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Normal Rules Don't Apply: Stories
A dazzling collection of eleven interconnected stories from the bestselling, award-winning author of Shrines of Gaiety and Life After Life , with everything that readers love about her novels—the inventiveness, the verbal felicity, the sharp observations on human nature, and the deeply satisfying emotional wallop.
Nothing is quite as it seems in this collection of eleven dazzling stories. We meet a queen who makes a bargain she cannot keep; a secretary who watches over the life she has just left; a man who bets on a horse that may—or may not—have spoken to him. Everything that readers love about the novels of Kate Atkinson is here—the inventiveness, the verbal felicity, the sharp observations on human nature, and the deeply satisfying emotional wallop.
A startling and funny feast for the imagination, these stories conjure a multiverse of subtly connected worlds while illuminating the webs of chance and connection among us all.
Nothing is quite as it seems in this collection of eleven dazzling stories. We meet a queen who makes a bargain she cannot keep; a secretary who watches over the life she has just left; a man who bets on a horse that may—or may not—have spoken to him. Everything that readers love about the novels of Kate Atkinson is here—the inventiveness, the verbal felicity, the sharp observations on human nature, and the deeply satisfying emotional wallop.
A startling and funny feast for the imagination, these stories conjure a multiverse of subtly connected worlds while illuminating the webs of chance and connection among us all.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published September 13, 2023
1,025 people are currently reading
13.7k people want to read
About the author
Kate Atkinson
68books11.8kfollowersKate Atkinson was born in York and now lives in Edinburgh. Her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award and she has been a critically acclaimed international bestselling author ever since.
She is the author of a collection of short stories, Not the End of the World, and of the critically acclaimed novels Human Croquet, Emotionally Weird, Case Histories, and One Good Turn.
Case Histories introduced her readers to Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, and won the Saltire Book of the Year Award and the Prix Westminster.
When Will There Be Good News? was voted Richard & Judy Book Best Read of the Year. After Case Histories and One Good Turn, it was her third novel to feature the former private detective Jackson Brodie, who makes a welcome return in Started Early, Took My Dog.
She is the author of a collection of short stories, Not the End of the World, and of the critically acclaimed novels Human Croquet, Emotionally Weird, Case Histories, and One Good Turn.
Case Histories introduced her readers to Jackson Brodie, former police inspector turned private investigator, and won the Saltire Book of the Year Award and the Prix Westminster.
When Will There Be Good News? was voted Richard & Judy Book Best Read of the Year. After Case Histories and One Good Turn, it was her third novel to feature the former private detective Jackson Brodie, who makes a welcome return in Started Early, Took My Dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,516 reviews
September 28, 2023
4.5⭐️
Normal Rules Don't Apply by Kate Atkinson is a remarkable collection of loosely connected short stories featuring a cast of interesting characters (enchanted and otherwise) combining elements of speculative fiction, surrealism, mystery, fantasy and folklore, humor, drama and much more. These stories revolve around themes ranging from dystopian, evolution and conservation of our planet and its resources, the human condition and life choices , accountability and consequences, family and motherhood, among others.
The collection begins with a story of an apocalyptic event that selectively affects humans and other living species (Void). A vicar’s daughter’s questions about and fairy tale about lost fairy queens and princesses might lead to some surprising revelations (Spellbound). A deceased woman reflects over her life , marriage and her previous assumptions of the afterlife much more while trying to recall how she met her end in Blithe Spirit. A middle-aged divorcee lamenting over missed chances and the growing distance with her adult children as she struggles to find a sense of purpose finds herself in an unexpected situation in Shine, Pamela! Shine! . The fate of a young girl’s toys hangs in the balance as the owner’s family experiences much upheaval in their lives in Existential: Marginalization. In Puppies and Rainbows, we meet a Hollywood movie star whose new romance with a high-profile individual might not be the solution to all her problems. An advertising professional’s divine responsibilities prove to be much more stressful than her day job in Gene-sis. More than one story revolves around Frank (Dogs in Jeopardy, The Indiscreet Charm: of the Bourgeoisie, Classic Quest 17 - Crime and Punishment) , a television producer, as he navigates his early struggles, career highs, his love life and some encounters with some very interesting characters, to say the least. Several threads from other stories intersect in the final story , What-If.
Witty and humorous, fantastical and chilling yet wise and thought-provoking, author Kate Atkinson’s sharp writing and masterful storytelling render this an immensely enjoyable read.
Given the nature of the overlap in the stories and the recurring characters whose arcs are stretched over more than one story, I am not rating each of the stories separately as I usually do. However, I will mention that my favorites in the collection were The Void, Spellbound, Classic Quest 17 - Crime and Punishmentand What-If.
