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dreaming_ace's review
4.0
An interesting collection of stories that I would call stories of emotions more than plots. They were stories that make you feel more than necessary think.
jess_mango's review
4.0
A House is a Body is a debut short story collection by Shruti Swamy. And what a strong debut it is! These stories are mostly centered around female characters in settings ranging from India to the US. The stand out central commonality between the stories for me was a dreamlike quality. Right now, the one that is standing out in my mind is the titular story, where a young mom is overwhelmed by motherhood and the raging wildfire that is approaching her house.
The stories were all very honest...almost raw with their look at humanity and all that it encompasses: love, loneliness, sadness, sexuality, fear. The author is not at all timid with her writing. It was refreshing to see such a searing look at the lives and minds of female Indian characters. The stories were both realistic and magical, which all played into that aforementioned dreamlike quality.
I highly recommend this collection!
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy!
The stories were all very honest...almost raw with their look at humanity and all that it encompasses: love, loneliness, sadness, sexuality, fear. The author is not at all timid with her writing. It was refreshing to see such a searing look at the lives and minds of female Indian characters. The stories were both realistic and magical, which all played into that aforementioned dreamlike quality.
I highly recommend this collection!
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy!
claralivesinbooks's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.5
There were two stories I liked out of the whole collection. I considered DNFing it many times. The problem for me was that I didn't see the point of the stories since most of them were way too short or led nowhere. Some stories had fantastical elements, but I didn't see the point of most of them. The writing was okay, but I struggled so much to finish this. I read many short story collections and it's extremely rare that I like all of the stories in them, but here only two made sense to me.
ananarchie's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
smydels's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dame_samara's review
3.0
Rating: 3.5
I think I wasn't in the right headspace to enjoy this piece of literature fully.
Should I have expected depictions of sex by interpretation o the title? Yes. Did I? No. Did that mean I began listening to it at work? Yes.
While it definitely depicted sex more often, then I personally found comfortable. I found Swamy's stories fascinating. Especially how I felt listening to these stories and how they blended so seamlessly.
While each story was very much, it's own and could be enjoyed as such. Taken in together, you find instances that make you feel like you're being pulled back into a story you had earlier read, being shown a piece of that story that had been left out, a light being shown to highlight something else.
I think I wasn't in the right headspace to enjoy this piece of literature fully.
Should I have expected depictions of sex by interpretation o the title? Yes. Did I? No. Did that mean I began listening to it at work? Yes.
While it definitely depicted sex more often, then I personally found comfortable. I found Swamy's stories fascinating. Especially how I felt listening to these stories and how they blended so seamlessly.
While each story was very much, it's own and could be enjoyed as such. Taken in together, you find instances that make you feel like you're being pulled back into a story you had earlier read, being shown a piece of that story that had been left out, a light being shown to highlight something else.
book_me's review
4.0
In the same vein as Rivka Galchen and Joanna Walsh, this is a very heady, speculative collection. I had to be in the right mood to fully engage with the stories, thus it took me a while to finish. It is a collection to savor. There are times when Swamy's descriptions are good and other times when they are incredible. Particular to my memory is a passage about a couple's first experience of snow in "A Simple Composition" and another of pleasure and youth in "Earthly Pleasures."