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To the Volcano and other stories
These are stories of people caught up in a world that tilts seductively, sometimes dangerously, between south and north, between ambition and tradition, between light and dark. Her characters are poised to leave or on the point of return; often caught in limbo, haunted by their histories and veering between possibilities. An African student in England longs for her desert home; a shy Argentinian travel agent agonises about joining her boyfriend in New York; a soldier is pursued by his past; a writer's widow fends off the attentions of his predatory biographer. From story to story we walk through radically different worlds and journeys packed with hopes and ideals. Sharp, tender, and always arresting, these exquisitely written pieces crackle with luminous insights as characters struggle to find contentment - with their pasts, with one another, and with themselves.
- GenresShort Stories
180 pages, Paperback
Published October 3, 2019
2 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 24, 2021
This was okay. The stories center around people in the 'Global South', but most of them seem to be white people in places like Australia - so they are technically from the Global South, but it's really not as diverse a group of voices as it's marketed to be. The first stories were the best ones - "To the Volcano," which actually has a diverse set of characters and deals with possible magic as well as mental illness, in an environment of inequality, was probably the best. Afterwards, it was more like eating too many cookies from the same box - the stories had a certain stale sameness. I also thought "Synthetic Orange" used the refugee crisis as an inappropriate mirror for coming-of-age growing pains - it was very distasteful. All in all, the collection is fine - I wouldn't go out of my way to read it.
August 7, 2020
“To the Volcano and Other Stories” written by Elleke Boehmer, consists of 12 stories in 175 pages, all exploring the rich dimensions of the lives of normal, individual, fictional characters. Boehmer’s characters are highly relatable, and much like many of us, they are constantly being pulled in many different directions, the past, present and the future. Shrouded in mystery, these characters contain complicated histories and I thoroughly enjoyed discovering and learning with them.
I received this book as part of a treat box I bought from Books That Matter (much love). I would not have initially selected this book given the choice, as I do not tend to choose short stories, much less, a collection of short stories. However, I feel that this type of book has been a godsend as I haven’t had as much time to read recently, and I can easily pick up this book from where I left it without worrying too much about losing my place.
In some of the stories, you feel so captivated that it is hard to believe that you progress with the character in the span of 10-15 pages. However, there are some stories that do not progress in the same pace as others and, to be honest, the impact left can feel underwhelming. I feel that some of the tales could have been removed, and in their place, some of the other existing storied could have been expanded on. That being said, the lack of development in some stories were made up in the chaos and excitement in others.
My favourite of the short stories was “Paper Planes” where the protagonist is an elderly lady spending time with one of her grandchildren in a nursing home. This story is bittersweet, and the emotion is delivered with grace, dignity, and elegance. The tale also touches on the hardships of dementia, and softly pulls on the heartstrings through the relationship the protagonist has with her grandchild.
Another story that touched me personally is “The Mood That I’m In”. In this story, Paul and Anne meet in a retirement home. Much to Paul’s family dismay, he gifts Anne his late wife’s precious pearl earrings. In addition to this, he also proposes only after shortly meeting her. After Paul dies, Anne very quickly moves on to a new lover. Initially, you would have thought that Anne is a heartless person, but Boehmer convinces us that Anne is just simply living her life and doing her thing. This story serves as a reminder that life is not all what it appears to be and conjures feelings of empathy and connections to characters you would not usually relate to.
Boehmer’s “To the Volcano” is a gift to all that read it, evoking a journey of discovery of hardships like unrequited love, pain of parenting, grief, and separation, if only each story was a little lo
I received this book as part of a treat box I bought from Books That Matter (much love). I would not have initially selected this book given the choice, as I do not tend to choose short stories, much less, a collection of short stories. However, I feel that this type of book has been a godsend as I haven’t had as much time to read recently, and I can easily pick up this book from where I left it without worrying too much about losing my place.
In some of the stories, you feel so captivated that it is hard to believe that you progress with the character in the span of 10-15 pages. However, there are some stories that do not progress in the same pace as others and, to be honest, the impact left can feel underwhelming. I feel that some of the tales could have been removed, and in their place, some of the other existing storied could have been expanded on. That being said, the lack of development in some stories were made up in the chaos and excitement in others.
My favourite of the short stories was “Paper Planes” where the protagonist is an elderly lady spending time with one of her grandchildren in a nursing home. This story is bittersweet, and the emotion is delivered with grace, dignity, and elegance. The tale also touches on the hardships of dementia, and softly pulls on the heartstrings through the relationship the protagonist has with her grandchild.
Another story that touched me personally is “The Mood That I’m In”. In this story, Paul and Anne meet in a retirement home. Much to Paul’s family dismay, he gifts Anne his late wife’s precious pearl earrings. In addition to this, he also proposes only after shortly meeting her. After Paul dies, Anne very quickly moves on to a new lover. Initially, you would have thought that Anne is a heartless person, but Boehmer convinces us that Anne is just simply living her life and doing her thing. This story serves as a reminder that life is not all what it appears to be and conjures feelings of empathy and connections to characters you would not usually relate to.
Boehmer’s “To the Volcano” is a gift to all that read it, evoking a journey of discovery of hardships like unrequited love, pain of parenting, grief, and separation, if only each story was a little lo
October 3, 2020
If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know that I’m relatively new to reading short stories, but To The Volcano by Elleke Boehmer is the best collection I’ve read yet!
These stories delve into characters in different continents from the perspective of the Southern Hemisphere. It’s tricky to review an entire collection here, but the author insightfully explores past traumas, disappointments, dreams, ambitions and self-knowledge. The language is richly evocative and loaded with sensory information, in particularly vivid, striking colours. Some of these stories were very cinematic and I’d love to have read on beyond their final pages- the sign of a good short story?!
.
The three which stood out for me were:
🌋The titular “To The Volcano”, in which a university group has a surreal and impactful experience whilst visiting a volcano crater
🌋 “The Mood that I’m In”, about a serial widow - is she a gold-digger?!🤑
🌋”South, North”, about a young woman excited to be backpacking in Paris, and she has some unnerving experiences. It reminded me of the vulnerability I sometimes felt whilst studying in Madrid, and went travelling or walking home at night alone; with my Celtic colouring I was a bit more conspicuous and was mildly but disconcertingly harassed on a few occasions. I know this could (and does) happen anywhere, but I was alone and far from home like the character in the story. (Most of my experiences were amazingly happy, I should add!)
Thank you very much to @myriad_editions for this giveaway prize. Myriad is a smaller publisher which supports new and emerging authors. They publish award-winning literary fiction, graphic novels and political nonfiction, and I already have a couple more of their books lined up to read!
These stories delve into characters in different continents from the perspective of the Southern Hemisphere. It’s tricky to review an entire collection here, but the author insightfully explores past traumas, disappointments, dreams, ambitions and self-knowledge. The language is richly evocative and loaded with sensory information, in particularly vivid, striking colours. Some of these stories were very cinematic and I’d love to have read on beyond their final pages- the sign of a good short story?!
.
The three which stood out for me were:
🌋The titular “To The Volcano”, in which a university group has a surreal and impactful experience whilst visiting a volcano crater
🌋 “The Mood that I’m In”, about a serial widow - is she a gold-digger?!🤑
🌋”South, North”, about a young woman excited to be backpacking in Paris, and she has some unnerving experiences. It reminded me of the vulnerability I sometimes felt whilst studying in Madrid, and went travelling or walking home at night alone; with my Celtic colouring I was a bit more conspicuous and was mildly but disconcertingly harassed on a few occasions. I know this could (and does) happen anywhere, but I was alone and far from home like the character in the story. (Most of my experiences were amazingly happy, I should add!)
Thank you very much to @myriad_editions for this giveaway prize. Myriad is a smaller publisher which supports new and emerging authors. They publish award-winning literary fiction, graphic novels and political nonfiction, and I already have a couple more of their books lined up to read!
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April 29, 2020"Immediately apparent amongst the riches available to the reader are Boehmer's beautifully managed changes in tone, which shade her characters all ends of grey. Secrets stumble from the darkness, the past is drawn from everyday moments like blood from a dolorous strike, and decisions hover in the air, observant, waiting to impact..."
Read Paul Woodgate's full review at: https://theshortstory.co.uk/short-sto...
Read Paul Woodgate's full review at: https://theshortstory.co.uk/short-sto...
February 17, 2021
It is a nice collection of short stories. The stories are not exactly uplifting, and one or two I found a little confusing, but I enjoyed them.
August 4, 2025
“So you’re educating them. No matter how ancient and clever, they have something to learn”
“[…] he called her Africa’s diamond—like her mother, but differently, too”
“[…] he called her Africa’s diamond—like her mother, but differently, too”
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August 12, 2020Time to reread and write my review for sabotagereviews.com :)
March 7, 2020
A set of literary short stories that gravitate towards the Southern Hemisphere. My favourites were 'The Child in the Photograph'; a wonderful portrayal of a homesick student from Sierra Leone living in Oxford, and 'Supermarket Love' depicts the blossoming of a crush between two immigrant workers in an Australian supermarket. 'Paper Planes' is another favourite, and is a crushing portrayal of dementia, as is 'The Park Gate Notice'. 'Synthetic Orange' also comes to mind as a favourite, depicting a relationship on its last legs, with the Mediterranean crisis as a backdrop. Unfortunately, I found the titular story to be the weakest, weighed down by too unnecessary characters.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews