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Hotel Du Jack
A woman granted a superpower discovers it’s more trouble than it’s worth. A neighbourhood forum becomes the setting for a bizarre ghost story. A children’s entertainer wrestles with problems that are nothing to joke about. A harassed dad attempts to meet the challenge of the primary school cake competition.
By turns tender and satirical, witty and bizarre, the stories in this debut collection cast a fresh eye on first-world problems. Funny and humane, they zoom in on the absurdities and poignancies in work, family, love and loss in our frenetic modern lives.
By turns tender and satirical, witty and bizarre, the stories in this debut collection cast a fresh eye on first-world problems. Funny and humane, they zoom in on the absurdities and poignancies in work, family, love and loss in our frenetic modern lives.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 23, 2020
5 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
October 15, 2019
I'm currently reading Hotel du Jack and must admit I'm purposely reading it slowly so as not to finish it too quickly! What a special collection of tales. Each story is relatable, but teaches you something about the way you think or feel. Quick wit and laugh-out-loud descriptions intertwine effortlessly with moments of poignancy that stay with you for days after reading, and a stream of lively, warm characters make it hard not to race through the stories in quick succession.
Best enjoyed: in front of the fire (home or local pub) with a ginger beer, or tucked up in bed on a raining morning
Favourite stories so far: Who Is My Neighbour?, Minutes of Divisional Board Meeting, and Crumbs.
Best enjoyed: in front of the fire (home or local pub) with a ginger beer, or tucked up in bed on a raining morning
Favourite stories so far: Who Is My Neighbour?, Minutes of Divisional Board Meeting, and Crumbs.
January 24, 2020
Hotel du Jack holds a subtle, crisp wit that surprisingly held me captive. I am not a short story lover, but having read the author's nonfiction work, I began reading his shorts. They hold an inherently British flavor without being in-your-face British. The situations are every day, yet in the end bring around a lesson or snap that make you marvel at how the author can make regular life pivot and leave you a hint stunned. Who doesn't want that little hint of whiplash in a short story? Brotzel is gifted at painting humanity with colors the rest of us miss. I caught myself savoring two to three of these stories per night, with my evening coffee, dragging out the enjoyment so as not to eat them up in one or two sittings. Quite the enjoyable read about contemporary people and their weaknesses. . . how we're all normal yet subject to the abnormal. Subtle lessons to be had all around.
November 10, 2019
As a dad and husband I found myself nodding along, laughing and often shuddering with recognition at the situations described in these delightful stories. They describe a world of day to day embarrassments, little failures, miscommunication, petty squabbles and the fine art of muddling through. Hotel du Jack is funny, sad, excruciating and poignant. At heart, it's a deep and affectionate tribute to a very English kind of resilience.
February 17, 2020
I raced through these funny but thoughtful short stories. Much of the humour comes from the trials and joys of being a modern dad, but there are lots of other very relatable subjects here too - relationships, religion, super powers...All the stories are brilliantly written and a few made me laugh out loud on the Tube, the ultimate test of a good read. Highly recommended.
June 10, 2021
Just my kind of short fiction collection: quirky storytelling that plays with form, reaches a satisfying conclusion and gets out at just the right moment.
I first came across Brotzel and Hotel Du Jack in a web article he wrote about hermit crab stories, that is stories that assume the appearance of another form of writing such as a shopping list or meeting minutes. I liked what he had to say and so bought his book.
Hotel Du Jack is a rare collection in that I enjoyed over two thirds of the stories contained. The couple that didn't connect with me only failed because of the subject matter rather than the execution which never failed to please. There are two things Brotzel is great at and they are turning formal documents into meaningful tales and penning final lines.
If I have any real complaints with Hotel Du Jack it is the apparent preoccupation with fatherhood, slow death and spiritual leaders. None of these themes are quite my cup of tea and yet they reoccur, presumably because Brotzel finds them fascinating.
Regardless I adored the cheekiness of this collection and the feats the author achieves with form. I recommend Hotel Du Jack to those who enjoy short fiction that experiments but not at the expense of plot.
Notable Stories
• Listing to Port - the most distilled form of hermit crab storytelling in the collection: a love farce in shopping lists.
• Minutes of Divisional Board Meeting Q4/18 - having some experience with minute-taking, I find this use of notation a wily take on office politics.
• Hotel Du Jack - its ending is oddly weak but I still love this tale of a health junkie being changed by a book.
I first came across Brotzel and Hotel Du Jack in a web article he wrote about hermit crab stories, that is stories that assume the appearance of another form of writing such as a shopping list or meeting minutes. I liked what he had to say and so bought his book.
Hotel Du Jack is a rare collection in that I enjoyed over two thirds of the stories contained. The couple that didn't connect with me only failed because of the subject matter rather than the execution which never failed to please. There are two things Brotzel is great at and they are turning formal documents into meaningful tales and penning final lines.
If I have any real complaints with Hotel Du Jack it is the apparent preoccupation with fatherhood, slow death and spiritual leaders. None of these themes are quite my cup of tea and yet they reoccur, presumably because Brotzel finds them fascinating.
Regardless I adored the cheekiness of this collection and the feats the author achieves with form. I recommend Hotel Du Jack to those who enjoy short fiction that experiments but not at the expense of plot.
Notable Stories
• Listing to Port - the most distilled form of hermit crab storytelling in the collection: a love farce in shopping lists.
• Minutes of Divisional Board Meeting Q4/18 - having some experience with minute-taking, I find this use of notation a wily take on office politics.
• Hotel Du Jack - its ending is oddly weak but I still love this tale of a health junkie being changed by a book.
January 23, 2020
In "Hotel du Jack", Dan Brotzel has conjured up twenty eight literary gems. Each story is completely unique. Some have a supernatural element to them whilst other are firmly rooted in the real world. He explores relationships in all their forms – friends, colleagues, lovers, parents and children. He finds magic in the everyday and uses the magical to make us question how we live our lives. There are laugh out loud moments throughout - witty asides like "Not being a skier, a bank robber or a paramilitary insurgent, I had no balaclava to hand." But there are also notes of contemplation that simmer below the surface and the whole collection is threaded with a perceptive understanding of the human condition. One of the things that Dan does so well is play around with form. "Active and Passive Voice" masquerades as a grammar manual. On the surface, "Listing to Port" is a collection of shopping lists. "Our Special Words for Things" manages to tug on the heartstrings despite being set out as a glossary of terms to describe the parts and processes of a dishwasher. My favourite stories if I had to pick would be "Foods of Love", "The Angry Sun God" and "The Beach Shop" but there isn't one story I didn't thoroughly enjoy. If you want a book that will make you laugh one moment and move you the next, full of insight and surprising twists and turns, all neatly packaged for our 21st century attention span, then this is definitely one to add to the TBR pile for 2020.
October 22, 2019
Hilarious, yet tempered with the serious reality of human behaviour, Dan Brotzel’s stories fuse humour and emotion with the skill of John Sullivan. I always remember laughing at Del Boy and Rodney one minute, then being immersed in the serious drama of their family relationships the next. Dan’s stories exhibit similar qualities, making them more than just amusing tales. There is a depth and insight into the complexities of ‘people’ that I found compelling.
From the downsides of being ‘blessed’ with invisibility, to the perils of taking your partner and family for granted, the stories ooze humour and compassion. In addition to this, they’re often presented in unusual and imaginative ways that held my attention. There are email exchanges, scripts, board meeting minutes, a story told via explanations of active and passive voice in the English language (yes, really) and much, much more.
In short, this book is unique, original and, most importantly, a joy to read – a masterclass in short story writing.
From the downsides of being ‘blessed’ with invisibility, to the perils of taking your partner and family for granted, the stories ooze humour and compassion. In addition to this, they’re often presented in unusual and imaginative ways that held my attention. There are email exchanges, scripts, board meeting minutes, a story told via explanations of active and passive voice in the English language (yes, really) and much, much more.
In short, this book is unique, original and, most importantly, a joy to read – a masterclass in short story writing.
January 11, 2020
This is the first short story collection I've read in a while - really enjoyed it, particularly the Passive and Active Voice story. Had me laughing and shedding a tear or two on the train. Completely agree with the guy on Goodreads who called this a 'masterclass in short story writing.'
March 1, 2025
Saya beli kumpulan cerpen ini pada acara Big Bad Wolf 2024, dan baru menamatkannya hari ini. Cukup lama waktu yang dibutuhkan untuk menamatkannya, tapi sepertinya lebih ke kepada kendala bahasa & kesibukan, dibandingkan cerita-cerita di bukunya.
Pada beberapa bagian cerpen, saya menangkap ide menggelikan yang sama, yaitu bahwa ayah/suami/laki-laki yang dihadirkan di sini, "nggak berguna dan itu nggak papa." Pada cerpen Crumbs, seorang ayah dari pernikahan yang nggak bahagia cuma punya satu tugas, yaitu mengantarkan kue tart yang sudah jadi ke sekolah anaknya, untuk dilombakan. DAN GAGAL. Kuenya hancur karena dia ngerem mendadak, bikin kuenya jadi paling jelek di sana. Dan anaknya oke-oke aja dong. Ya, itu hangat untuk menegaskan bahwa kita kadang meremehkan betapa besarnya hati seorang anak, TAPI, ya tuhan, dia cuma punya satu tugas doang, dia nggak ikutan ngekonsep hiasannya, bikinnya, dll itu tugas ibunya, dia cuma ngantar.
Pada cerpen The Angry Sun God, seorang (lagi-lagi) ayah dari pernikahan yang nggak bahagia cuma perlu melalui hari bersama anaknya di kolam renang, sesuai jadwal quality time pascaperceraian. Di sana dia malah hampir bikin tenggelam anak orang, marahin anaknya di depan banyak orang karena salah ambil mainan, dan kita jadi tahu kalau dia pernah jadi penyebab jatuhnya korban di sebuah kecelakaan lalu lintas.
Saya baru menyadari perspektif ini di cerpen The Appeal. Ini menceritakan tentang seorang suami yang menentang keputusan perusahaan istrinya (alias badan yang mengeksplorasi antariksa), yang hendak mengirim istrinya ke luar angkasa. Saya kesal karena cara dia melarang sebetulnya proyeksi insecurities laki-laki, tapi di akhir cerpen akhirnya beneran ketemu tuh, satu kelemahan istrinya yang mengondisikan dia jadi nggak bisa pergi. Ini jelek sih.
Dan, pada cerpen yang menjadi judul buku ini, Hotel Du Jack, ini menarik. Saya sempat agak bete dalam memulai membaca cerpen ini karena panjang (ada lho, cerpen di buku ini yang cuma satu paragraf), tapi ternyata bagus. Saya suka bagaimana sebuah buku mengubah seseorang (sebagaimana diceritakan dalam cerpen ini).
Tapi, tentu ada cerpen-cerpen lain yang menarik. Saya suka konsepnya. Ada yang cuma kasih percakapan-percakapan ala-ala chat Discord, kamus istilah, ada list, atau bahkan MoM rapat ahahaha. Dan ada cerpen-cerpen yang saya sukai. Selain Crumbs dan The Angry Sun God yang sudah saya sebutkan (iya, walaupun saya kritik, tapi ya saya suka), saya juga suka The Virtual Writer karena secara personal itu kena banget buat saya. Terutama pada baris ini,
Virtual writers are not people who don't write; rather, they are people who are about to write, who haven't written yet, who are writers in all but the writing. ... Virtual writers like Mack are f*king heroes, and the books they have not written are f*ing masterpieces, virtually. (hlm 172)
Baca itu kayak ... duh. Apa kabar draft novel saya.
Terima kasih loh.
Baris lainnya yang saya suka,
Happiness ... is just ... wanting what you've already got. (hlm 61)
Terima kasih ya, untuk buku ini!
Pada beberapa bagian cerpen, saya menangkap ide menggelikan yang sama, yaitu bahwa ayah/suami/laki-laki yang dihadirkan di sini, "nggak berguna dan itu nggak papa." Pada cerpen Crumbs, seorang ayah dari pernikahan yang nggak bahagia cuma punya satu tugas, yaitu mengantarkan kue tart yang sudah jadi ke sekolah anaknya, untuk dilombakan. DAN GAGAL. Kuenya hancur karena dia ngerem mendadak, bikin kuenya jadi paling jelek di sana. Dan anaknya oke-oke aja dong. Ya, itu hangat untuk menegaskan bahwa kita kadang meremehkan betapa besarnya hati seorang anak, TAPI, ya tuhan, dia cuma punya satu tugas doang, dia nggak ikutan ngekonsep hiasannya, bikinnya, dll itu tugas ibunya, dia cuma ngantar.
Pada cerpen The Angry Sun God, seorang (lagi-lagi) ayah dari pernikahan yang nggak bahagia cuma perlu melalui hari bersama anaknya di kolam renang, sesuai jadwal quality time pascaperceraian. Di sana dia malah hampir bikin tenggelam anak orang, marahin anaknya di depan banyak orang karena salah ambil mainan, dan kita jadi tahu kalau dia pernah jadi penyebab jatuhnya korban di sebuah kecelakaan lalu lintas.
Saya baru menyadari perspektif ini di cerpen The Appeal. Ini menceritakan tentang seorang suami yang menentang keputusan perusahaan istrinya (alias badan yang mengeksplorasi antariksa), yang hendak mengirim istrinya ke luar angkasa. Saya kesal karena cara dia melarang sebetulnya proyeksi insecurities laki-laki, tapi di akhir cerpen akhirnya beneran ketemu tuh, satu kelemahan istrinya yang mengondisikan dia jadi nggak bisa pergi. Ini jelek sih.
Dan, pada cerpen yang menjadi judul buku ini, Hotel Du Jack, ini menarik. Saya sempat agak bete dalam memulai membaca cerpen ini karena panjang (ada lho, cerpen di buku ini yang cuma satu paragraf), tapi ternyata bagus. Saya suka bagaimana sebuah buku mengubah seseorang (sebagaimana diceritakan dalam cerpen ini).
Tapi, tentu ada cerpen-cerpen lain yang menarik. Saya suka konsepnya. Ada yang cuma kasih percakapan-percakapan ala-ala chat Discord, kamus istilah, ada list, atau bahkan MoM rapat ahahaha. Dan ada cerpen-cerpen yang saya sukai. Selain Crumbs dan The Angry Sun God yang sudah saya sebutkan (iya, walaupun saya kritik, tapi ya saya suka), saya juga suka The Virtual Writer karena secara personal itu kena banget buat saya. Terutama pada baris ini,
Virtual writers are not people who don't write; rather, they are people who are about to write, who haven't written yet, who are writers in all but the writing. ... Virtual writers like Mack are f*king heroes, and the books they have not written are f*ing masterpieces, virtually. (hlm 172)
Baca itu kayak ... duh. Apa kabar draft novel saya.
Terima kasih loh.
Baris lainnya yang saya suka,
Happiness ... is just ... wanting what you've already got. (hlm 61)
Terima kasih ya, untuk buku ini!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2020
I am quite a fan of Dan Brotzel’s dry wit and comical situations so when Hotel du Jack got released, I immediately jumped on it and I was not disappointed!
The collection is centred around depicting the lives of the average English families for the most, and is humour is not only close to the bone, it is close to home. Whoever is familiar with the likes of juggling one’s family, job meetings and presentations whilst still making time for hobbies or romance won’t be able to read this book without nodding in approval and recognition a lot, occasionally painfully clenching at the far too familiar descriptions of kids birthday parties, school runs, soft play and family holidays, or office politics.
The entire collection is written in the buoyant, unassuming, wry voice quite typical to Brotzel. But under the bubbly surface lays a deeper tone, bleak or sad, exposing modern live anxieties about parenting, failure, ageing or death.
A middle-aged man loses his work mojo in Infinite Rainbows, a lonely woman lets her gullibility take her too far in Lord in your mercy, a man fears losing his wife to her job in The appeal, another realises his money isn’t bringing him happiness in Embarrassment of riches.
As a parent, I find that the collection really speaks to me, whether it is with the farcical and all too true descriptions of one’s struggle trying to get kids to school on time and without forgetting anything (Crumbs), or the sting of the responsibility that come with parenthood, the desire not to ever disappoint children, the blunt realisation that one cannot protect their children always and for ever.
Hotel du Jack is the longest and most intricate story of the collection. Though the subject matter is a classic one – selfish, vain man has an epiphany and grows into a deep, caring human – it is well-executed, with Jack reaching thus epiphany through the lecture of what he initially thinks might be the most boring book on the planet.
Jack’s path to goodness is punctuated with excerpts from that fictional book, which provide additional entertainment in the story-within-a-story format, along with much laughter.
The collection is centred around depicting the lives of the average English families for the most, and is humour is not only close to the bone, it is close to home. Whoever is familiar with the likes of juggling one’s family, job meetings and presentations whilst still making time for hobbies or romance won’t be able to read this book without nodding in approval and recognition a lot, occasionally painfully clenching at the far too familiar descriptions of kids birthday parties, school runs, soft play and family holidays, or office politics.
The entire collection is written in the buoyant, unassuming, wry voice quite typical to Brotzel. But under the bubbly surface lays a deeper tone, bleak or sad, exposing modern live anxieties about parenting, failure, ageing or death.
A middle-aged man loses his work mojo in Infinite Rainbows, a lonely woman lets her gullibility take her too far in Lord in your mercy, a man fears losing his wife to her job in The appeal, another realises his money isn’t bringing him happiness in Embarrassment of riches.
As a parent, I find that the collection really speaks to me, whether it is with the farcical and all too true descriptions of one’s struggle trying to get kids to school on time and without forgetting anything (Crumbs), or the sting of the responsibility that come with parenthood, the desire not to ever disappoint children, the blunt realisation that one cannot protect their children always and for ever.
Hotel du Jack is the longest and most intricate story of the collection. Though the subject matter is a classic one – selfish, vain man has an epiphany and grows into a deep, caring human – it is well-executed, with Jack reaching thus epiphany through the lecture of what he initially thinks might be the most boring book on the planet.
Jack’s path to goodness is punctuated with excerpts from that fictional book, which provide additional entertainment in the story-within-a-story format, along with much laughter.
April 7, 2020
I waffled quite a bit, back and forth with a lot of points for either idea about expanding on individual stories or writing an all-encompassing review. The latter plan gained more traction when I started listing out personal one line reactions and realised it would involve me saying more than the book does during a story!
This collection was unexpectedly good. I started it in a good mood, but it waned almost immediately when I realised that the stories were not all based in the titular hotel but ranged from varying genres, not sticking to any. I kept at it (luckily!) and finally after the halfway mark when I ‘got’ the author’s take, I started to enjoy every further narrative a little more than the previous and even changing my mind about the one I just wrapped up previously. Many of them are based on the difference in workload and responsibilities between men and women in any given situation. The balance between the two is also described in a few. Some focus on the home front, some on the official. There are quite a few stories where we get to learns the thinness of outer presentation and how different people are just below the surface. Even as I write this review, I have changed my mind about how much I liked this! It is purely about people, different types of them and all manner of strange behaviours.
It is the kind of collection that gets more interesting and fuller with every subsequent analysis or discussion. I was a little disappointed at it not being what I thought it would be, but in the span of putting this down in writing, I have worked out the situation and come to terms with it.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
This collection was unexpectedly good. I started it in a good mood, but it waned almost immediately when I realised that the stories were not all based in the titular hotel but ranged from varying genres, not sticking to any. I kept at it (luckily!) and finally after the halfway mark when I ‘got’ the author’s take, I started to enjoy every further narrative a little more than the previous and even changing my mind about the one I just wrapped up previously. Many of them are based on the difference in workload and responsibilities between men and women in any given situation. The balance between the two is also described in a few. Some focus on the home front, some on the official. There are quite a few stories where we get to learns the thinness of outer presentation and how different people are just below the surface. Even as I write this review, I have changed my mind about how much I liked this! It is purely about people, different types of them and all manner of strange behaviours.
It is the kind of collection that gets more interesting and fuller with every subsequent analysis or discussion. I was a little disappointed at it not being what I thought it would be, but in the span of putting this down in writing, I have worked out the situation and come to terms with it.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
January 28, 2020
Pathos and poignancy, prejudice and playfulness are all on display in Dan Brotzel’s debut collection of short stories. Diverse forms – lists, a neighbourhood forum, grammatical analysis – add to hints of darkness. Language of love and tenderness is conveyed by the names a couple had for ways of loading the dishwasher, by a pressured dad getting (or failing to get) his young daughter’s competition cake to school in time or by trying to explain about death to her while exploring a graveyard. The author’s subtlety and wit hover around the happy and sad, the outrageous and ridiculous. A group of men at a business meeting get their comeuppance on learning their misogynistic language has been live streamed to the company’s staff by the female Acting Divisional MD – meeting promptly adjourned! A crude children’s entertainer is a unexpectedly caring partner to his mentally ill wife, while also coping with his own serious illness. My favourites are our Special Words for Things, Crumbs and the Great Willie Whizzbang. A moving, funny and entertaining read.
November 5, 2020
Hotel Du Jack is a collection of witty and offbeat short stories that covers stereotypes, clichés and daily struggles. From the reality of being invisible isn't as great as it seems to how to properly load a dishwasher. Brotzel has written some crackers my favourites included: Nothing So Blue, Who Is My Neighbour (a neighborhood group chat covering some hilarious topics), The Great Willie Whizz-Bang (a child's entertainer who is the pinnacle of British humour), Bury Me with Animals and Crumbs. Brotzel paints the picture of modern day living from its embarrassments and failures to learning and getting on with it.
July 6, 2021
I bought this collection after being impressed with Dan Brotzel's story "Staircase Words" in Ellipsis Zine: https://www.ellipsiszine.com/staircas...
I absolutely loved the first story, Nothing So Blue, which combines a laugh-out-loud funny tale of superpowers turning out to be not so super after all, with a poignant story about the protagonist's mother nearing the end of her life.
I also thought that Our Special Words for Things was absolutely brilliant. It's written in the form of a dictionary of terms that a couple use to discuss their dishwasher. Again, hilarious but also poignant.
I don't remember anything about the other stories.
I absolutely loved the first story, Nothing So Blue, which combines a laugh-out-loud funny tale of superpowers turning out to be not so super after all, with a poignant story about the protagonist's mother nearing the end of her life.
I also thought that Our Special Words for Things was absolutely brilliant. It's written in the form of a dictionary of terms that a couple use to discuss their dishwasher. Again, hilarious but also poignant.
I don't remember anything about the other stories.
February 24, 2020
Just finished reading this great little collection by Dan Brotzel. I was wondering all the way which would be my favourite (leading contenders included 'Who is my neighbour' and 'Ella G in a country churchyard') and then hit the final tale – the eponymous 'Hotel du Jack' – which really should come with a health warning: 'do not read this in the office at lunchtime because of laugh-out-loud risk'. The bit about Lee Child and the 'greats' was really too perfect when sat next to a self-confessed Lee Child fan. (I showed him the page afterwards and he understood!)
