I am awestruck at how beautifully crafted the characters and plot are, how engaging and exciting the story is, start to finish, and at the ending whicI am awestruck at how beautifully crafted the characters and plot are, how engaging and exciting the story is, start to finish, and at the ending which I think is the most powerful I've encountered so far in all fiction. I have no words....more
While this collection starts off with stories that feel pointless, or like they've lost focus at the end, it ends up delivering some very thought provWhile this collection starts off with stories that feel pointless, or like they've lost focus at the end, it ends up delivering some very thought provoking situations and philosophical questions, though not always presented by the most mentally stable people.
(Which in some ways remind me of another collection I read, Angel Dust Apocalypse by Jeremy Robert Johnson. Some of the feelings and thoughts of the characters in these works can hit home (be it serious or occasionally somewhat silly in Johnson's case) and make you think about yourself in a new context, which is always at least interesting. An example from Gira being from the story The Performance Artist, which got me to question the boundaries of art, if there are any, and to examine whether such a thing is even definable. Like, that's not even what the story was about and it launched me into an entire philosophical rabbit hole! I guess that's just the nature of how these stories are presented.)
These works are very surreally presented; in a stream of concious fashion by nameless characters in narrow and often unexplained environments, which works wonders for atmosphere and feeling your way around the themes explored. Reading this often felt like wandering through space, occasionally coming across a display of a mentally messed up soul and his worldview. I absolutely adore this style of writing, even though it doesn't work for a wide range of stories.
I haven't listened to the CD that came with the book yet (I have a physical copy! Be jealous, please... please...) so I might end up updating this review if I have anything to add afterwards....more
**spoiler alert** Like, you see it coming, but still... I don't know how to write a literary dissection so I'll just say it's good.**spoiler alert** Like, you see it coming, but still... I don't know how to write a literary dissection so I'll just say it's good....more
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