Chemistry and Other Stories

by Tim Pears

A wife compulsively digs in her garden. Two brothers, long estranged, reunite for a terse, heady summer. A woman flies to Krakow to see her adult son. At dusk, a teenage girl pushes her dying mother out into the sea. A small boy sits on his own in the cinema, entranced by the cowboys who light up the screen.

With these short stories, Tim Pears illuminates a series of blazing moments in quiet lives - the tragic, strange, funny and beautiful fragments that make and unmake us - and shines a light into the gulfs that lie between us and those who should know us best.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

Hardcover

Published June 24, 2021

About the author

Born in 1956, Tim Pears grew up in Devon and left school at sixteen. He worked in a wide variety of unskilled jobs: trainee welder, assistant librarian, trainee reporter, archaeological worker, fruit picker, nursing assistant in a psychiatric ward, groundsman in a hotel & caravan park, fencer, driver, sorter of mail, builder, painter & decorator, night porter, community video maker and art gallery manager in Devon, Wales, France, Norfolk and Oxford.

Always he was writing, and in time making short films. He took the Directing course at the National Film and Television School, graduating in the same month that his first novel, In the Place of Fallen Leaves, was published, in 1993.

Reviews

[Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

chemistry and other stories by Tim Pears
This is a wonderful collection of short stories. It was a brilliant book it had me captivated from the very first line. This authors writing style is amazing he really creates a sense of atmosphere; that follows so well and keeps you reading. I finished this book in a day and a half as it kept me on the edge of my seat, he portrays his characters with such realism. I can't wait to read more from this author it was a pleasure to read. Thank you.

[bookventures_of_a_wildflower · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love short stories with a passion. Tim Pears delivered a very solid collection here that shows us not just chemistry, feelings and passion but also a keen eye for nature.
The stories themselves were a mixed bunch. I believe around half of them touched and kept me invested while the other half fell a bit flat and felt somewhat superficial to me. But in all honesty it might be because I could not relate to the characters and as a result didn't much care what happened to them either.
With short stories one has to be master of writing because it doesn't really leave room for massive plots, grand character developments and such.
I also think that is a natural thing not to enjoy all short stories in a collection, because it caters to a wide audience with differing tastes.
My rating is 3.5

[Tim Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's mostly a novelist. These piece seem to be previously unpublished - not usually a good sign. I like "Through the tunnel" the most.

Several of the husbands are freelance, their wives having regular jobs. There are 3 useful pages of notes explaining the genesis of the stories. As influences he mentions John Cheever, James Salter, Helen Simpson, Lucia Berlin and Doris Lessing.

A story-by-story write-up is on http://litrefsreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Hannah Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was going to give this short story collection 3 or 4 stars for most of it. I really enjoyed a lot of the pieces in here, especially the titular story - Liz was a great character.

But oh my god it FELL the fuck OFF towards the end and then there was the deranged piece about the sexual assault that was apparently inspired by the MeToo movement. Fuck off Tim. It was insult to survivors of sexual violence and it brought down the entire collection.

In conclusion: men should shut the fuck up.

[Quinns Bookshop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst this book feels slightly disjointed and unpolished, to a degree that adds to the raw and primal feel of some of the stories and their characters.

Unafraid to tackle some dark topics, Pears takes a look at the chemistry between his characters and the events of brief moments which send ripples into the rest of their lives.

[Danny Reid · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories in this book had an unfinished, discombobulated feel about them. It was an uncomfortable, unnerving read, which I wouldn’t normally mind, but partly that came from a sense of not feeling as though the character’s stories were fully played out before each story finished.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-3.5. A bit hit and miss. Some of these stories were excellent, some a bit meh. Overall fairly enjoyable and an easy read (apart from one story about an attempted rape which was not an easy read at all!)

[Mel Pretorius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don't read short stories but was intrigued by "Chemistry and Other Stories" by TIm Pears. It's a mixed bag - some stories resonated with me better than others. Definitely worth a read!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit patchy. The title story Chemistry was he best for me

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short stories.

[Amber]

Easily my least favourite set of short stories

[Leyla Okhai · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

3.5, I really enjoyed these short stories more than other similar books. Very accurate portrayal of Oxford lives.