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All Roads: Stories
The fourteen stories in All Roads explore childhood trauma, addiction, and the reckless materialism of mainstream American culture. Set mostly in Chicago, the stories range from the perspective of a nine-year-old girl intensely observing her new stepmother to a woman trying to make sense of her body after cancer surgery. The collection offers a complex and candid view of class privilege, gender oppression, and the idiosyncratic forms of refuge we take in a culture that demands our self-objectification.
In “Charlie,” a new mother tells the story of her confusing attachment to a former mentor, uncovering the deep pain that has largely defined her life. In “The Fathers,” an awkward bachelor party leads to an unexpected moment of overdue connection between the bride’s father and brothers. The title story tracks the drunken monologue of a nihilistic middle-aged man attempting to seduce a young woman into a threesome, while “The Deal” alternates perspectives between a cynical divorced woman and her adult son, the only person with whom she’s been able to sustain a lasting relationship. Relentlessly self-revealing, these characters vacillate between vulnerability and self-protection, exposing the necessity of both. Dark, comic, and altogether unforgettable, All Roads introduces an original voice attuned to the docility of the stingray as well as the ancient spear of its tail.
In “Charlie,” a new mother tells the story of her confusing attachment to a former mentor, uncovering the deep pain that has largely defined her life. In “The Fathers,” an awkward bachelor party leads to an unexpected moment of overdue connection between the bride’s father and brothers. The title story tracks the drunken monologue of a nihilistic middle-aged man attempting to seduce a young woman into a threesome, while “The Deal” alternates perspectives between a cynical divorced woman and her adult son, the only person with whom she’s been able to sustain a lasting relationship. Relentlessly self-revealing, these characters vacillate between vulnerability and self-protection, exposing the necessity of both. Dark, comic, and altogether unforgettable, All Roads introduces an original voice attuned to the docility of the stingray as well as the ancient spear of its tail.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
192 pages, Paperback
Published March 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 15, 2021
First of all, I want to thank NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.
I was very excited to start reading All Roads: Stories by Colleen O’Brien. These short stories could be moments grasped from daily lives. Things people in real life go through or live with.
The writing style was something I had to get used to, but after the first story, I had gotten quite into it. Some stories, like Charlie, for instance, I loved, others, like #, were not my cup of tea. Honestly, I didn’t like the majority of the stories. It was not that I hated the other stories, but I did not love them either. They were not spectacular, they were not boring. I just felt very indifferent about them.
Those stories I felt indifferent about, were pointless to me. It was like there was nothing the author was working towards. After reading those stories I often asked myself: Why did I read this? Why was it written? Often they felt unfinished. This made it difficult for me to move on to the next story.
The stories I did like hit me on quite a deep level. They were often quite emotional or consisted of moments of friendship that I liked and felt familiar with. I loved reading Diretora and Shopping. These two stories just felt so real to me. Like I was watching someone else’s life.
I was very excited to start reading All Roads: Stories by Colleen O’Brien. These short stories could be moments grasped from daily lives. Things people in real life go through or live with.
The writing style was something I had to get used to, but after the first story, I had gotten quite into it. Some stories, like Charlie, for instance, I loved, others, like #, were not my cup of tea. Honestly, I didn’t like the majority of the stories. It was not that I hated the other stories, but I did not love them either. They were not spectacular, they were not boring. I just felt very indifferent about them.
Those stories I felt indifferent about, were pointless to me. It was like there was nothing the author was working towards. After reading those stories I often asked myself: Why did I read this? Why was it written? Often they felt unfinished. This made it difficult for me to move on to the next story.
The stories I did like hit me on quite a deep level. They were often quite emotional or consisted of moments of friendship that I liked and felt familiar with. I loved reading Diretora and Shopping. These two stories just felt so real to me. Like I was watching someone else’s life.
July 20, 2022
Such wonderful stories -- subtle, dark, and incredibly precise, they reveal so much about their characters.
January 23, 2022
All Roads by Colleen O'Brien is that collection of short stories that, while you're reading it, you know two things: one, you'll want to reread them; and two, they are going to stay with you (haunt you?) for quite a while. If you like stories that do more than just wrap up the action and instead insist on making you think about them, you will love this collection.
When I say you'll love the collection, I don't mean you will love each story. In fact, you may not love any of them. At least not at first. You'll feel uncomfortable, maybe annoyed, perhaps even angry. If you have any empathy whatsoever you will feel for these characters, whether you like them or not. And while we won't readily admit it, we will see some small parts of ourselves in some of these character's actions. Well, maybe not actions, but definitely the things that motivate their actions (or inactions).
The book blurbs give a good idea of the types of people you'll meet, so I won't try to find a different way to repeat that. What I will say is that they are unlike any of us yet also like all of us. Even, perhaps especially, those who vehemently deny it.
I often use short story books (and collections of essays) for those moments when I have some time to read but don't want to get back into a longer work, whether fiction or nonfiction. This is one of the better books for that purpose because each story prompts some thinking, which for me is what I want when I go back to doing whatever I have to be doing. If you don't use such books like this, I'd suggest not reading this book too quickly. Give each story, even those that rub you the wrong way, some time to ferment. You may find you got more out of it than you thought and, as in my case, you may find yourself rereading them sooner rather than later.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
When I say you'll love the collection, I don't mean you will love each story. In fact, you may not love any of them. At least not at first. You'll feel uncomfortable, maybe annoyed, perhaps even angry. If you have any empathy whatsoever you will feel for these characters, whether you like them or not. And while we won't readily admit it, we will see some small parts of ourselves in some of these character's actions. Well, maybe not actions, but definitely the things that motivate their actions (or inactions).
The book blurbs give a good idea of the types of people you'll meet, so I won't try to find a different way to repeat that. What I will say is that they are unlike any of us yet also like all of us. Even, perhaps especially, those who vehemently deny it.
I often use short story books (and collections of essays) for those moments when I have some time to read but don't want to get back into a longer work, whether fiction or nonfiction. This is one of the better books for that purpose because each story prompts some thinking, which for me is what I want when I go back to doing whatever I have to be doing. If you don't use such books like this, I'd suggest not reading this book too quickly. Give each story, even those that rub you the wrong way, some time to ferment. You may find you got more out of it than you thought and, as in my case, you may find yourself rereading them sooner rather than later.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
November 10, 2021
The short stories in Colleen O'Brien's All Roads can best be described as visceral. On more than one occasion, I physically cringed away from the page, and I mean that as a compliment: it's incredible that she brought to life these vivid characters and moments in such brief glimpses - some contained in just five pages. As a collection, it reminded me of Curtis Sittenfeld's 'You Think It, I'll Say It'' - both piercingly observant and more than a little unsettling, or at least unsettled.
My favorites were 'Charlie,' 'Valentine's Day,' 'The Deal', 'The Cheesecake Factory,' and 'Here For,' but truly, I appreciated nearly all. I found 'All Roads' unpleasant, but in a provocative and compellingly hate-readable way. Similarly, I'll be going back to 'The Fathers' because I have a sense there's something powerful there, but I'll admit that on first read I struggled to follow all the Michaels and their relationships to one another.
I'm thrilled to have gotten to know O'Brien as an author; hers is a collection that invites revisiting and warrants space on my increasingly crowded bookshelf. I'll be purchasing (and underlining, and rereading) a hard copy.
Thank you to Northwestern University Press for my ARC.
My favorites were 'Charlie,' 'Valentine's Day,' 'The Deal', 'The Cheesecake Factory,' and 'Here For,' but truly, I appreciated nearly all. I found 'All Roads' unpleasant, but in a provocative and compellingly hate-readable way. Similarly, I'll be going back to 'The Fathers' because I have a sense there's something powerful there, but I'll admit that on first read I struggled to follow all the Michaels and their relationships to one another.
I'm thrilled to have gotten to know O'Brien as an author; hers is a collection that invites revisiting and warrants space on my increasingly crowded bookshelf. I'll be purchasing (and underlining, and rereading) a hard copy.
Thank you to Northwestern University Press for my ARC.
February 23, 2022
A must read. Reading this was a true visceral experience for me - I physically found myself holding my breath during certain stories, cringing, smiling, nodding my head…the works—continually stunned by the breadth and depth of these short stories.
O’Brien writes with an attention not only to the typical details of a character but also the subtle ones that made even the unlikeable characters redeeming and understood. These are short stores that are about relationships with others and self - sounds like a routine summary of any book but this one is different. It’s a masterful collection of nuanced characters that will stick with me for a long time. There’s one about a wealthy mom and her adult son studying for the LSAT that was so complex and beautiful in the limits and expanses of a mother-son relationship that it made me wistful.
Don’t skip this one - read and take your time doing so. It’ll make it longer to finish - I regret reading it in a day - the writing is that good. Buying a copy when it publishes. Heartfelt thanks to Northwestern Press for the advanced copy. I’m so grateful.
O’Brien writes with an attention not only to the typical details of a character but also the subtle ones that made even the unlikeable characters redeeming and understood. These are short stores that are about relationships with others and self - sounds like a routine summary of any book but this one is different. It’s a masterful collection of nuanced characters that will stick with me for a long time. There’s one about a wealthy mom and her adult son studying for the LSAT that was so complex and beautiful in the limits and expanses of a mother-son relationship that it made me wistful.
Don’t skip this one - read and take your time doing so. It’ll make it longer to finish - I regret reading it in a day - the writing is that good. Buying a copy when it publishes. Heartfelt thanks to Northwestern Press for the advanced copy. I’m so grateful.
March 13, 2022
Mostly stories about young people falling in and out of bed, though of course there are exceptions. In some of these stories, O'Brien demonstrates an uncanny voice that sounds like it's telling the truth, and then moves us through some uncomfortable passages around sex and bodies. It really packs a punch. Others are interested in the traps of affluence-- a lot of these characters have familiarity with the world of lawyers in Chicago and the privilege that gives you. There's some substance use issues here, too, especially alcoholism, considered from close-up and at a distance. The stories aren't judgemental-- they're a little chilly for that-- but they don't lack sympathy, either.
May 21, 2022
Beautifully written and almost uncomfortably intimate at times (and I mean that as a compliment). O'Brien is especially adept at capturing dynamics of people in various types of close relationships--couples and family members--especially the grey areas involved. Are these healthy relationships or not-so-much? Most of the 'stories' are more like prose-poems or slices-of-life rather than stories. Not much happens and many don't conclude so much as just end. O'Brien is strongest in short form like the stories entitled "#" and "Director," for example.
December 13, 2021
A good set of literary stories. Some readers won't connect with a lot of these stories, nor did I. But the author writes well and there are lots of good moments and stories. Recommended
I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!
I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!
June 17, 2022
This is a wonderful collection of stories: beautifully crafted, engaging, and poignant. Colleen O'Brien masterfully pulls us into these fictional worlds and keeps us there. The stories have stayed with me long after I've read them. Fantastic debut collection.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews