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jasminenoack's review against another edition
5.0
Yes, yes, I am reading these books too fast and giving everything 5 stars, but it isn't my fault. They have all been short and I have simply picked books that I knew I was going to like.
This had everything I want from a short story collection, predictable but hilarious twists, creepy stories, lots of sex references, and swearing (although that there could have been more of). I liked the story that is available on [a:Patrick Wensink|3126829|Patrick Wensink|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1264554430p2/3126829.jpg]'s goodreads blog, and I liked the rest of the book. It reads a bit funny because there isn't a lot of continuity in length of the stories they vary in length greatly and one will seem long and the next is over before it starts, but I suppose some things you just have more to say about than others, and there is nothing worse than overextending a good joke.
The stories although strange don't seem completely out of the ordinary. Could someone have a sex dungeon? yes. Could someone hire another person to punch people? yes. Could someone's job be spreading diseases? certainly. I could get really intellectual and talk about Wensink's commentary on capitalism and the process of industrialization and make the book sound horribly boring, or I could just give you a taste:
"'No' the bible holding one said. He stuck his fingers in the space between the hardback covers. From that hollowed out holy book, the soldier fished up the world's tiniest bullet proof vest, the size a baby doll would wear."
now really tell me you don't now want to go buy the book.
This had everything I want from a short story collection, predictable but hilarious twists, creepy stories, lots of sex references, and swearing (although that there could have been more of). I liked the story that is available on [a:Patrick Wensink|3126829|Patrick Wensink|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1264554430p2/3126829.jpg]'s goodreads blog, and I liked the rest of the book. It reads a bit funny because there isn't a lot of continuity in length of the stories they vary in length greatly and one will seem long and the next is over before it starts, but I suppose some things you just have more to say about than others, and there is nothing worse than overextending a good joke.
The stories although strange don't seem completely out of the ordinary. Could someone have a sex dungeon? yes. Could someone hire another person to punch people? yes. Could someone's job be spreading diseases? certainly. I could get really intellectual and talk about Wensink's commentary on capitalism and the process of industrialization and make the book sound horribly boring, or I could just give you a taste:
"'No' the bible holding one said. He stuck his fingers in the space between the hardback covers. From that hollowed out holy book, the soldier fished up the world's tiniest bullet proof vest, the size a baby doll would wear."
now really tell me you don't now want to go buy the book.
rosseroo's review
4.0
Each of the eleven short stories in this small collection are built on a lone imaginative premise, upon which the story succeeds or fails. They can be breezed through in about an hour, and while I found myself chuckling at almost every piece, they're so thin that they generally fail to leave much of an impression. They remind me of the micro-fiction and humor web sites that friends periodically send me links to. Momentarily amusing and diverting, with pleasantly skewed sensibilities, but not developed enough to really tell if the author's got the ability to pull off a fully realized short story, as opposed to an amusing skit.
For example, the title story is basically a real estate agent's narration of a home tour in which the seller has installed a sex romper room in the basement. The humor is all in the premise, and the execution of it doesn't move beyond the obvious. Similarly, "Chicken Soup for the Kidnapper's Soul" is the title and all you really need to know about a parody of the saccharine bestselling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series. "The Many Lives of James Brown's Capes" riffs on what happened to the dead soul singer's personal effects that were sold at auction. You get the idea.
Which is not to say that some of the pieces aren't a little more biting than others. For example, "Wash, Rinse, Repeat" is a decent little satire involving washing machines with a "Kill" setting, and "Donor 322" uses email exchanges to throw a dark light on sperm donation. My favorite of all is "My Son Thinks He's French," which takes the titular concept for a spin, only to execute a twisted and hilarious punchline in the last paragraph.
Ultimately, if you have a taste for the somewhat twisted, dark, or surreal, you might want to check this out. For me, it's the kind of writing that if a friend showed me, I'd be impressed and encouraging -- but it's not quite ready for prime-time. Some good stuff here, and hopefully it's just the first taste of bigger things to come from the author.
For example, the title story is basically a real estate agent's narration of a home tour in which the seller has installed a sex romper room in the basement. The humor is all in the premise, and the execution of it doesn't move beyond the obvious. Similarly, "Chicken Soup for the Kidnapper's Soul" is the title and all you really need to know about a parody of the saccharine bestselling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series. "The Many Lives of James Brown's Capes" riffs on what happened to the dead soul singer's personal effects that were sold at auction. You get the idea.
Which is not to say that some of the pieces aren't a little more biting than others. For example, "Wash, Rinse, Repeat" is a decent little satire involving washing machines with a "Kill" setting, and "Donor 322" uses email exchanges to throw a dark light on sperm donation. My favorite of all is "My Son Thinks He's French," which takes the titular concept for a spin, only to execute a twisted and hilarious punchline in the last paragraph.
Ultimately, if you have a taste for the somewhat twisted, dark, or surreal, you might want to check this out. For me, it's the kind of writing that if a friend showed me, I'd be impressed and encouraging -- but it's not quite ready for prime-time. Some good stuff here, and hopefully it's just the first taste of bigger things to come from the author.
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