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Not the Apocalypse I was Hoping For
Award-winning author Leslie Greentree presents fourteen short stories in this dark, often funny, deeply compelling collection that asks how we locate, create, and avoid meaning in our lives. These are stories about people and relationships challenged by death and redeemed by art. Satirical, political, personal, and tender, they take us to funerals, protests, art galleries, to the dark side of the service industry, and through cities on fire.
An actress turns her terminal cancer diagnosis into an art installation; a boy’s attempt at a practical joke derails his grandfather’s funeral; a mother discovers she may care more for her sick dog than her newborn son; a man watches his dream of becoming a #hero burn with the city around him; a teacher befriends a gargoyle; a coalition of women fighting for bodily autonomy turn to the ultimate shock-performance protest.
Taking on the social collective, the performance of death, the political battleground, and the search for existential happiness with fearlessness and verve, Not the Apocalypse I Was Hoping For is full of sharp observation, irreverence, wit, and compassion.
An actress turns her terminal cancer diagnosis into an art installation; a boy’s attempt at a practical joke derails his grandfather’s funeral; a mother discovers she may care more for her sick dog than her newborn son; a man watches his dream of becoming a #hero burn with the city around him; a teacher befriends a gargoyle; a coalition of women fighting for bodily autonomy turn to the ultimate shock-performance protest.
Taking on the social collective, the performance of death, the political battleground, and the search for existential happiness with fearlessness and verve, Not the Apocalypse I Was Hoping For is full of sharp observation, irreverence, wit, and compassion.
- GenresCanadaShort Stories
180 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2022
4 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 22, 2022
Not the Apocolypse I Was Hoping For is an interesting collection of very different short stories. A great mix of unique, well crafted characters.
I enjoyed these three the most:
The brilliant save
Children in the Walls
An old lady and her hair
Thanks to ZG Stories and University Of Calgary Press for this gifted copy.
I enjoyed these three the most:
The brilliant save
Children in the Walls
An old lady and her hair
Thanks to ZG Stories and University Of Calgary Press for this gifted copy.
November 15, 2022
Really great stories and characters. Heart-wrenching, funny. Still thinking about Abilene and Susan and the little girl who lived in the walls. And the child with the alcoholic mother and the bird.
November 1, 2022
Art, resistance, memory, mystery, and love are some of the themes in the short story collection entitled Not the Apocalypse I was Hoping For.
Like most collections, I really connected with some stories and struggled with others. My favourite stories were The Brilliant Save, Coprophagy and other Party Tricks and An Old Lady and Her Hair.
A strength of this author is building characters. This included unlikeable characters (#hero) and ones that I adored (Abilene).
Thank you to University of Calgary Press for a copy of this collection which is out now.
Like most collections, I really connected with some stories and struggled with others. My favourite stories were The Brilliant Save, Coprophagy and other Party Tricks and An Old Lady and Her Hair.
A strength of this author is building characters. This included unlikeable characters (#hero) and ones that I adored (Abilene).
Thank you to University of Calgary Press for a copy of this collection which is out now.
March 16, 2023
Its fabulous title originally drew me to the short story collection Not the Apocalypse I Was Hoping For by Leslie Greentree, but the fact that it’s a locally published and authored work, right here in Calgary at the University of Calgary Press, was reason enough for me to read this one; I love a book published in my city! I also used to work at the University of Calgary, and I know Leslie from seeing her at local book events, so lots of connections to this one. It’s always a challenge to offer unbiased reviews when I’m reading a book by a person I know, and a publisher I want to support, but I’ll do my best here. Luckily, when an academic press like the U of C releases a work of fiction, the writing has to be pretty darn good on its own, so I was delighted to realize how much I enjoyed this book.
Book Summary
There are a total of 14 short stories in this collection, and it being only 177 pages in total, these are truly short stories, most of them around the same length. One of them titled “The room of pickled foods” is about a young boy trying to get a laugh out of some grieving family, but misreading the situation and taking a practical joke too far. The title story is written from a young man’s perspective as he decides to stay back after a forced evacuation during a forest fire that has spread to an urban area, posting on social media and breaking into people’s homes to feed their pets (and do other, not so nice things). “Gargoyle love” creates a wonderfully dark atmosphere in its descriptions of a young female teacher who has had an affair with her high school student, realizing its him who now holds the power in their relationship. In other stories, a new mother struggles with the demands of her new baby while coddling her aging dog to an extent many would find strange, including her own husband. Then a hairdresser recalls a special senior client of hers whom she developed a deep friendship with, regretting she wasn’t able to set her perm just one last time before her death. The first and the last story are cleverly linked, which I delighted in once I realized how they were connected.
My Thoughts
Some of these stories verge on the outrageous, which I found most entertaining, while others depicted characters who embodied an unpopular opinion. In some cases, the characters voice these opinions out loud, and they get chastised for it (the struggling mother makes a joke that she can understand why some people shake their baby, and it falls flat at a dinner party). However in each piece readers will find something relatable. Each story contains these inner thoughts that have all crossed our mind at some point, but because we know they are questionable, would rarely voice them.
Taking characters to these extreme limits is something that short stories are the perfect venue for, because we don’t necessarily want to spend hundreds of pages with them. In some cases they are acting in a despicable or self-destructive way, but these glimpses into their lives are certainly entertaining, and this book really excels at that. The ‘hero’ of the titular story is a great example of this; his intention to protect people’s homes during the evacuation is clearly self-serving in that he’s obsessed with gaining social media fame, and as we follow him in this misguided adventure it becomes more and more clear how stupid his plan is, but it’s a fun and short look into this ‘what if’ scenario that a full-length novel wouldn’t be able to sustain.
Although some stories are lighter in tone, most have a darker underbelly, one that the reader can either focus on, or avert their eyes from, because these are mostly undertones rather than their focus. “Children in the walls” is particularly striking, as it suggests an exploitation of a child that never really surfaces, but there are enough hints at a sinister intention that is hard to ignore as well. Greentree’s writing is descriptive enough to invite us in, but transparent enough to get out of the way of the plot and character development, never distracting us from what we are meant to see, as subtle as it is.
I’m always proud to review another local book that I can honestly say is worth the read, and this collection is definitely worth your time. It’s likely hard to secure outside of Canada, but for those closer to home, it’s one to consider adding to your bookshelf.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
Sign up for my newsletter here: https://ivereadthis.com/subscribe/
Or follow me on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ivereadthis/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD6E...
Book Summary
There are a total of 14 short stories in this collection, and it being only 177 pages in total, these are truly short stories, most of them around the same length. One of them titled “The room of pickled foods” is about a young boy trying to get a laugh out of some grieving family, but misreading the situation and taking a practical joke too far. The title story is written from a young man’s perspective as he decides to stay back after a forced evacuation during a forest fire that has spread to an urban area, posting on social media and breaking into people’s homes to feed their pets (and do other, not so nice things). “Gargoyle love” creates a wonderfully dark atmosphere in its descriptions of a young female teacher who has had an affair with her high school student, realizing its him who now holds the power in their relationship. In other stories, a new mother struggles with the demands of her new baby while coddling her aging dog to an extent many would find strange, including her own husband. Then a hairdresser recalls a special senior client of hers whom she developed a deep friendship with, regretting she wasn’t able to set her perm just one last time before her death. The first and the last story are cleverly linked, which I delighted in once I realized how they were connected.
My Thoughts
Some of these stories verge on the outrageous, which I found most entertaining, while others depicted characters who embodied an unpopular opinion. In some cases, the characters voice these opinions out loud, and they get chastised for it (the struggling mother makes a joke that she can understand why some people shake their baby, and it falls flat at a dinner party). However in each piece readers will find something relatable. Each story contains these inner thoughts that have all crossed our mind at some point, but because we know they are questionable, would rarely voice them.
Taking characters to these extreme limits is something that short stories are the perfect venue for, because we don’t necessarily want to spend hundreds of pages with them. In some cases they are acting in a despicable or self-destructive way, but these glimpses into their lives are certainly entertaining, and this book really excels at that. The ‘hero’ of the titular story is a great example of this; his intention to protect people’s homes during the evacuation is clearly self-serving in that he’s obsessed with gaining social media fame, and as we follow him in this misguided adventure it becomes more and more clear how stupid his plan is, but it’s a fun and short look into this ‘what if’ scenario that a full-length novel wouldn’t be able to sustain.
Although some stories are lighter in tone, most have a darker underbelly, one that the reader can either focus on, or avert their eyes from, because these are mostly undertones rather than their focus. “Children in the walls” is particularly striking, as it suggests an exploitation of a child that never really surfaces, but there are enough hints at a sinister intention that is hard to ignore as well. Greentree’s writing is descriptive enough to invite us in, but transparent enough to get out of the way of the plot and character development, never distracting us from what we are meant to see, as subtle as it is.
I’m always proud to review another local book that I can honestly say is worth the read, and this collection is definitely worth your time. It’s likely hard to secure outside of Canada, but for those closer to home, it’s one to consider adding to your bookshelf.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
Sign up for my newsletter here: https://ivereadthis.com/subscribe/
Or follow me on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ivereadthis/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD6E...
January 4, 2023
|| NOT THE APOCALYPSE I WAS HOPING FOR ||
#gifted/@zgstories /@ucalgarypress
•
'You don't know my mother, so don't judge me. You may think you know my mother. You've likely seen your perform. She's famous; long before her illness, critics applaud her bravery, her astonishing truth-telling. Or maybe you think you'll get to know her better soon, since after her death you'll be able to go to museums art gallery and hear her voice anytime you want, offering you apologies, or absolution, or love, in her throaty stage voice. You can ask questions, moan and whale, stare at all the images of her while she talks to you from The Great beyond. Whatever your particular grief, there are schematics for it. There will be a button you can push to have it addressed. By my mother. In a variety of accents.'~ Exit Interview # 1
✍🏻
I read this one in December and it was such a great book to close out the year with! It was everything I love in a short story collection. A real mix, dark and fueled by death senarios. From the first story I knew I was going enjoy this collection. Greentree's stories are brimming with compassion while her writing is sharp and observant. Much enjoyed!
Favorites:
Exit Interview # 1
Gargoyle Love
Children In The Walls
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
#gifted/@zgstories /@ucalgarypress
•
'You don't know my mother, so don't judge me. You may think you know my mother. You've likely seen your perform. She's famous; long before her illness, critics applaud her bravery, her astonishing truth-telling. Or maybe you think you'll get to know her better soon, since after her death you'll be able to go to museums art gallery and hear her voice anytime you want, offering you apologies, or absolution, or love, in her throaty stage voice. You can ask questions, moan and whale, stare at all the images of her while she talks to you from The Great beyond. Whatever your particular grief, there are schematics for it. There will be a button you can push to have it addressed. By my mother. In a variety of accents.'~ Exit Interview # 1
✍🏻
I read this one in December and it was such a great book to close out the year with! It was everything I love in a short story collection. A real mix, dark and fueled by death senarios. From the first story I knew I was going enjoy this collection. Greentree's stories are brimming with compassion while her writing is sharp and observant. Much enjoyed!
Favorites:
Exit Interview # 1
Gargoyle Love
Children In The Walls
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
May 28, 2023
Not the Apocalypse I was Hoping For is an exploration on the impact of art. The collection of stories - spanning sci-fi to climate commentary and fiction, flings a wide cast of characters across various forms of art.
My favorite stories was the pairing of EXIT INTERVIEW #1 and EXIT INTERVIEW #2. The first is told from the perspective of the daughter of a stage star, as the star creates her final piece of performance art. The second is the reaction to this final installation from an unconnected passerby. Greentree’s writing and storytelling blaze with these two stories - I love the impact and breadth of emotions driven from the same installation.
Greentree never shies away from uncomfortable topics. She tackles teacher/student romances in GARGOYLE LOVE, vigilante justice and social media in the title story, parental expectations in CHILDREN IN THE WALLS. While taking an unblinking stance, I felt unsure of the author’s main takeaway. Like many short story collections, I think this book would be a wonder for book clubs.
While I didn’t love every story in the collection, I applaud Greentree’s attempt in capturing the avenues in which we’re impacted by art. My favorites tended to be her longer stories, and I’d be thrilled to pick up a full length novel in the future.
My favorite stories was the pairing of EXIT INTERVIEW #1 and EXIT INTERVIEW #2. The first is told from the perspective of the daughter of a stage star, as the star creates her final piece of performance art. The second is the reaction to this final installation from an unconnected passerby. Greentree’s writing and storytelling blaze with these two stories - I love the impact and breadth of emotions driven from the same installation.
Greentree never shies away from uncomfortable topics. She tackles teacher/student romances in GARGOYLE LOVE, vigilante justice and social media in the title story, parental expectations in CHILDREN IN THE WALLS. While taking an unblinking stance, I felt unsure of the author’s main takeaway. Like many short story collections, I think this book would be a wonder for book clubs.
While I didn’t love every story in the collection, I applaud Greentree’s attempt in capturing the avenues in which we’re impacted by art. My favorites tended to be her longer stories, and I’d be thrilled to pick up a full length novel in the future.
December 28, 2022
The amazing Leslie Greentree does it again - a clever, warm, irreverent collection of short stories. I rationed myself like you do with rich dark truffles and took my time with each one even though I wanted to binge through them. Hard to choose but favourites: “Exit Interview #1”; “An old lady and her hair” and the achingly sad “Coprophagy and other party tricks.”
October 30, 2022
4 1/2 stars
Still thinking about dear Abilene ... my favourite in a memorable batch of at times wicked, at times heart-wrenching stories.
Still thinking about dear Abilene ... my favourite in a memorable batch of at times wicked, at times heart-wrenching stories.
January 28, 2023
Really loved this collection of witty, brave, funny and detail-rich short stories. This is a stellar collection.
December 20, 2023
I can appreciate the writing, but the genre wasn't for me.
May 21, 2024
they all die but in different ways indeed
January 25, 2023
Ripping the band-aid off the times we live in…
How did the book make me feel/think?
Bold?
Sure.
Disturbing?
Definitely.
Upsetting?
Yes.
Uproarious?
OMFG.
Life. Death. Politics. Fear.
What’s next?
A funeral as art?
That was the first story.
Haven’t we all loved a pet more than the people we must love?
Don’t answer.
Not The Apocalypse I Was Looking For by Leslie Greentree is a thirty-letter title fearlessly ripping the band-aid off the times we live in as humanity collectively tries to figure out what the heck is going on—maybe we need to slow down a little and breathe.
You will thank Greentree for her active mind after you devour the last word of this darkly poignant, somehow hilarious gem.
WRITTEN: 24 January 2023
How did the book make me feel/think?
Bold?
Sure.
Disturbing?
Definitely.
Upsetting?
Yes.
Uproarious?
OMFG.
Life. Death. Politics. Fear.
What’s next?
A funeral as art?
That was the first story.
Haven’t we all loved a pet more than the people we must love?
Don’t answer.
Not The Apocalypse I Was Looking For by Leslie Greentree is a thirty-letter title fearlessly ripping the band-aid off the times we live in as humanity collectively tries to figure out what the heck is going on—maybe we need to slow down a little and breathe.
You will thank Greentree for her active mind after you devour the last word of this darkly poignant, somehow hilarious gem.
WRITTEN: 24 January 2023
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews