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Secrets.
Collection of Short Stories ; contemporary fiction
130 pages, Paperback
Published March 26, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 30, 2020
Susan M. Lane has given us quite an interesting and psychologically rich collection of short stories with Secrets. Admittedly, I was turned off by the opening story about a serial killer that was so well done as to almost give me a panic attack. I wasn’t sure I could handle the collection if all of the stories were that intense. But I persevered, and I’m glad I did.
There are a number of stories about people queued up in lines: at the grocery store, a fast food drive-thru, a bank…and Lane is quite adept at capturing the banal tension of these everyday occurrences, how the act of waiting and observing other people can be stressful, and sometimes the smallest misunderstanding or slight could be triggering. In these stories Lane head-hops from person to person, diving deep into their fears and worries and pasts, revealing the secrets behind the everyday people we encounter…secrets we’ll never know just by observing them.
Misunderstandings (and prejudices) that lead to violence (the closing story is all too relevant today) is another key theme running through many of the stories.
Not all of the stories hit home for me, and some of the more noir ones, though fun, seemed like throwaways. But Lane’s craft is…crafty. And I would highly recommend her collection for those who enjoying reading stories that highlight the darker side of humanity and revel in twists of fate.
There are a number of stories about people queued up in lines: at the grocery store, a fast food drive-thru, a bank…and Lane is quite adept at capturing the banal tension of these everyday occurrences, how the act of waiting and observing other people can be stressful, and sometimes the smallest misunderstanding or slight could be triggering. In these stories Lane head-hops from person to person, diving deep into their fears and worries and pasts, revealing the secrets behind the everyday people we encounter…secrets we’ll never know just by observing them.
Misunderstandings (and prejudices) that lead to violence (the closing story is all too relevant today) is another key theme running through many of the stories.
Not all of the stories hit home for me, and some of the more noir ones, though fun, seemed like throwaways. But Lane’s craft is…crafty. And I would highly recommend her collection for those who enjoying reading stories that highlight the darker side of humanity and revel in twists of fate.
May 25, 2020
A brilliant collection of adult short stories, each with a dark twist. Lane never fails to surprise her reader, by touching on our deepest, darkest impulses. However, there are moments of redemption as well, as in the story Open Minded Freaks, where a suicidal gay young man finds solace where he least expects it. Author Susan M Lane is one to watch. Some of these stories have real dramatic screen potential, like Secret Secret, which reads like a perfect crime drama.
May 9, 2020
Secrets is a collection of short stories about humanity in this day and age. Through several stories, the author Susan M Lane, shows the reader the state of our civilization and how Love, Happiness, Fear, Misunderstandings, Faith, Judgements, and impromptu decisions affect human lives. Each story has a very important message attached to it. I believe that’s what makes this book a wonderful read. The stories are all paced well, with interesting characters that we see in everyday lives.
The writing is impeccable yet easy to read and follow through. There are 15 stories in the book but my favorites were Spider Follies, Squeaky Wheels, and Open Minded Freaks. While I enjoyed most of the stories, I thought a couple of them ended too soon, or could do well with an explanation of what or why certain events took place. The first story And We’re Done is an example of that. It is a great story but ended too soon and was predictable. It would’ve done well with a twist or with a bit of explanation about the male character. Poker Face was another story where the ending left me confused as I was not able to figure out what had actually happened. However, stories like Perfect Strangers, The Fire Escape, Spider Follies, and others leave the reader satisfied.
If you enjoy reading short stories, then I highly recommend Secrets by Susan M Lane. 4.5 stars for this wonderful collection of short stories.
The writing is impeccable yet easy to read and follow through. There are 15 stories in the book but my favorites were Spider Follies, Squeaky Wheels, and Open Minded Freaks. While I enjoyed most of the stories, I thought a couple of them ended too soon, or could do well with an explanation of what or why certain events took place. The first story And We’re Done is an example of that. It is a great story but ended too soon and was predictable. It would’ve done well with a twist or with a bit of explanation about the male character. Poker Face was another story where the ending left me confused as I was not able to figure out what had actually happened. However, stories like Perfect Strangers, The Fire Escape, Spider Follies, and others leave the reader satisfied.
If you enjoy reading short stories, then I highly recommend Secrets by Susan M Lane. 4.5 stars for this wonderful collection of short stories.
May 8, 2020
Misunderstandings, racial stereotypes, love affairs, and fear are a few of the secrets that change people lives in this terrific collection of well told short stories. There is not a bad one here, but as with all short story collections some stand out. I especially enjoyed The Fire Escape, Perfect Strangers, Cereal Killer, Inconsequential Wishes, The Demise of Reckon Sawmill, and You Can Bank on It.
September 14, 2020
This book is a well-written collection of unsettling stories focusing on the darker side of our personalities. The author’s depiction of poignant circumstances is thought-provoking, heartfelt, and oddly relatable. I read the book slowly, one story at a time, allowing the impact of each situation to be fully appreciated. A good read!
July 11, 2020
[I read & provided a book review for the author in exchange for a new copy of the book]
If you are looking for a quick read, a page-turner, a thriller — this is your book! 'Secrets' is a series of short stories that will leave you with tons of cliffhangers. It felt as if I was catching up with friends at lunch, but was running late and caught parts of 'the tea' circling the lives of the characters. Some of the stories left me lost — I wanted more. Other stories, I painted pictures of how the rest of the characters' situations would pan out. The way that Susan writes is very vivid and that's my kind of reading style. I like to see the images of the settings that the stories are taking place while I'm reading. That's my favorite thing about this book and the writer's writing style.
If you are looking for a quick read, a page-turner, a thriller — this is your book! 'Secrets' is a series of short stories that will leave you with tons of cliffhangers. It felt as if I was catching up with friends at lunch, but was running late and caught parts of 'the tea' circling the lives of the characters. Some of the stories left me lost — I wanted more. Other stories, I painted pictures of how the rest of the characters' situations would pan out. The way that Susan writes is very vivid and that's my kind of reading style. I like to see the images of the settings that the stories are taking place while I'm reading. That's my favorite thing about this book and the writer's writing style.
April 30, 2020
Have you ever been in an endless bank lineup? Lost your dog in the park, in the darkness of early morning? Found yourself caught in the fear and fury of a riot?
Wondered about what might, what could happen?
Secrets is a collection of stories providing searing insight into the human condition. Frustration, misunderstanding, fear, love and darkness of the soul leap from the page. Both the enormous and the tiny events of life, and how we experience them, are examined in Susan Lane's sometimes-harrowing work.
But these are not dull treatises. They flow and sing with pace and style. One cannot help but turn the pages as quickly as possible, breathlessly waiting for the outcomes.
Students of human nature: this is a must read.
I was gifted with this incredible book.
Wondered about what might, what could happen?
Secrets is a collection of stories providing searing insight into the human condition. Frustration, misunderstanding, fear, love and darkness of the soul leap from the page. Both the enormous and the tiny events of life, and how we experience them, are examined in Susan Lane's sometimes-harrowing work.
But these are not dull treatises. They flow and sing with pace and style. One cannot help but turn the pages as quickly as possible, breathlessly waiting for the outcomes.
Students of human nature: this is a must read.
I was gifted with this incredible book.
January 13, 2021
So I understand what Susan was trying to do when she wrote this book and I wanted to support that when I found her on twitter amongst a group of writers that were all friendly and good people.
However this was a less than desirable read which is why it took me several months to read it. I finally stopped putting it off and decided to finish it. While some stories were better than others, there were some I absolutely did not at all enjoy. Most of those reasons are because of how short each story is.
When you try to flesh out a character(s), world and plot that captivates a reader and then end it in less than 9 pages, it leaves a lot to be desired. I would either want a longer story in the end or I would be disconnected or disappointed in the story, writing and/or characters.
Another thing I didn't enjoy was the amount of swearing. I understand the use of it but the AMOUNT of times a character would say the F word was unrealistic in my mind.
This wasnt all bad, like I said earlier, there were some really well executed stories, but there were less enjoyable ones than there were unenjoyable ones. I hope to read a full novel, novella or whatever is next for Susan as I will always support her but I don't think a shorter story works for the possibilities I saw in a lot of the stories in 'Secrets'.
However this was a less than desirable read which is why it took me several months to read it. I finally stopped putting it off and decided to finish it. While some stories were better than others, there were some I absolutely did not at all enjoy. Most of those reasons are because of how short each story is.
When you try to flesh out a character(s), world and plot that captivates a reader and then end it in less than 9 pages, it leaves a lot to be desired. I would either want a longer story in the end or I would be disconnected or disappointed in the story, writing and/or characters.
Another thing I didn't enjoy was the amount of swearing. I understand the use of it but the AMOUNT of times a character would say the F word was unrealistic in my mind.
This wasnt all bad, like I said earlier, there were some really well executed stories, but there were less enjoyable ones than there were unenjoyable ones. I hope to read a full novel, novella or whatever is next for Susan as I will always support her but I don't think a shorter story works for the possibilities I saw in a lot of the stories in 'Secrets'.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews