cohesiveness that made the transitions seamless. This was enhanced when characters, places, important names would pop up from story to story, uniting the theme almost giving nods to those who came before. While I enjoyed each short, my favorite aspect were the bookends of the collection. It was a surprise, tying everything together and leaving me covered in goosebumps. If you enjoy short stories, Of Echoes Born is certainly worth the read.
*eARC received via Netgalley. The author and publisher had no influence over this review*
June 12, 2018
There are not enough superlatives in the world to describe this collection of short stories! I have yet to read a less than enthralling book by this author, and this collection sure lives up to its literary siblings. A series of 12 stories, seemingly only loosely tied together by location and lifestyle, ‘Nathan takes us on a long journey of highs and lows, tears and laughter, heart-hurt and joy. More than once I had to put my e-reader down and just process what had unfolded, and at the end? You couldn’t kick the grin off my face! The sense of family and home being where you make it just makes the heart happy. Life isn’t always puppies and rainbows, but there is always hope and light along the way. The description and interpretation of different colors is intriguing, and made me wonder what light I would give off? I implore you to find your blue and your yellow – but read this book first
November 21, 2024
This book really surprised me. I thought it was a series of vignettes, the first two of which didn’t do much for me. The third or fourth truly hooked me, and then I realized every story was interconnected, telling a broad story of magic and love, of the human condition, compassion, redemption, forgiveness, and hope. I’ll admit I’m not a poetry guy and the interludes didn’t appeal to me…until I figured out what they were, and how the whole story wrapped together. Beautiful stuff. May it save lives.
February 1, 2025
Amazing read
Burgoine transports you through landscapes that seem mundane, but are full of magic and remarkable characters that you find yourself going back and forth from story to story, as you discover the connections between them. You learn of the characters' special talents and seek to find their source. I read the collection twice to find new treasures and connections. A delightful experience.
Burgoine transports you through landscapes that seem mundane, but are full of magic and remarkable characters that you find yourself going back and forth from story to story, as you discover the connections between them. You learn of the characters' special talents and seek to find their source. I read the collection twice to find new treasures and connections. A delightful experience.
September 5, 2018
'Nathan Burgoine has written some terrific novels, which is what I more typically read. But short fiction is his home turf, and you can tell in this wonderful collection of loosely connected Queer speculative tales. Be prepared for all the feels, as the kids would say, each hitting hard with their own distinct colour.
October 15, 2018
Wow. From the very first page this book of intertwined short stories had me hooked. Burgoine writes with a beautiful, flowing style and his characters could easily be your friends and neighbors. Every story is heartfelt and several made me cry. The ending is as beautiful as the beginning. I can’t recommend this book enough.
February 23, 2020
A beautiful collection. At turns romantic and tragic, but always affirming, always considered, and always stunning. I love the light speculative touches throughout, the colors, the community. Not all the stories are necessarily happy, but none of them get off on the sadness they work with. Just a powerful, lovely collection that I highly recommend!
July 13, 2018
A beautiful collection of short stories from a talented writer. Love the magic and the intersection of characters.
February 3, 2021
Good god, what an absolutely delightful book. Tender, sweet, sad, this short story collection is just delightful. Absolutely would recommend.
October 19, 2019
I will not stop saying that there should be an Of Echoes Born in every library and every high school and everywhere a queer person might find it and see themselves.
I am not particularly fond of anthologies; in fact about a year ago I decided not to read them anymore. I don't enjoy the inevitability of being pulled into and away from characters, emotionally investing in them and then being told to move on. But I've been wanting to read a Nathan Burgoine book for a while, and was promised a collection of unabashedly queer stories with (videogame reference alert) easter-eggs scattered like jewels between them, and so I simply had to read Of Echoes Born.
TL,DR: Nathan Burgoine is a magician, probably. Not once while reading this did it even cross my mind that a story felt unfinished or that I was being forced to move on. Of Echoes Born is incredibly atmospheric and vivid; each story is packed with feeling and fully explored.
All of it is set around the Village (Burgoine's imagined Canadian queertopia) but each story has its own aesthetic and mood and even a unique colour-palette. And it's really really romantic!! All the sweet moments between the couples are adorable and special and made me irl smile so big. The book had my heart from the very start with the most accurate description of life with migraines in high school, when Christian's thoughts open with a "Maybe he was dying. Maybe he was going mental. Either way, he was totally blowing off third period English."
When I think of this book, I'm thinking "There should be a whole shelf of this book in every bookstore and library in the world." Of Echoes Born is a perfect expression of what Romance is to me. Burgoine has crafted a strange and wonderful world where magic happens and people have powers and all the queers fall in love and get happily ever afters. It's filled with the tiny extraordinary moments of being alive and being in love and it pulls at heartstrings and takes us on adventures and stretches our imaginations to see bright things in otherwise-ordinary moments. It's also got a super accessible fantasy vibe (if you're a reader like me, who can't quite get all the way into fantasy but wants a lil' magic) and really cool pacing. As you're figuring the character's "power" out --asking questions, wondering about the possibilities and limitations-- another character is asking those same questions.
Not in AGES, has the ending of a book so entirely thrilled me in this way! The final story is a rollercoaster of feelings and memories of the stories you've just read. And when it ended, my heart leapt at how the whole story settles in to a new understanding. Suddenly the cover, the title, the opening line --EVERYTHING-- makes a whole new level of magic. All the lives and stories and loves I'd been reading fell into place among each other. I would recommend the book for the brilliance of that setup alone. But is it so much more.
Of Echoes Born is filled with stories of art and artists. Of their love at different stages of life. We meet: A boy who sees colours when he looks at people, and the girl at school who helps him develop a manual to understand what it all means. A man who returns to his hometown, where his ex lives and the ocean speaks to him and everyone only buys local. A love affair on a working wine farm, which I simply cannot get out of my head. A man who inherits his teacher's art collection and hides out in his studio while he figures out what to do with everything he’s just been given. A man repainting a mural in honour of local queer heroes, and the guy crushing on him from the magic crystal shop across the street. A power-couple who made a fashion label and a life together, looking back on it as one of them loses sense of time. A man dealing with the frustrations of having an annoying manager on duty at work, and the rooftop conversations with a security guard who is the relief from the stress. A boy who was struck by lightning and can tell the future, who's just trying to get good reviews for his psychic testimonial website.
A booklover with a faulty heart falls in love with a boy who can heal him, but there's a catch. An investigator joins a lifedrawing class to meet the artist who sends in mysterious tip-off sketches of murderers. A quiet Winter story of highschool acquaintances uncovering their not-so-secrets while they build a snowman. We step onto a train and step back in time and find so much love in the tiny space of a carriage, so much love that it changes history.
And I still cannot stop thinking about the dessert wine story.
A particularly special mention must be made that Nathan Burgoine not only gave his queer characters happy endings, but he gave his love stories to queer characters with a diversity of physical abilities. We meet a colourblind security guard, a winemaker who learns to sign while living with his deaf lover, a teenage boy with chronic migraines, a soldier who has recently gone blind, and several characters with long-term illnesses.
And while it seems like a lot to deal with in one book, there is so much tenderness and light and love streaming through all aspects of this collection that the aspects of reality --the illnesses, struggles, coping with death-- bring the magic closer to us. If this book is (as Nathan says in the Acknowledgements) to show queer people thriving, to give us hope, it succeeds especially because it does not shy away from what makes life hard for all of us, gay or straight. (Or bi! It's one word in one second of the book but it matters!) Of Echoes Born gives joy and sex and laughter to characters across a spectrum of people often overlooked. It's a book I highly recommend reading, purchasing for your local libraries and youth organisations, and gifting to any queer kids and newly-out friends in your life.
Content Warnings: a miscarriage, mention of sexual abuse by a parent, mention of queer bashing, mention of homophobic violence, brief mention of a partner's infidelity, death of a loved one, mention of cancer.
I am not particularly fond of anthologies; in fact about a year ago I decided not to read them anymore. I don't enjoy the inevitability of being pulled into and away from characters, emotionally investing in them and then being told to move on. But I've been wanting to read a Nathan Burgoine book for a while, and was promised a collection of unabashedly queer stories with (videogame reference alert) easter-eggs scattered like jewels between them, and so I simply had to read Of Echoes Born.
TL,DR: Nathan Burgoine is a magician, probably. Not once while reading this did it even cross my mind that a story felt unfinished or that I was being forced to move on. Of Echoes Born is incredibly atmospheric and vivid; each story is packed with feeling and fully explored.
All of it is set around the Village (Burgoine's imagined Canadian queertopia) but each story has its own aesthetic and mood and even a unique colour-palette. And it's really really romantic!! All the sweet moments between the couples are adorable and special and made me irl smile so big. The book had my heart from the very start with the most accurate description of life with migraines in high school, when Christian's thoughts open with a "Maybe he was dying. Maybe he was going mental. Either way, he was totally blowing off third period English."
When I think of this book, I'm thinking "There should be a whole shelf of this book in every bookstore and library in the world." Of Echoes Born is a perfect expression of what Romance is to me. Burgoine has crafted a strange and wonderful world where magic happens and people have powers and all the queers fall in love and get happily ever afters. It's filled with the tiny extraordinary moments of being alive and being in love and it pulls at heartstrings and takes us on adventures and stretches our imaginations to see bright things in otherwise-ordinary moments. It's also got a super accessible fantasy vibe (if you're a reader like me, who can't quite get all the way into fantasy but wants a lil' magic) and really cool pacing. As you're figuring the character's "power" out --asking questions, wondering about the possibilities and limitations-- another character is asking those same questions.
Not in AGES, has the ending of a book so entirely thrilled me in this way! The final story is a rollercoaster of feelings and memories of the stories you've just read. And when it ended, my heart leapt at how the whole story settles in to a new understanding. Suddenly the cover, the title, the opening line --EVERYTHING-- makes a whole new level of magic. All the lives and stories and loves I'd been reading fell into place among each other. I would recommend the book for the brilliance of that setup alone. But is it so much more.
Of Echoes Born is filled with stories of art and artists. Of their love at different stages of life. We meet: A boy who sees colours when he looks at people, and the girl at school who helps him develop a manual to understand what it all means. A man who returns to his hometown, where his ex lives and the ocean speaks to him and everyone only buys local. A love affair on a working wine farm, which I simply cannot get out of my head. A man who inherits his teacher's art collection and hides out in his studio while he figures out what to do with everything he’s just been given. A man repainting a mural in honour of local queer heroes, and the guy crushing on him from the magic crystal shop across the street. A power-couple who made a fashion label and a life together, looking back on it as one of them loses sense of time. A man dealing with the frustrations of having an annoying manager on duty at work, and the rooftop conversations with a security guard who is the relief from the stress. A boy who was struck by lightning and can tell the future, who's just trying to get good reviews for his psychic testimonial website.
A booklover with a faulty heart falls in love with a boy who can heal him, but there's a catch. An investigator joins a lifedrawing class to meet the artist who sends in mysterious tip-off sketches of murderers. A quiet Winter story of highschool acquaintances uncovering their not-so-secrets while they build a snowman. We step onto a train and step back in time and find so much love in the tiny space of a carriage, so much love that it changes history.
And I still cannot stop thinking about the dessert wine story.
A particularly special mention must be made that Nathan Burgoine not only gave his queer characters happy endings, but he gave his love stories to queer characters with a diversity of physical abilities. We meet a colourblind security guard, a winemaker who learns to sign while living with his deaf lover, a teenage boy with chronic migraines, a soldier who has recently gone blind, and several characters with long-term illnesses.
And while it seems like a lot to deal with in one book, there is so much tenderness and light and love streaming through all aspects of this collection that the aspects of reality --the illnesses, struggles, coping with death-- bring the magic closer to us. If this book is (as Nathan says in the Acknowledgements) to show queer people thriving, to give us hope, it succeeds especially because it does not shy away from what makes life hard for all of us, gay or straight. (Or bi! It's one word in one second of the book but it matters!) Of Echoes Born gives joy and sex and laughter to characters across a spectrum of people often overlooked. It's a book I highly recommend reading, purchasing for your local libraries and youth organisations, and gifting to any queer kids and newly-out friends in your life.
Content Warnings: a miscarriage, mention of sexual abuse by a parent, mention of queer bashing, mention of homophobic violence, brief mention of a partner's infidelity, death of a loved one, mention of cancer.
January 18, 2022
My TBR has gotten long enough that I have to come up with random ways to pick books from it. Recently, I decided to read some of the books on it with the lowest and highest average ratings. Of Echoes Born had one of the highest ratings, which meant I instantly distrusted it. I don't trust hype! But. This time. THE HYPE WAS REAL.
Every short story in this collection has so much heart, and I love the returning theme of glimpses of the past (even though not all the psychics in this book see the past--some have abilities more to do with the present or even the future). I especially love how Burgoyne shows the value of connecting to the past in relation to queer people especially: connecting to queer history, connecting to one's past and future self, understanding the way queer people have suffered or been forced to hide in the past and longing to change it. A lot of these stories made me kind of emotional tbh.
An individual rating of the stories:
There & Then--4/5, a good introductory story. Teenage angst, psychic powers, friends not understanding each other.
Time and Tide--2/5, melancholy and not all that interesting but the supernatural element was cool and I did like the couple.
Pentimento--100/5, my favorite story in the collection. In turns heartwarming, bittersweet, wistful, devastating, creepy, and hopeful. I don't know how to even feel! what the fuck! love it. Also I love painter characters in general, and I once was really interested in the art of forgery, so the MC being a painter who's better at mimicry than his own style was my shit.
A Little Village Magic--3/5, a bit cutesy but I did enjoy.
The Psychometry of Snow--5/5, ties past to present in the sense of "the mortifying experience of meeting someone you knew in high school". I love how the way the love interest sees and remembers the MC is not how the MC would have expected. And the general ambience of this story is just great.
The Finish--5/5, would be higher except I don't actually love sex scenes and this story is the smuttiest in the book. But in terms of a complicated relationship and a killer finish, this book really does it, and I love the taste imagery of the wine.
Here Be Dragons--2/5, eh, I do like the two dudes but the dragon, prince, and princess schtick gets old fast, even in such a short story.
Struck--10/5, this story is hilarious. Good on Chris for quitting his damn job, even though it's too bad he couldn't make it the four months. Lightning Todd is an icon bringing happiness to the people.
Heart--3/5, really sad but it's too purely sad to hit me the same way as The Finish or Pentimento.
Negative Space--5/5, I love Bao Nguyen in every story he shows up in, and I love the sketch artist, and I love the idea that feeling comfortable in your own skin is more important than the greater good sometimes, even if you could be a magic sleuth. Also, again, love artist characters.
Elsewhen--3/5, this one again is pretty sad. I like the ending, but it's perhaps a bit simple a story for my taste.
Here & Now--3/5, I would say There & Then can stand alone while Here & Now couldn't, but it's still a pretty good story, even if, just like There & Then, it has something of an ambiguous conclusion.
Overall! Just a really great book, absolutely recommended.
Every short story in this collection has so much heart, and I love the returning theme of glimpses of the past (even though not all the psychics in this book see the past--some have abilities more to do with the present or even the future). I especially love how Burgoyne shows the value of connecting to the past in relation to queer people especially: connecting to queer history, connecting to one's past and future self, understanding the way queer people have suffered or been forced to hide in the past and longing to change it. A lot of these stories made me kind of emotional tbh.
An individual rating of the stories:
There & Then--4/5, a good introductory story. Teenage angst, psychic powers, friends not understanding each other.
Time and Tide--2/5, melancholy and not all that interesting but the supernatural element was cool and I did like the couple.
Pentimento--100/5, my favorite story in the collection. In turns heartwarming, bittersweet, wistful, devastating, creepy, and hopeful. I don't know how to even feel! what the fuck! love it. Also I love painter characters in general, and I once was really interested in the art of forgery, so the MC being a painter who's better at mimicry than his own style was my shit.
A Little Village Magic--3/5, a bit cutesy but I did enjoy.
The Psychometry of Snow--5/5, ties past to present in the sense of "the mortifying experience of meeting someone you knew in high school". I love how the way the love interest sees and remembers the MC is not how the MC would have expected. And the general ambience of this story is just great.
The Finish--5/5, would be higher except I don't actually love sex scenes and this story is the smuttiest in the book. But in terms of a complicated relationship and a killer finish, this book really does it, and I love the taste imagery of the wine.
Here Be Dragons--2/5, eh, I do like the two dudes but the dragon, prince, and princess schtick gets old fast, even in such a short story.
Struck--10/5, this story is hilarious. Good on Chris for quitting his damn job, even though it's too bad he couldn't make it the four months. Lightning Todd is an icon bringing happiness to the people.
Heart--3/5, really sad but it's too purely sad to hit me the same way as The Finish or Pentimento.
Negative Space--5/5, I love Bao Nguyen in every story he shows up in, and I love the sketch artist, and I love the idea that feeling comfortable in your own skin is more important than the greater good sometimes, even if you could be a magic sleuth. Also, again, love artist characters.
Elsewhen--3/5, this one again is pretty sad. I like the ending, but it's perhaps a bit simple a story for my taste.
Here & Now--3/5, I would say There & Then can stand alone while Here & Now couldn't, but it's still a pretty good story, even if, just like There & Then, it has something of an ambiguous conclusion.
Overall! Just a really great book, absolutely recommended.
June 18, 2018
Connected short stories about the magic of being queer, the costs of it, and the grace of finding local community. I read this and immediately read it again. I loved this beautiful book.
In the seaside village of Fuca and in Ottawa’s gay village—just think “in a village”—queer men and women and kids discover either they have an extraordinary sense or power, or someone with that power finds them, and their lives move forward. For example, in “Struck,” a bookseller is approached by a guy who calls himself Lightning Todd. Confident in his ability to know the future, Lightning Todd makes several predictions for our main character, and we get to see where they take him. In “Elsewhere,” a man who can go back to the “echoes” of history helps to correct the story of separated lovers. In other stories, gay men quietly experience supernatural powers that enable them to find partners and community. Most of the stories are about finding love and family, but at least two are about losing partners. Characters occasionally make appearances in several stories.
Everywhere in the book are the phenomena that connect people: emotions and the colors that seem to embody them, public artworks and the history they spring from, older people helping young ones understand their capabilities, businesses where people gather, train journeys. Every one of these ways to climb over a blockade has a kind of grown up fairy tale glow to it.
This is the first time I’ve read writing by ‘Nathan Burgoine, and given the poetic diction of the title, I was happily surprised at how inviting the stories are. Burgoine is great at pacing and worldbuilding, which is to say there is suspense in each story. Every time a new one started, I wanted to keep my senses open for anything that came my way. The effect was of reading the openings to a dozen wonderful novels and tracing the clues that connect them all to each other.
Highly recommended.
In the seaside village of Fuca and in Ottawa’s gay village—just think “in a village”—queer men and women and kids discover either they have an extraordinary sense or power, or someone with that power finds them, and their lives move forward. For example, in “Struck,” a bookseller is approached by a guy who calls himself Lightning Todd. Confident in his ability to know the future, Lightning Todd makes several predictions for our main character, and we get to see where they take him. In “Elsewhere,” a man who can go back to the “echoes” of history helps to correct the story of separated lovers. In other stories, gay men quietly experience supernatural powers that enable them to find partners and community. Most of the stories are about finding love and family, but at least two are about losing partners. Characters occasionally make appearances in several stories.
Everywhere in the book are the phenomena that connect people: emotions and the colors that seem to embody them, public artworks and the history they spring from, older people helping young ones understand their capabilities, businesses where people gather, train journeys. Every one of these ways to climb over a blockade has a kind of grown up fairy tale glow to it.
This is the first time I’ve read writing by ‘Nathan Burgoine, and given the poetic diction of the title, I was happily surprised at how inviting the stories are. Burgoine is great at pacing and worldbuilding, which is to say there is suspense in each story. Every time a new one started, I wanted to keep my senses open for anything that came my way. The effect was of reading the openings to a dozen wonderful novels and tracing the clues that connect them all to each other.
Highly recommended.
December 1, 2018
Of Echoes Born is a wonderfully engaging chain of loosely linked urban fantasy stories. I highly recommend reading it, for the delightful writing style, the charmingly neurotic characters, the intriguing story plots, and, above all, everything this book has to say about queer identity and queer community. Each tale explores, on the surface, how its characters adapt to their otherworldly abilities and interactions. At its own heart, every story here is really about the impacts and possibilities of queer communities, families, friendships and love.
July 30, 2019
I have rated fewer than 1 in 5 books with a 5 star rating. This is one of them. I could count on one hand the number of books I've read twice. After this book I need both hands. Of Echoes Born is absolutely brilliant and spoke to me on a very deep level.
This is a collection of short stories and yet the themes and characters are intricately woven together between them. They are stories that stand strongly on their own. When taken together these stories are even stronger… even more powerful. This anthology is the epitome of the old adage “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Beyond being immensely entertaining, these stories have a cohesive message about the importance of memory. This book encourages us to remember both on a personal level as individuals and also at a broader level to remember as a community.
A good book evokes emotion - laugh out loud funny and cry your eyes out sad. These stories evoked both of those and more for me. However, these stories go even further. They encourage me to see the world differently and to shift my thinking. I found myself to be inspired and motivated to do more in order to build our community.
If there was just one book I could send backward in time and give to my younger self, this would be it. This is an amazing book that I shall always remember.
This is a collection of short stories and yet the themes and characters are intricately woven together between them. They are stories that stand strongly on their own. When taken together these stories are even stronger… even more powerful. This anthology is the epitome of the old adage “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Beyond being immensely entertaining, these stories have a cohesive message about the importance of memory. This book encourages us to remember both on a personal level as individuals and also at a broader level to remember as a community.
A good book evokes emotion - laugh out loud funny and cry your eyes out sad. These stories evoked both of those and more for me. However, these stories go even further. They encourage me to see the world differently and to shift my thinking. I found myself to be inspired and motivated to do more in order to build our community.
If there was just one book I could send backward in time and give to my younger self, this would be it. This is an amazing book that I shall always remember.
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