Finally, I love that cover!
Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Connect with me! � � �
Normal Rules Don't Apply by Kate Atkinson is a remarkable collection of loosely connected short stories featuring a cast of interesting characters (enchanted and otherwise) combining elements of speculative fiction, surrealism, mystery, fantasy and folklore, humor, drama and much more. These stories revolve around themes ranging from dystopian, evolution and conservation of our planet and its resources, the human condition and life choices , accountability and consequences, family and motherhood, among others.
The collection begins with a story of an apocalyptic event that selectively affects humans and other living species (Void). A vicar’s daughter’s questions about and fairy tale about lost fairy queens and princesses might lead to some surprising revelations (Spellbound). A deceased woman reflects over her life , marriage and her previous assumptions of the afterlife much more while trying to recall how she met her end in Blithe Spirit. A middle-aged divorcee lamenting over missed chances and the growing distance with her adult children as she struggles to find a sense of purpose finds herself in an unexpected situation in Shine, Pamela! Shine! . The fate of a young girl’s toys hangs in the balance as the owner’s family experiences much upheaval in their lives in Existential: Marginalization. In Puppies and Rainbows, we meet a Hollywood movie star whose new romance with a high-profile individual might not be the solution to all her problems. An advertising professional’s divine responsibilities prove to be much more stressful than her day job in Gene-sis. More than one story revolves around Frank (Dogs in Jeopardy, The Indiscreet Charm: of the Bourgeoisie, Classic Quest 17 - Crime and Punishment) , a television producer, as he navigates his early struggles, career highs, his love life and some encounters with some very interesting characters, to say the least. Several threads from other stories intersect in the final story , What-If.
Witty and humorous, fantastical and chilling yet wise and thought-provoking, author Kate Atkinson’s sharp writing and masterful storytelling render this an immensely enjoyable read.
Given the nature of the overlap in the stories and the recurring characters whose arcs are stretched over more than one story, I am not rating each of the stories separately as I usually do. However, I will mention that my favorites in the collection were The Void, Spellbound, Classic Quest 17 - Crime and Punishmentand What-If.
Finally, I love that cover!
Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Connect with me! � � �
August 27, 2023
Billed as 11 loosely interconnected stories, Normal Rules Don’t Apply, is just plain bonkers. As in, what the h*** did I just read? The book liv3s up to its name.
Atkinson touches on multiple genres - we have a fairy tale, an origin story and science fiction, woven into more normal stories of love, royalty, murder and mayhem. There are talking animals and the walking dead. It was completely unreal. I found myself often shaking my head when I would get to the end of a story.
I'm not a fan of short stories, yet I enjoyed this book. As I was expecting from Atkinson, the writing was superb. There’s lots of humor. There’s a wide variety of characters. Despite the brevity of most of these stories, the characters felt real even if the storylines did not.
My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for an advance copy of this book.
Atkinson touches on multiple genres - we have a fairy tale, an origin story and science fiction, woven into more normal stories of love, royalty, murder and mayhem. There are talking animals and the walking dead. It was completely unreal. I found myself often shaking my head when I would get to the end of a story.
I'm not a fan of short stories, yet I enjoyed this book. As I was expecting from Atkinson, the writing was superb. There’s lots of humor. There’s a wide variety of characters. Despite the brevity of most of these stories, the characters felt real even if the storylines did not.
My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for an advance copy of this book.
July 11, 2023
Five stars for this creative, interconnected group of short stories, by one of the UK‘s most gifted authors. I’m really getting into short stories, and when Kate Atkinson writes another collection, I sit up and take notice. There are colourful characters in abundance, some whom keep popping up, especially likeable Franklin, who I begin to look out for to see how he’s faring. All the array of characters, some of whom are mere snapshots, are well portrayed with a few deft strokes you were able to visualise them in all their glory, or otherwise!
The dialogue is first class, pertinent and authentic with acute observations of the human condition. This is an original collection, at times it’s very witty and funny , it’s exuberant, eccentric, at times puzzling or surprising, poignant or just plain sad, or on one occasion I’m moved some anger at the depth of the betrayal. I think readers will find several that really appeal as this collection has something for everyone. There’s some fantasy which the author has me buying into, a couple that are magical and would give the Brothers Grimm a run for their money , some are grounded in reality, you even get a long-running soap opera which crops up in several stories.
Sometimes short stories leave you feeling somewhat dissatisfied as you want more, but that is not the case here and I think that’s probably because they interconnect so cleverly. I love that most are set here in North Yorkshire, we have Swaledale sheep, Betty’s vanilla slices (way better than a fat rascal!), York races, and so on! I’m always happy to be “stranded in the north�!
It’s hard to pick out a favourite though the ones that Franklin features in are probably the ones I like the best especially “Dogs in Jeopardy� which is genius and funny which contrasts so well with “Classic Quest 17, Crime and Punishment�. Here Franklin’s “beau� Connie Kingshott, and her barking mad family, who you grow to realise are calculating witches. “What If� brings the storytelling full circle. “Void� which begins the collection is an apocalyptic nightmare with excellent vivid, descriptive storytelling. Finally, I have a little chuckle at “Puppies and Rainbows� at least American actress Skyler Schiller gets a puppy!
Highly recommended for fans of short stories, or anyone who just wants a creative and different read.
With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Random House UK, Transworld for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
The dialogue is first class, pertinent and authentic with acute observations of the human condition. This is an original collection, at times it’s very witty and funny , it’s exuberant, eccentric, at times puzzling or surprising, poignant or just plain sad, or on one occasion I’m moved some anger at the depth of the betrayal. I think readers will find several that really appeal as this collection has something for everyone. There’s some fantasy which the author has me buying into, a couple that are magical and would give the Brothers Grimm a run for their money , some are grounded in reality, you even get a long-running soap opera which crops up in several stories.
Sometimes short stories leave you feeling somewhat dissatisfied as you want more, but that is not the case here and I think that’s probably because they interconnect so cleverly. I love that most are set here in North Yorkshire, we have Swaledale sheep, Betty’s vanilla slices (way better than a fat rascal!), York races, and so on! I’m always happy to be “stranded in the north�!
It’s hard to pick out a favourite though the ones that Franklin features in are probably the ones I like the best especially “Dogs in Jeopardy� which is genius and funny which contrasts so well with “Classic Quest 17, Crime and Punishment�. Here Franklin’s “beau� Connie Kingshott, and her barking mad family, who you grow to realise are calculating witches. “What If� brings the storytelling full circle. “Void� which begins the collection is an apocalyptic nightmare with excellent vivid, descriptive storytelling. Finally, I have a little chuckle at “Puppies and Rainbows� at least American actress Skyler Schiller gets a puppy!
Highly recommended for fans of short stories, or anyone who just wants a creative and different read.
With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Random House UK, Transworld for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
October 21, 2023
I don't read nearly as much contemporary literary fiction as I used to. It was my default genre, but of late I am turned off by self-serious, issue-driven novels that exhaust with scolding themes and forced narratives. I turn toward historical fiction for depth, crime/mystery fiction for escape, and contemporary fiction that makes space for the whimsical to blossom like flowers in the bleak desert of reality. No surprise then, that Kate Atkinson remains one of my most beloved contemporary authors, book after book. She ticks every box for this reader, writing across genre with a seeming abandon that belies her astonishing command of story and of prose.
This wickedly funny, charmingly odd and poignant story collection is no exception. Eleven loosely interconnected stories, tinged with an end-of-days existential anxiety, normal rules don't apply is just that: a subversion of expectation that leaves the reader feeling slightly off-kilter, like a mild earthquake tremor or the passing wake of speeding bus that rattles with its proximity.
Horses and dogs have something to say. The earth and all its inhabitants are conjured and controlled by an attractive young advertising executive. Once a day a darkness known as the Void descends for five minutes and extinguishes the life of any human caught out of doors. A fairytale princess with a grudge shows up at your front door to become your child's nanny. And the world becomes a set piece inspired by Victorian wallpaper.
There are many laugh-out-loud moments here, but also chilling ones, as Atkinson stares down our nightmares and turns them into speculative whimsy. Her work is so very of the moment and deliciously meta, yet she turns the navel-gazing paradigm on its head and caricatures the sanctimonious. I spooned this up like chocolate trifle. More, please!
This wickedly funny, charmingly odd and poignant story collection is no exception. Eleven loosely interconnected stories, tinged with an end-of-days existential anxiety, normal rules don't apply is just that: a subversion of expectation that leaves the reader feeling slightly off-kilter, like a mild earthquake tremor or the passing wake of speeding bus that rattles with its proximity.
Horses and dogs have something to say. The earth and all its inhabitants are conjured and controlled by an attractive young advertising executive. Once a day a darkness known as the Void descends for five minutes and extinguishes the life of any human caught out of doors. A fairytale princess with a grudge shows up at your front door to become your child's nanny. And the world becomes a set piece inspired by Victorian wallpaper.
There are many laugh-out-loud moments here, but also chilling ones, as Atkinson stares down our nightmares and turns them into speculative whimsy. Her work is so very of the moment and deliciously meta, yet she turns the navel-gazing paradigm on its head and caricatures the sanctimonious. I spooned this up like chocolate trifle. More, please!
July 30, 2024
I absolutely loved this collection of loosely interconnected, quirky stories by . I was so mesmerized by this book that I stayed up all night to finish it.
I recommend it wholeheartedly, particularly if you've enjoyed her novels like "Human Croquet" and "Life After Life" - and if you haven't read those yet, I suggest you order them right now. Atkinson's deft manipulation of time and her peculiarly dry narrative voice make her stand out among contemporary authors.
If you appreciate storytelling that engages the imagination with a sense of humor and commitment to intricate plotting, I highly recommend immersing yourself in this audiobook. The mastery of Atkinson's storytelling is evident in every story, and the audiobook is well worth a listen for literary fiction devotees and anyone looking for a great literary experience.
Audiobook version can be found here:
In this volume, Atkinson masterfully combines stories in genres such as fairy tale, mystery, and fantasy. As someone who isn't usually a fan of such things, I found Atkinson's storytelling, inventiveness, and idiosyncratic conversations impossible to resist. Her continued ability to create such a universe of contradictions is exceptional within the confines of short story work, and the fact that all of the narratives are interconnected in profound ways.
I recommend it wholeheartedly, particularly if you've enjoyed her novels like "Human Croquet" and "Life After Life" - and if you haven't read those yet, I suggest you order them right now. Atkinson's deft manipulation of time and her peculiarly dry narrative voice make her stand out among contemporary authors.
If you appreciate storytelling that engages the imagination with a sense of humor and commitment to intricate plotting, I highly recommend immersing yourself in this audiobook. The mastery of Atkinson's storytelling is evident in every story, and the audiobook is well worth a listen for literary fiction devotees and anyone looking for a great literary experience.
Audiobook version can be found here:
In this volume, Atkinson masterfully combines stories in genres such as fairy tale, mystery, and fantasy. As someone who isn't usually a fan of such things, I found Atkinson's storytelling, inventiveness, and idiosyncratic conversations impossible to resist. Her continued ability to create such a universe of contradictions is exceptional within the confines of short story work, and the fact that all of the narratives are interconnected in profound ways.
May 31, 2023
I am a Kate Atkinson superfan and, my goodness, was I disappointed by this mess. It has been my experience that "connected short stories" is publicist-speak for "novel that didn't quite happen, plus some extra stuff to pad it this thing out to book-length" and that certainly seems to be the case here. There are occasional glimpses of what makes Atkinson great, but not only does this not cohere as a single work, but also each story feels unfinished. I look forward to her next novel.
January 21, 2024
Kate Atkinson never disappoints me. And while I'd not read her in short story form before now I found this a delight.
I suppose this might be considered "linked" short stories but to my ears it was more a several novelas that have been divided and interspersed almost like a playlist that has been shuffled. The title is particularly apt as the stories often veer off in unexpected directions. It was a most enjoyable collection, always with a surprise in store. There were multiple times I shook my head and laughed out loud. The collection begins with The Void, an almost science fiction dystopia tale and from there in separate tales we meet a man who encounters a talking horse at the race track. A family who may or may not be setting a friend up for murder, and a woman now dead trying to remember what lead up to this event to name just a few. I have to say my favorite of the group was Spellbound with two linear tales interwoven of a queen hoping have a child with the help of a witch and a more modern day family in need of a nanny.
The audio is read by Paterson Joseph and was excellent. His rather deadpan voice was perfect for these tellings. I must say that it made my daily walks a treat. If you like short stories or not sure if you are a fan I would recommend this as there is some interesting story telling here.
I suppose this might be considered "linked" short stories but to my ears it was more a several novelas that have been divided and interspersed almost like a playlist that has been shuffled. The title is particularly apt as the stories often veer off in unexpected directions. It was a most enjoyable collection, always with a surprise in store. There were multiple times I shook my head and laughed out loud. The collection begins with The Void, an almost science fiction dystopia tale and from there in separate tales we meet a man who encounters a talking horse at the race track. A family who may or may not be setting a friend up for murder, and a woman now dead trying to remember what lead up to this event to name just a few. I have to say my favorite of the group was Spellbound with two linear tales interwoven of a queen hoping have a child with the help of a witch and a more modern day family in need of a nanny.
The audio is read by Paterson Joseph and was excellent. His rather deadpan voice was perfect for these tellings. I must say that it made my daily walks a treat. If you like short stories or not sure if you are a fan I would recommend this as there is some interesting story telling here.
September 14, 2023
Normal Rules Don’t Apply is a very apt title for Kate Atkinson’s new short story collection. She is well known for her ability to keep complex plots with multiple characters moving and alive in wonderful fictions. Here she does the same over the span of eleven stories, some obviously connected, some much less obviously so. She delves into the worlds of science fiction, folklore, fairy tales, and modern news headlines to create an unusual world.
I love reading Atkinson, watching her juggling the many parts of her created world, the world I don’t understand, and then slowly picking up the pieces she leaves for me to find. This collection was more challenging than her novels because the stories exist in different genres with varying characters but, in the end, I think that has made it just that much more enjoyable and satisfying. I will read whatever Atkinson writes. This time it is something improbable, quite different, smart, and ultimately fun.
Recommended for those who would like to read short stories with wit and flair and a definite difference.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley. The review is my own.
I love reading Atkinson, watching her juggling the many parts of her created world, the world I don’t understand, and then slowly picking up the pieces she leaves for me to find. This collection was more challenging than her novels because the stories exist in different genres with varying characters but, in the end, I think that has made it just that much more enjoyable and satisfying. I will read whatever Atkinson writes. This time it is something improbable, quite different, smart, and ultimately fun.
Recommended for those who would like to read short stories with wit and flair and a definite difference.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley. The review is my own.
October 8, 2023
EXCERPT: Taken from the story 'Blithe Spirit'.
Jonathan had been going north a lot recently - there was an election on the horizon, and he was afraid he was going to be deselected. There had been some questions about his finances. Mandy knew she could answer some of those questions. (Could have - past tense. Nobody was going to interrogate her now, were they?) Perhaps their train had crashed on the journey up - a points failure, a head-on collision, a derailment. How is it that she can remember her life, but not her death? And should she be using the present tense at all in regard to herself? Time no longer obeyed the normal rules. She wondered if it was like those fairy tales where you found yourself in some enchanted land and stayed there for years and years, but when you found yourself back at home only seconds had passed. Perhaps she would leave this place after aeons had gone by and she would walk through her front door and Greg would look up from the television and say what he usually said: 'You were ages, I was about to send out a search party.'
It was the lack of control that was disturbing - flitting from place to place like an abandoned sweet wrapper, never still for a second. Or, on the other hand, stranded for what seemed like an eternity, roosting on a wing of the Angel of the North. Another interesting fact - you still had to sleep when you were dead. And it was lonely. It seemed a shame that she couldn't at least have brought her cat with her, the straightforwardly named Kitty. The Egyptians knew the value of a cat companion in the afterlife - they were buried with them in their tombs, weren't they? (Alive? Kitty wouldn't like that.) And wasn't there an Egyptian cat god? If there was, it wasn't here. No gods at all.
ABOUT 'NORMAL RULES DON'T APPLY': A dazzling collection of eleven interconnected stories from the bestselling, award-winning author of Shrines of Gaiety and Life After Life, with everything that readers love about her novels—the inventiveness, the verbal felicity, the sharp observations on human nature, and the deeply satisfying emotional wallop.
Nothing is quite as it seems in this collection of eleven dazzling stories. We meet a queen who makes a bargain she cannot keep; a secretary who watches over the life she has just left; a man who bets on a horse that may—or may not—have spoken to him. Everything that readers love about the novels of Kate Atkinson is here—the inventiveness, the verbal felicity, the sharp observations on human nature, and the deeply satisfying emotional wallop.
A startling and funny feast for the imagination, these stories conjure a multiverse of subtly connected worlds while illuminating the webs of chance and connection among us all.
MY THOUGHTS: I mostly enjoyed this collection of short stories from one of my favorite authors - Kate Atkinson. She is one of the few authors who can transition easily between the full-length novel and the short story (Mr King being the other who immediately springs to mind).
Normal Rules Don't Apply is an interesting mix of fairy tale, fantasy, romance, paranormal, sci-fi and - well, a little bit of everything! It is written in Atkinson's normal superb style, incorporating her witty and pithy observations with the storyline. Her characters, as always, are beautifully depicted and fully fleshed out. Several of the characters appear more than once, and there are also common denominators that appear throughout the stories, such as Green Acres (a soap opera?).
This is an eclectic and highly captivating collection of interconnecting stories that comes highly recommended by me.
My Favorites? Void, Dogs in Jeopardy, Spellbound, and Classic Quest 17 - Crime and Punishment.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jonathan had been going north a lot recently - there was an election on the horizon, and he was afraid he was going to be deselected. There had been some questions about his finances. Mandy knew she could answer some of those questions. (Could have - past tense. Nobody was going to interrogate her now, were they?) Perhaps their train had crashed on the journey up - a points failure, a head-on collision, a derailment. How is it that she can remember her life, but not her death? And should she be using the present tense at all in regard to herself? Time no longer obeyed the normal rules. She wondered if it was like those fairy tales where you found yourself in some enchanted land and stayed there for years and years, but when you found yourself back at home only seconds had passed. Perhaps she would leave this place after aeons had gone by and she would walk through her front door and Greg would look up from the television and say what he usually said: 'You were ages, I was about to send out a search party.'
It was the lack of control that was disturbing - flitting from place to place like an abandoned sweet wrapper, never still for a second. Or, on the other hand, stranded for what seemed like an eternity, roosting on a wing of the Angel of the North. Another interesting fact - you still had to sleep when you were dead. And it was lonely. It seemed a shame that she couldn't at least have brought her cat with her, the straightforwardly named Kitty. The Egyptians knew the value of a cat companion in the afterlife - they were buried with them in their tombs, weren't they? (Alive? Kitty wouldn't like that.) And wasn't there an Egyptian cat god? If there was, it wasn't here. No gods at all.
ABOUT 'NORMAL RULES DON'T APPLY': A dazzling collection of eleven interconnected stories from the bestselling, award-winning author of Shrines of Gaiety and Life After Life, with everything that readers love about her novels—the inventiveness, the verbal felicity, the sharp observations on human nature, and the deeply satisfying emotional wallop.
Nothing is quite as it seems in this collection of eleven dazzling stories. We meet a queen who makes a bargain she cannot keep; a secretary who watches over the life she has just left; a man who bets on a horse that may—or may not—have spoken to him. Everything that readers love about the novels of Kate Atkinson is here—the inventiveness, the verbal felicity, the sharp observations on human nature, and the deeply satisfying emotional wallop.
A startling and funny feast for the imagination, these stories conjure a multiverse of subtly connected worlds while illuminating the webs of chance and connection among us all.
MY THOUGHTS: I mostly enjoyed this collection of short stories from one of my favorite authors - Kate Atkinson. She is one of the few authors who can transition easily between the full-length novel and the short story (Mr King being the other who immediately springs to mind).
Normal Rules Don't Apply is an interesting mix of fairy tale, fantasy, romance, paranormal, sci-fi and - well, a little bit of everything! It is written in Atkinson's normal superb style, incorporating her witty and pithy observations with the storyline. Her characters, as always, are beautifully depicted and fully fleshed out. Several of the characters appear more than once, and there are also common denominators that appear throughout the stories, such as Green Acres (a soap opera?).
This is an eclectic and highly captivating collection of interconnecting stories that comes highly recommended by me.
My Favorites? Void, Dogs in Jeopardy, Spellbound, and Classic Quest 17 - Crime and Punishment.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
November 5, 2024
3 stars
short review for busy readers:
A patchwork quilt of a novel made up of 11 stories that appeared, partly in very different forms, in various publications. Each story is sewn into other stories, characters reoccur, side mentions later become major players, weird things happen with no closure. Unfortunately, the overarching plot is only revealed at the very end, making it seem like a confusing mess up to that point. (But when revealed, is actually pretty clever)
in detail:
While I applaud Atkinson's creativity and the idea behind this work, I found it a slog to get through at times, despite the engaging writing and characters. This is for mainly 2 reasons...
1. The (secret) premise is really out there, leading to stories that end wonkily or have no ending and contents that don't make a huge amount of sense while reading.
2. They do make sense, except what's actually happening is only revealed in the 2nd to last and very last story. Way too late! It's rather like those tales that end with the character waking up and thinking "phew, it was only a dream!" Except, it's NOT a dream it's
Fascinating idea...if we only knew that's what we were dealing with in the first place!
(But because we don't, it makes the entire 'collection' appear as if Atkinson just sloppily stitched together some odds and ends she had lying about and threw this recycled Frankenstein onto the market for some extra cash. That's not the case, as one sees in hindsight. )
I'm with other reviewers when they say the first story, "The Void", was great and they wanted more of that (HA! We got it, we just didn't know it). I also enjoyed "Spellbound", "Existential Marginalisation" and the revealing "Gene-Sis". "Shine, Pamela! Shine!" could have been better than it was.
Ultimately, however, it's pointless to give individual ratings or even descriptions of each story as they all tie into each other in oblique ways and have to be seen as episodic windows into the larger plot.
That's why I say this is really a novel, not a short story collection, just one made of scraps. As such, I have to admire Atkinson's vision for it, but it would have been far more enjoyable if she let us in on the gag earlier.
For animal fans: the 2 dogs on the cover are called Nosewise and Holdfast. They're part of a medieval fairy tale...or are they??
short review for busy readers:
A patchwork quilt of a novel made up of 11 stories that appeared, partly in very different forms, in various publications. Each story is sewn into other stories, characters reoccur, side mentions later become major players, weird things happen with no closure. Unfortunately, the overarching plot is only revealed at the very end, making it seem like a confusing mess up to that point. (But when revealed, is actually pretty clever)
in detail:
While I applaud Atkinson's creativity and the idea behind this work, I found it a slog to get through at times, despite the engaging writing and characters. This is for mainly 2 reasons...
1. The (secret) premise is really out there, leading to stories that end wonkily or have no ending and contents that don't make a huge amount of sense while reading.
2. They do make sense, except what's actually happening is only revealed in the 2nd to last and very last story. Way too late! It's rather like those tales that end with the character waking up and thinking "phew, it was only a dream!" Except, it's NOT a dream it's
Fascinating idea...if we only knew that's what we were dealing with in the first place!
(But because we don't, it makes the entire 'collection' appear as if Atkinson just sloppily stitched together some odds and ends she had lying about and threw this recycled Frankenstein onto the market for some extra cash. That's not the case, as one sees in hindsight. )
I'm with other reviewers when they say the first story, "The Void", was great and they wanted more of that (HA! We got it, we just didn't know it). I also enjoyed "Spellbound", "Existential Marginalisation" and the revealing "Gene-Sis". "Shine, Pamela! Shine!" could have been better than it was.
Ultimately, however, it's pointless to give individual ratings or even descriptions of each story as they all tie into each other in oblique ways and have to be seen as episodic windows into the larger plot.
That's why I say this is really a novel, not a short story collection, just one made of scraps. As such, I have to admire Atkinson's vision for it, but it would have been far more enjoyable if she let us in on the gag earlier.
For animal fans: the 2 dogs on the cover are called Nosewise and Holdfast. They're part of a medieval fairy tale...or are they??
September 15, 2023
Sometimes...short stories that are loosely interconnected...are worse.
March 19, 2024
Weirdly wonderful collection of interrelated short stories by the incomparable Kate Atkinson. Atkinson lets her imagination and creativity run riot here.
Well done! (Ting!)
Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for an ARC of this novel.
Well done! (Ting!)
Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for an ARC of this novel.
August 26, 2023
I am at odds with the rave review in THE AGE by author Carmel Bird. I struggled to make sense of the collection and could not continue with the last three stories after having been so baffled by what I had read. Although there were characters who reappeared throughout the collection, they remained puzzling to me. The worlds Atkinson portrayed made little sense; the characters within them drove me mad with their often-nonsensical experiences. Rarely have I felt so disappointed, to the point of being somewhat angry that I'd wasted my time. I agree with the Kirkus review that suggested maybe Kate Atkinson fans might wait for her next book.
October 21, 2023
Unlike any other Atkinson book I've read -- in a really good way. Not that it does something better than her other works, rather it shows a side of her genius I haven't seen before. Who can I compare it to. David Mitchell's maybe? Borges? Barthelme? Murakami? Kafka? (Nah, too light.) I'm sure I'm forgetting the perfect analog.
The book begins... let me say 'magisterially', though 'portentously' might serve as well were the tone darker than it is: “In the beginning was the Void. Then came the Word, and with the Word the World began. Then one day, to everyone’s surprise, the Void returned, and darkness rolled over the land. At 09: 12 GMT on Thursday, 4 May 2028, to be precise.� Not quite John's Gospel but we see what Atkinson's getting at. A terrible thing, this Void. People -- and not just people -- who step outside at a certain time of day simply keel over dead.
And with this we're off. Stories that take us from one place to another, all linked in one way or another. By characters, contexts, story-within-a-story, tone. Populated by talking animals, an absentminded ghost ("Before she was dead, Mandy had a brilliant memory") who is thrilled at how the afterlife is expanding her vocabulary and who seems to have become something of a shapeshifter -- a cat, for instance, who finds herself famished and bats her sleeping owner's face with a paw, "Arise, servant", the business of creating the World handed to an advertising exec (or is she creating the other stories?), a fairy tale that seems to seep into the real world (a cat here too, so maybe it is Murakami), a serial killer and a most genteel murder plot, an immaculate conception ("presumably it would be a human baby, but who was to say it wouldn't be a litter of kittens?")...
Between laughs I found myself thinking about what the author was up to here. Was there a serious point? Yes. Maybe.
