But I Digretch: Quirky Short Stories

by Gretchen Astro Turner

Whimsical and zany but edged with darkness, evocatively lyrical with goosebump-eliciting endings, Gretchen Astro Turner’s 13 short stories in But I Digretch are for the romantic in all of us—but also the cynic. This fiction collection is for the surrealist and the dreamer. It’s for those who live by carpe diem or struggle to find their raison d’etre. …those who love an addict or may be addicts themselves. …members of the LGBTQ+ community. …readers who are into vampire lore as well as those who know life may best be understood via metaphor and symbolism. A logophile and a bibliophile with a Master of Arts in the Teaching of English Language Arts from Columbia University, Turner has written a playful road map through storytelling and language.

168 pages, Paperback

Published September 29, 2022

Reviews

[Richard D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has loved ones struggling with addiction, I found Gretchen Astro Turner’s But I Digretch deeply relatable. She handles heavy themes with such grace and creativity.

[Ricky J.]

I’ve never read a collection quite like this. Gretchen Astro Turner’s But I Digretch is whimsical, haunting, and utterly original.

[Paul N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure literary sunshine! This book is proof that short stories can pack a powerful, hilarious punch. An instant favorite for me.

[Meredith R.]

I couldn’t stop reading once I started. But I Digretch by Gretchen Astro Turner is quirky, clever, and unforgettable.

[Timothy G.]

This collection is wild in the best way. Gretchen Astro Turner makes you laugh one moment and reflect deeply the next. But I Digretch is a gem.

[Shirley C.]

The variety in But I Digretch is incredible. Gretchen Astro Turner brings something fresh and unexpected to every story.

[Basil J.]

I love books that make me both laugh and reflect, and that’s exactly what Gretchen Astro Turner’s But I Digretch did for me. Brilliant work!

[Beatrice C.]

I was completely charmed by But I Digretch. Gretchen Astro Turner has a gift for making the strange feel relatable and the ordinary feel magical.

[Antionette C.]

This collection is bold, quirky, and unforgettable. Gretchen Astro Turner’s But I Digretch deserves a spot on every reader’s shelf.

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

But i digretch is an engaging collection of 13 LGBTQ+ short stories that explores the themes of love and the cynic twists and turns of alterations.

These stories are like the two sides of the coin. They have an intuition that will guide through. Each story navigates through a different theme, storyline and scene that will ultimately grab you from the very beginning.

As described in the blurb, the endings are indeed "goosebump-eliciting" as i found myself flabbergasted and completely immersed in the author's writing.

Although all these are equally fascinating i found more than 6 stories as my favourite. The stories are narrated in a way that will consume your waking hours and stay with you. I read two stories each night and trust me it was the best way to end the day.

I'm really looking forward to reading more books from the author in the future. Frankly, her stories are transcendentally unique.

[Rob Jeffery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book of short stories by NY writer, Gretchen Astro Turner. Funny, whimsical, scary (at times), and touching.

[Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

But I Digretch is one of those rare short-story collections that feels alive—playful, unpredictable, and deeply human all at once. Gretchen Astro Turner blends whimsy with shadows in a way that keeps you captivated from the first story to the last. Every piece in this collection carries its own voice, yet they all share the same imaginative spark and emotional honesty that make Turner’s writing unforgettable.

What impressed me most is her ability to shift from quirky humor to lyrical depth in a single sentence. The stories flirt with surrealism, embrace dream logic, and then land with goosebump-inducing endings that linger long after you’ve turned the page. Turner writes for the romantic and the cynic, the dreamer and the realist—anyone who recognizes that life is messy, beautiful, strange, and sometimes painfully true.

The themes reach wide: identity, longing, love in all its forms, addiction, hope, and the search for meaning (“raison d’être”) that so many of us quietly navigate. Turner also creates space for LGBTQ+ readers and for anyone who appreciates stories layered with symbolism, metaphor, and the occasional vampire-tinged twist.

Her background as a logophile and literature lover shines through. The language is rich without being overwhelming, and each story feels like a carefully crafted invitation to step into a world slightly sideways from our own.

Overall, But I Digretch is a smart, vibrant, and emotionally resonant collection that celebrates the weird corners of life. If you enjoy surreal storytelling, poetic prose, or simply want short stories that surprise you, this book is absolutely worth reading.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

But I Digretch is a wonderfully eccentric and thought-provoking collection that showcases Gretchen Astro Turner’s remarkable range as a storyteller. Each of the thirteen stories feels like a portal into a world where whimsy and darkness coexist, where the surreal rubs shoulders with the deeply personal. Turner has a gift for taking everyday emotions longing, confusion, hope, heartbreak and filtering them through imaginative scenarios that reveal something honest and unexpected.

What stands out most is her command of language. The writing is lyrical but never pretentious, playful yet precise. Turner knows how to surprise the reader, often steering a story in a direction you didn’t see coming, then landing the final line with a quiet shock that lingers. Whether she’s exploring themes of identity, addiction, belonging, or love in its many complexities, she does it with empathy and bold creativity.

This collection speaks to dreamers, skeptics, and anyone who appreciates stories that stretch the boundaries of the real. It embraces metaphor, symbolism, and emotional depth in a way that makes every story feel both intimate and universal. From vampire lore to introspective reflections, Turner weaves it all into a cohesive, unforgettable experience.

Inventive, heartfelt, and unapologetically quirky, But I Digretch is a standout read for anyone who loves short fiction that challenges, entertains, and resonates. Highly recommended.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Interesting concepts, but too uneven for me”

I went into But I Digretch really wanting to love it the premise of surreal, emotional short stories sounded exactly like my kind of read. And to be fair, a few of the stories are genuinely imaginative and have some beautiful lines. But overall, the collection felt uneven and a bit confusing.

Several stories end abruptly or drift into symbolism without enough clarity, leaving me unsure what I was supposed to take away. The writing style is very dense and metaphor-heavy, which occasionally works, but other times made the stories feel overwritten. I also felt the sudden tonal shifts whimsical one moment, dark or disturbing the next made the book hard to settle into.

There’s definitely talent here, and readers who enjoy experimental, lyrical fiction may connect more than I did. But for me, the emotional heaviness, ambiguity, and lack of cohesion took away from the experience. I finished a few stories feeling more puzzled than moved.

[Tamara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gretchen Astro Turner’s But I Digretch is unlike anything I’ve read before. Each of the 13 short stories is whimsical, zany, and at times darkly profound, leaving me both smiling and thoughtful long after finishing. Turner’s lyrical prose creates vivid, surreal worlds where the romantic, the cynic, and the dreamer can all find a place.

What I loved most was how the stories speak to universal struggles searching for meaning, navigating love and addiction, and exploring identity while maintaining a playful and inventive narrative style. Her mastery of language is evident in every page, and the stories’ endings often left me with goosebumps.

This collection is perfect for readers who appreciate metaphor, symbolism, and a touch of the surreal. Whether you love vampires, enjoy whimsical fiction, or are simply looking for a book that challenges and delights in equal measure, But I Digretch is a must-read. I can’t wait to see what Turner writes next!

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

But i digretch is an engaging collection of 13 LGBTQ+ short stories that explores the themes of love and the cynic twists and turns of alterations. Each story navigates through a different theme, storyline and scene that will ultimately grab you from the very beginning. As described in the blurb, the endings are indeed 'goosebump-eliciting' I found myself flabbergasted and completely immersed in the author’s writing. I read two stories each night… trust me it was the best way to end the day.
Ruby highlights how immersive, emotionally impactful, and varied the collection is and notes that one could savor the stories slowly and enjoy them deeply.

[Sandracharles · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first page, But I Digretch swept me off balance in the best possible way. The collection of 13 short stories by Gretchen Astro Turner is bold, unsettling, whimsical, and heartbreakingly real all at once. Each story feels like it comes from a different corner of the author’s mind, yet together they form a hauntingly cohesive mosaic of love, pain, hope, and longing. The prose is striking — Turner plays with metaphor and symbolism so deftly that ordinary moments become charged with meaning, and the surreal blends naturally with raw human emotion.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wild ride of emotions and imagination
I went into But I Digretch expecting a few oddball stories, but I came out feeling as though I had lived thirteen different lives. Each story surprised me: some made me laugh, some made me shiver, and others made me ache with empathy. Gretchen Astro Turner's ability to shift tone from whimsical to dark to tender, often in the span of a few pages, is breathtaking. This collection doesn’t just entertain, it lingers.

[Talmage Lawhorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found But I Digretch deeply moving. Turner’s stories don’t shy away from pain, addiction, heartbreak, and identity but she handles them with honesty, nuance, and a strange lyric beauty. At times I felt raw sorrow, at times hope that barely glowed, but through it all I felt seen. Some stories left me with that lingering ache that stays even after I close the book. This is not light reading it’s a collection that gets under your skin and changes you slightly.

[Maxwell J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a masterclass in short fiction. Turner's storytelling combines humor, lyricism, and moments of haunting insight. The 13 stories invite readers to explore both the fantastical and the deeply personal. Each tale is unique, yet together they form a cohesive, enchanting whole. Ideal for those who appreciate language as art and narrative as exploration. But I Digretch is memorable and thought-provoking in every sense.

[book Creative · Rating 5 out of 5]

But I Digretch” feels like a dreamscape each story crackles with surreal energy, blending humour, pain, hope, and heartbreak. Turner’s prose is both playful and piercing, and often the most ordinary lines carry unexpected weight. The abrupt, goosebump-eliciting endings make the stories linger. A beautiful, odd, and deeply human collection that stays with you long after the last page.

[Denis · Rating 5 out of 5]

But I Digretch is one of those rare short-story collections that manages to be playful, unsettling, tender, and thought-provoking all at once. Gretchen Astro Turner writes with a lyrical sharpness that makes every sentence feel intentional. Each of the 13 stories pulls you into a world that’s just left of realitywhimsical and surreal, yet grounded in emotions that feel deeply human

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindsay Jordan writes with a voice that feels conversational and deeply personal—almost like listening to a close friend who is finally saying out loud the thoughts many people keep buried. The book blends reflection, humor, vulnerability, and raw truth, making it easy to connect with regardless of background or life stage.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short story collection that stays with you
Even after finishing the last story, I found myself thinking about the characters, the strange metaphors, the surreal dreamscapes. There’s something quietly haunting about how Turner ends many of the tales, open, poetic, unsettling. If you love short fiction that resonates long after reading, this book is for you.

[Debra P · Rating 5 out of 5]

But I Digretch is a wonderfully quirky collection that blends whimsy with a subtle darkness. Each story feels like a small puzzle, lyrical, surprising, and emotionally sharp. Turner’s writing is poetic without being overwhelming, and her metaphors stay with you long after reading. A perfect pick for dreamers, cynics, and anyone who loves surreal, thought-provoking fiction.

[Moses · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for when you want something different and bold
If you’re tired of formulaic stories, But I Digretch is a breath of fresh, if somewhat odd, air. The tone swings between dreamy and dark; some stories feel surreal, others grounded in emotional truth. There’s no “safe” predictability here. And that’s exactly what I loved about it.

[Ola Lol · Rating 5 out of 5]

retchen Astro Turner delivers short stories that are imaginative, unsettling, and beautifully written. The mix of humor, symbolism, and emotional honesty makes each piece feel unique. I loved how she weaves themes of identity, love, and addiction into such playful, surreal settings. A captivating collection for readers who enjoy genre-bending, emotionally rich storytelling.

[Betty Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved But I Digretch. The stories are quirky, strange, and deeply evocative. The author’s voice is playful yet raw, one moment you’re chuckling, the next you’re confronting something dark and real. It felt like peeking into lives on the edge, filled with love, pain, hope, and heartbreak. A short story, collection that lingers long after you turn the final page.

[Damgifted · Rating 5 out of 5]

But I Digretch is a dazzling display of Gretchen Astro Turner’s unmistakable voice,whimsical, lyrical, deeply human, and edged with just the right touch of darkness. Each of the 13 stories feels like stepping into a world that is equal parts dreamscape and mirror, reflecting our own joys, contradictions, and vulnerabilities back at us.

[Kathey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turner’s mastery of language shines through every page. Her metaphors linger, her symbolism resonates, and her ability to shift from playful to profound in an instant is nothing short of remarkable. The stories are quirky and surreal, yet rooted in emotional depth, making them irresistible to both the romantic and the cynic.