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kfan's review
4.0
Jackie's not so much a writer as she is a zombie sorcerer. She creates these sentences that come crawling at you out of every dark corner, all naked and dirty and starving. Pretty intense and astounding stuff.
I felt the last two stories weren't quite as strong as the rest of the collection, something about the characters or the narrative threads didn't grab as tight a hold of me. But this is minor, overall it's a fantastic collection and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Favorites were "The Suburban Swindle" (SO GOOD) and "The Smoker in Winter".
I felt the last two stories weren't quite as strong as the rest of the collection, something about the characters or the narrative threads didn't grab as tight a hold of me. But this is minor, overall it's a fantastic collection and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Favorites were "The Suburban Swindle" (SO GOOD) and "The Smoker in Winter".
sshabein's review
3.0
It’s a slim volume, eight stories alone, but all are drenched in the smallest details — the way a bitter drink slides down throats, the texture of scars from old wounds, and the way the one’s environment turns otherworldly while under the influence.
I didn’t love every story — some seemed too lost in the details at the expense of plot — but I did appreciate the realness of each character. None are all that likeable, but I’ve certainly met people like them. They’re the screwed up men and women you see out in dive bars, scruffy and intense with one another, knowing the bartender by name. They smoke cheap cigarettes outside and talk blithely about their buddy’s most recent criminal troubles.
(Full review can be found at Glorified Love Letters.)
I didn’t love every story — some seemed too lost in the details at the expense of plot — but I did appreciate the realness of each character. None are all that likeable, but I’ve certainly met people like them. They’re the screwed up men and women you see out in dive bars, scruffy and intense with one another, knowing the bartender by name. They smoke cheap cigarettes outside and talk blithely about their buddy’s most recent criminal troubles.
(Full review can be found at Glorified Love Letters.)
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