Reviews

Not Anyone's Anything by Ian Williams

lsparrow's review against another edition

2.0

a collection of short stories - which felt varied in terms of character, style of writing and setting. although that was not enough to make me love it.

beckyblake's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this collection of stories. Over and over again, Williams's characters stepped off the page for me, enlivened by spot-on dialogue and keenly-observed physical gesture. This collection is inventive and lyrical. The stories, which are mainly set in Toronto, include several structural or conceptual 'gimmicks': pages split in half, musical scores, Korean flashcards etc. What's impressive is that these unusual formatting tricks actually work; they lift the stories to a higher poignancy, adding value for the reader without pretense. Several stories from the collection have left after-images which I suspect will linger for longer than usual due to Williams's unique pairing of form and content.

kayjay34's review against another edition

4.0

I really like this. I love how Williams plays with formats, inserting interesting reading patterns or images into his work. As well, even though it was a series sof vignettes, I felt most characters were fleshed out.