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katiegilley's review
4.0
“It was the winter after the most depressing election of my adult life, a low point for my faith in the polls, and I had started keeping an unofficial tally in my head of how much I trusted each new white person I met. It was a pitiful tally, because I had decided most of them would forgive anyone who harmed me, would worry more about vocal antiracism ruining the holiday party season and causing the cheese plates to go to waste than about the lives and sanity of the nonwhite humans in their midst.”
This was a stunning collection of short stories, full of thoughts on race and grief. I often struggle to find meaning in short stories; I’m sure Evans layered a lot into these stories that I missed and still – I found most of them to be powerful and thought-provoking.
This was a stunning collection of short stories, full of thoughts on race and grief. I often struggle to find meaning in short stories; I’m sure Evans layered a lot into these stories that I missed and still – I found most of them to be powerful and thought-provoking.
logsbooklog's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
a beautiful collection of short stories that i will be rotating in my head for the rest of my life. each one felt more earthshattering than the last, and there really are no duds here. evans has a way of writing where every story is like a puzzle box, where you slowly open piece by piece until you have the complete picture in front of you, and it makes every story a revelation.
i won’t be spoiling anything concrete, but i’ll be reviewing each story now and i recommend going in blend so it’s up to you if you wanna read further.
happily ever after-
not at all a dud, but maybe the weakest story here. it was short and sweet and well written, but did not leave me as much to chew on as the others
richard of york gave battle in vain-
this story definitely had something special to it, and is the first real knockout of the collection. and that ending is HAUNTING it will stick with me forever
boys go to jupiter-
this is the best story here. thinking about the layers of complexity and pain and trauma is literally nauseating, but it’s so moving and impassioned that it’s all worth it.
alcatraz-
this one left me feeling hollow, like a piece of my soul had been sucked out. it’s definitely the most simmering, pensive story here, but still just as deeply affecting.
why won’t women just say what they want-
another one i will be thinking about for a long time. it deals in themes of performance, forgiveness, and responsibility in such a unique and creative format, and the ending third contains so many concepts to pick apart
anything could disappear-
this def felt the most by the numbers conceptually, but the author takes it so many interesting places and her writing and skill at creating uncertainty carries what would ordinarily feel tropey
the office of historical corrections-
as the novella of the bunch, this undeniably has the most to chew on, which is fitting since it’s a mystery. the themes and once again the ending shine here, and the character writing excels in this longer format. id love to see a full novel in this style from evans one day.
overall, this collection is so worth your time if you want a thinker, and stories that will haunt you for days after finishing them. they’re incredible and revelatory in ways most full novels aren’t for me
i won’t be spoiling anything concrete, but i’ll be reviewing each story now and i recommend going in blend so it’s up to you if you wanna read further.
happily ever after-
not at all a dud, but maybe the weakest story here. it was short and sweet and well written, but did not leave me as much to chew on as the others
richard of york gave battle in vain-
this story definitely had something special to it, and is the first real knockout of the collection. and that ending is HAUNTING it will stick with me forever
boys go to jupiter-
this is the best story here. thinking about the layers of complexity and pain and trauma is literally nauseating, but it’s so moving and impassioned that it’s all worth it.
alcatraz-
this one left me feeling hollow, like a piece of my soul had been sucked out. it’s definitely the most simmering, pensive story here, but still just as deeply affecting.
why won’t women just say what they want-
another one i will be thinking about for a long time. it deals in themes of performance, forgiveness, and responsibility in such a unique and creative format, and the ending third contains so many concepts to pick apart
anything could disappear-
this def felt the most by the numbers conceptually, but the author takes it so many interesting places and her writing and skill at creating uncertainty carries what would ordinarily feel tropey
the office of historical corrections-
as the novella of the bunch, this undeniably has the most to chew on, which is fitting since it’s a mystery. the themes and once again the ending shine here, and the character writing excels in this longer format. id love to see a full novel in this style from evans one day.
overall, this collection is so worth your time if you want a thinker, and stories that will haunt you for days after finishing them. they’re incredible and revelatory in ways most full novels aren’t for me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death, Cancer, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Racial slurs
ellenfstein's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
rafritz1's review
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, and Racial slurs
mathenam's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
juliarziegler's review
5.0
Each short story is sort of like a less extreme Black Mirror episode - and by that I mean all the more believable. It reads like nonfiction, which I think makes it effective at exposing the more banal structures of oppression. The title story was one of the best short stories I’ve ever read. I lost my breath at the end of it. And proceeded to cry, which if you’ve read any of my other reviews, is becoming a theme among the literature I like the most.
jennette_danyelle's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0