January 24, 2020
Language twists in Dan Brotzel's fine collection of stories. A story satirising the practicalities of super humanism turns to the surprisingly human; a grammar treatise revelling in the worm that turns ends in heartbreak. Even predictable, modern-day, macho, super pumped Jack is capable of surprising the reader.
I loved these stories: funny and profound, real and unreal and utterly human. A wonderful collection.
I loved these stories: funny and profound, real and unreal and utterly human. A wonderful collection.
July 20, 2022
First time reading Dan Brotzel or a collection of short stories, and neither disappointed.
Really eclectic mix of laugh-out-loud wit with very short unpunctuated diatribes, hilariously realistic neighbourhood chat room posts, but also poignant sad little pieces, reminding readers of their place in the world.
Great collection, some of the best writing I've seen for ages.
Very easy to dip in and out of too.
Buy it. You won't regret it.
Really eclectic mix of laugh-out-loud wit with very short unpunctuated diatribes, hilariously realistic neighbourhood chat room posts, but also poignant sad little pieces, reminding readers of their place in the world.
Great collection, some of the best writing I've seen for ages.
Very easy to dip in and out of too.
Buy it. You won't regret it.
January 11, 2020
These were funny , but also touching,and sometimes a little bit odd.
For that I truly enjoyed them.
Each seemed to be the perfect length (which I think is a tricky thing in a short story).
Also,I enjoyed the fact so many were family based.
My favourite might be the community forum.... too very true to life.
I think this is going to be a birthday gift for at least one person this year.
For that I truly enjoyed them.
Each seemed to be the perfect length (which I think is a tricky thing in a short story).
Also,I enjoyed the fact so many were family based.
My favourite might be the community forum.... too very true to life.
I think this is going to be a birthday gift for at least one person this year.
March 29, 2020
Dan's collection is a treat, full of the variety a reader expects from a flash fiction/short story writer. We meet characters we want to invite into our homes (not now) and others we wouldn't want to meet in real life. Fantasy lives alongside family, animals like Sheepie come alive in our world, and we pick up each story knowing our reading life will be better for it.
January 17, 2020
Such an impressive collection of short stories. 'Foods of Love' had me both laughing and crying whilst also reaching for a packet of Hula Hoops.
April 29, 2022
I liked the different ways of telling stories that were explored throughout.
July 24, 2024
This was a load of short stories - Thought 'The Angry Sun God' was the best one but some didn't really go anywhere or were kind of cheesy
January 12, 2025
Ironico, divertente, un po’ sfidante per chi non é madrelingua inglese, lo consiglio!
May 29, 2025
Collection of short stories , the tone and jokes are quite repetitive but still enjoyable to read.
March 12, 2020
A fine book of short stories. Brotzel has the knack of writing from many different perspectives. The stories sometimes stemmed from surprisingly mundane origins, but invariably had either a message or a humorous thread - and sometimes both. As with any book of shorts I didn't like them all equally as much, but certainly an author to look at again.
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September 23, 2020"Hotel du Jack brings together 28 stories, frequently marrying style and substance to pull off a fresh, witty and insightful collection... The subject matter and references build into a book that is very 2020, but the quality of his writing ensures that the stories here are also built to last. I am sure this is a book that people will want to return to in future years"
See James Holden's full review at: https://theshortstory.co.uk/short-sto...
See James Holden's full review at: https://theshortstory.co.uk/short-sto...
January 17, 2020
Really exciting collection of short stories, often dark and twisty, with plenty of snark - just how I like my prose! My favourites are probably the one where Brotzel really plays with structure, like Product Recall and Active & Passive Voice. Genuinely funny stuff :)
October 19, 2025
Poignant, quirky and laugh out loud funny. I really enjoyed this short story collection.
August 11, 2025
it was okay
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews