Reviews

i wrote a whole ass review that storygraph didnt save so here are bullet pts
-tis a funny haha book, i chuckled i snorted i went oink oink oo haha hmm oo
-saundog has a pretty clear formula-down on their luck outsider kinda guys who are a little pathetic/weird tryna make their way thru an uncomfortable situation in their workplace/home/cave.
-but sometimes formulas aren't bad! especially when they're carefully varied and executed well enough to shed light on things (in this case, american life in age of corporate/late stage cap bullshit jobs) w nuance not achievable in one execution of the formula.
-also esp when there's only six stories that go by fairly quick
-title story is a standout, def the most interesting and funny concept. warranted being much longer than the rest and made that length payoff by really rounding out the main two characters so we kept in it.
-i just quite like the style at work here-simple clean prose w such clear voices blended in from its narrators. loved the last story's little dig at more pretentious and verbose writers.
-not tht fond of the barber's unhappiness. maybe im missing something but i just felt like i was just reading /r/incel or something.
-if u get a chance, the audio version is great! read by saunders himself w little musical interludes also played and written by him? his voice is very weasel like which was perfect. i kind of imagined most of these characters as little weasel people, ala fantastic mr fox (2009).
-bye

seefongread's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

coreys_catalog's review

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dark funny mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A small collection of short stories. The only ones of his that I have ever read. I thought that the story titled "Pastoralia" was very good - the best one. Each of the characters has good depth and the story is funny and engaging. It is easy to follow along and stay in the world that he created.

The next story called "Winky" was also pretty well written and engaging, but a little bit darker. All of the rest of the stories were less remarkable and I found myself struggling to finish them.