Book Review: Emma Cline's Daddy: Stories

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of Emma Cline’s short story collection, Daddy: Stories, in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed Cline’s debut novel, The Girls, and I was thrilled to be given a copy of her latest work, Daddy: Stories. I love a good short story collection and as much as I was impressed by The Girls, Cline truly shines in the short story format. They are all page-turners. I bet you can’t read just one without going to the next. Cline is masterful with tension in the short story format. She grips the reader, ending her stories at the exact perfect moment that leaves a lingering sense of wonder about the character’s next move. This collection is haunting.

Cline’s stories are incredibly uncomfortable. They deal with queasy, taboo topics like adultery, addiction, and the sexualization of children. None of her stories are easy. Reading Daddy: Stories is an experience akin to watching a horror movie, where I physically felt my body curl into a ball and my eyes turning to slits, to protect myself as I continued with the horrific situations that the characters were placed in.

Thank goodness not every story or character was relatable, but those that were, added another level of cringe. I guarantee that you will see some of your own terrible, dark traits reflected back to you in Cline’s characters. I felt it most in Marion, where an innocent preteen girl gets wrapped up in the deceptions of an older teen.

Daddy: Stories is one of my top reads for 2020 and a must if you gravitate towards short stories. Cline is a fearless writer with complex characters. Steady yourself for a bumpy, uncomfortable ride. Also be prepared to have these stories linger in your mind for a good week after finishing.

Book Review- Emma Cline's The Girls

Thank You to Random House for providing me with an advanced copy of Emma Cline's novel, The Girls, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - Set in the late 60's in Northern California, The Girls, follows protagonist Evie Boyd, a teenager from a privileged background, who befriends a group of free-spirited girls involved in a local cult. Evie is charmed by an older girl, Suzanne and soon falls prey to the charasmatic cult-leader, Russell. Stealing to help the impoverished cult members becomes part of Evie's routine, but quickly things escalate, and Evie realizes that the cult is involved in more dangerous crimes. Will Evie be able to escape the cult or will the cult become part of her permanent identity?

LIKE- A story of a Charles Manson-esque cult? Emma Cline, you have my attention! The Girls is dark, creepy, and a complete page turner. Evie is a believable, if not frustrating protagonist. Her initial fascination with the cult is quickly eclipsed by her desperate need to fit in and be accepted. It's like watching a horror movie and wanting to yell at the protagonist for walking into a dark cellar. Although this drove me nuts about Evie, it was also masterfully written by Cline. I liked how Cline set the story in the late 60's, her rich details transported me to the era.

DISLIKE- I was a little disappointed with the ending. I'm not sure what I was anticipating or how I would have written it differently, but there was an odd tone shift. The intensity of the story dropped and the ending didn't feel as threatening as I would have expected the situation to play out. The tone didn't match the story, but the story made logical sense. I liked how the ending fed into the overall theme of how the cult affected Evie's life.

RECOMMEND- Yes! The Girls is a page-turner and Cline is a wonderful storyteller. The Girls is atmospheric, unsettling, and populated with vivid characters that you won't soon forget.