Book Review- Amelia Gray's Gutshot

PLOT- A collection of visceral, magical, and often horrifying short stories by Amelia Gray.

LIKE- I received Amelia Gray's short story collection, Gutshot, as part of my Quarterly Company Literary Box. The spring 2017 box was curated by Borne author, Jeff Vandermeer and as part of his picks, Vandermeer included Gray's collection.

I had never heard of Gray previous to her book arriving in my box, but immediately, I was drawn to the title and cover art. I packed Gutshot to take on my cruise to Alaska, but just a few pages into the first story, I realized that this was too special of a collection to read while on a distracting, family holiday. I stuck to magazines for the vacation. Now, eight months later, I finally found a distraction free afternoon and took the plunge.

Many of her stories are raw and powerful. There are few that elicited the feeling of the title: Gutshot. I felt physically moved and wounded while reading them.

Here are a few of my favorites.

A Contest- a micro-short about people competing to put on the best display of mourning for a person that they love who has died. They are told that the gods will pick the person that has experienced the most grief and that person's loved one will come back to them. Several people are mentioned and they are all very worthy, including parents grieving over a lost child. The story simply ends with one sentence involving a character who had not been mentioned earlier in the story, a woman who opens her front door to find that her cat has returned. This had me in tears. I've lost so many people and pets in my life, but honestly mourning a pet is such a different type of grief. 

The Lives of Ghosts - Marcy has recently lost her mother, but discovers that her mom is haunting her in the form of an enormous pimple on Marcy's face. A pimple that talks and gives advice, including unsolicited motherly advice. This story was so completely unexpected, humorous, and ultimately heartbreaking. I found myself laughing out loud at this irreverent story.

Thank You- A hilarious story about an escalating passive-aggressive exchange of thank you notes. Thank You, as with many of Gray's stories, increases in outrageousness, creating a fantasy situation. Very funny and relatable. I don't think there are many women who won't relate to this frenemy story with manners.

DISLIKE- I can't claim to like each of Gray's stories with equal measure; some were so bizarre that I found trouble connecting. Often her stories turned grotesque or incredibly violent, which is not something that bothers me, but I also felt that it didn't always serve the story, like it was for shock value more than anything.

RECOMMEND- Yes! Gray is a talented writer and the stories in Gutshot are not ones that I can easily compare to another author. They might not be everyone's cup of tea, but they are certainly original. The stories that got me in my gut, I will not soon forget. I look forward to reading more stories by Gray.

Book Review- Julia Sonneborn's By The Book

Thank you to Gallery Books for providing me with an advance copy of Julia Sonneborn's novel, By The Book, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Anne followed her dreams instead of her heart, and now in middle-age, she is second guessing her choices. She has a doctorate in English Literature and is teaching at a prestigious liberal-arts college in Southern California, but Anne is stressed. She has an incredible amount of student debt and is on the cusp of losing her job, which is contingent on her securing a publication deal before the end of winter semester.

To complicate matters, Anne's former college boyfriend and former fiance, Adam, has accepted the job as president at Anne's college. Their break-up happened over Anne thinking that she had to choose between love or grad school. The couple's pride prevented them from talking out this misunderstanding and they had spoken since college. 

Can Anne figure out a way to pursue all of her dreams or will her previous bad decisions impact the rest of her life?

LIKE- By The Book is a charming story and quick read. I was drawn to it because it is labeled as a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion. I love Austen and I've read Persuasion, more than once, but I guess I'm not as big of an Austen fan as I thought I was, because the actual story wasn't familiar enough for me to recognize it as a retelling. It did have Austen tones with regard to the relationship between Anne and Adam, their pride getting in the way and the general romantic overtones. The story has a very Austen type of character in Rick, a slick-talking writer that sweeps Anne off her feet, but who is of course, not the man he seems. Rick and Adam have an Austen style stand-off, where they each pursue Anne in their own way, but have a clear disdain for one another. 

Persuasion is brought up in a straight-forward way, as Anne's favorite book, a precious copy is given to her by Adam when they are first dating. Various writers are mentioned, via Anne's love of literature and her profession, so By the Book is made for book-lovers. You'll geek out over the references.

I loved the character of Larry, Anne's best friend at the college. He's the type of best friend that everyone should aspire to have in their lives and to be to others. He's awesome!

By the Book is a fluffy, enjoyable read. It's a great vacation pick, fast-faced and a story that will leave you with a smile on your face. I don't generally favor overly romantic stories, but this hit the right level of romance to melt my heart.

DISLIKE- Not a true dislike, but I need to explain the level of By The Book. I very much enjoyed it, but it's not they type of book that is likely to win-awards or will be life-changing. It's simply an entertaining read and there is nothing wrong with that!

RECOMMEND- Yes! I've already recommend this to a close friend who loves Austen. By the Book is romantic, and sweet story with likable characters.

Book Review- Mieko Kawakami's Ms. Ice Sandwich

Thank you to Pushkin Press for providing me with a copy of Mieko Kawakami's novella, Ms. Ice Sandwich, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - A young boy going through puberty develops a crush on a quirky woman who sells ice sandwiches at a local grocery store.

LIKE/DISLIKE- Ms. Ice Sandwich is part of Pushkin Press' series highlighting Japanese authors. I love reading writers from other countries, but I have to admit that I felt like a lot of this novella was lost in translation. Actually, I'm left unsure whether or not it was lost in translation or just not a complete story. Or perhaps, it was brilliant writing, because it kept me thinking about it long after I put it down.

The most intriguing aspect was the character, Ms. Ice Sandwich. She is a very unusual woman, who wears thick blue eye-shadow and is mocked by many people in the town. The protagonist, is fascinated by her and goes out of his way to visit her sandwich stall. I'm not sure that I quite understand what an ice sandwich is, but I think it was more of a Japanese treat, than a savory or meal item. She, being an adult, has no idea that this kid has a crush on her. Knowing that she is older and the town-weirdo, he keeps his obsession fairly hidden, only spilling partial truths to his friend, a girl he has nicknamed Tutti-Fruiti. I wasn't sure how this crush was going to play out. I kept thinking with the way that the town treats Ms. Ice Sandwich, that she may have been transgendered, but this never came about in the story. It seems her treatment is solely because she dresses quirky and wears too much make-up. This wasn't a strong character or story choice. I was let-down when my anticipation of a greater reveal, never came to fruition.

Kawakami captures a young boy's first crush very well, with plenty of realism. He goes through so many emotions as he is trying to process this new feeling. He also has awkwardness with his peers and is dealing with caring for his sick grandmother. 

The end of Ms. Ice Sandwich was a let-down, with a dull resolution with regard to both the crush and Ms. Ice Sandwich's future. I was wanting a more dramatic or unexpected resolution, but the story just ended on a dull note. It fizzled.

RECOMMEND- Maybe. If you can read Ms. Ice Sandwich in Japanese, I think you might have a better experience. Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I don't think it will be memorable when I look back over my favorite books that I read in 2018.