Who cares. It's funny. Meta-funny but not even a little precious or ponderous. With lines like:
"The morning meeting was limping to a close like a wounded deer."
And: “Chance, of course, Franklin knew, was the matter from which the universe had been constructed a long time ago by a roomful of monkeys trying to write a Shakespearian sonnet on old-fashioned typewriters.�
And: ““It smells of hawthorn and freshly tilled earth and lambs.� What did lambs smell of? Florence wondered. She had been around a lot of lambs and never noticed them smelling of anything in particular. They were just, well� lamby. “Wool,� her mother said. “And innocence.� The lambs were not silenced in the Dent household, as under their mother’s autocratic regime the children had been brought up as vegetarians.�
And: “The Traditional Fairy Tale in the Context of a Subversive Female Hegemony. There was a bestselling title if ever there was one. “It’s an academic work, it wasn’t aimed at a general audience,� she said. “Shame,� Florence said. Shame their mother couldn’t just write the next Harry Fucking Potter and make them all millionaires. “Did you just use the F word, Florence?� her father asked mildly. “I am the F word,� Florence muttered.�
And: "The members of the book club perked up like meercats at the sound of the front door opening and then crashing shut."
And finally, because if I don't stop now I'll cross over into spoiler territory: “Mummy’s Mummy was nothing like Mummy. Where Mummy was somehow rather blurred around the edges, her mother was like a drawer of knives.�
I almost put the book down early -- foolish old man -- because it seemed so unlike Kate Atkinson and, well, maybe a bit silly. But I bravely persevered and I'm damned glad I did. It's a lot of smart fun. I wish I didn't have to return it to the library.
The book begins... let me say 'magisterially', though 'portentously' might serve as well were the tone darker than it is: “In the beginning was the Void. Then came the Word, and with the Word the World began. Then one day, to everyone’s surprise, the Void returned, and darkness rolled over the land. At 09: 12 GMT on Thursday, 4 May 2028, to be precise.� Not quite John's Gospel but we see what Atkinson's getting at. A terrible thing, this Void. People -- and not just people -- who step outside at a certain time of day simply keel over dead.
And with this we're off. Stories that take us from one place to another, all linked in one way or another. By characters, contexts, story-within-a-story, tone. Populated by talking animals, an absentminded ghost ("Before she was dead, Mandy had a brilliant memory") who is thrilled at how the afterlife is expanding her vocabulary and who seems to have become something of a shapeshifter -- a cat, for instance, who finds herself famished and bats her sleeping owner's face with a paw, "Arise, servant", the business of creating the World handed to an advertising exec (or is she creating the other stories?), a fairy tale that seems to seep into the real world (a cat here too, so maybe it is Murakami), a serial killer and a most genteel murder plot, an immaculate conception ("presumably it would be a human baby, but who was to say it wouldn't be a litter of kittens?")...
Between laughs I found myself thinking about what the author was up to here. Was there a serious point? Yes. Maybe.
Who cares. It's funny. Meta-funny but not even a little precious or ponderous. With lines like:
"The morning meeting was limping to a close like a wounded deer."
And: “Chance, of course, Franklin knew, was the matter from which the universe had been constructed a long time ago by a roomful of monkeys trying to write a Shakespearian sonnet on old-fashioned typewriters.�
And: ““It smells of hawthorn and freshly tilled earth and lambs.� What did lambs smell of? Florence wondered. She had been around a lot of lambs and never noticed them smelling of anything in particular. They were just, well� lamby. “Wool,� her mother said. “And innocence.� The lambs were not silenced in the Dent household, as under their mother’s autocratic regime the children had been brought up as vegetarians.�
And: “The Traditional Fairy Tale in the Context of a Subversive Female Hegemony. There was a bestselling title if ever there was one. “It’s an academic work, it wasn’t aimed at a general audience,� she said. “Shame,� Florence said. Shame their mother couldn’t just write the next Harry Fucking Potter and make them all millionaires. “Did you just use the F word, Florence?� her father asked mildly. “I am the F word,� Florence muttered.�
And: "The members of the book club perked up like meercats at the sound of the front door opening and then crashing shut."
And finally, because if I don't stop now I'll cross over into spoiler territory: “Mummy’s Mummy was nothing like Mummy. Where Mummy was somehow rather blurred around the edges, her mother was like a drawer of knives.�
I almost put the book down early -- foolish old man -- because it seemed so unlike Kate Atkinson and, well, maybe a bit silly. But I bravely persevered and I'm damned glad I did. It's a lot of smart fun. I wish I didn't have to return it to the library.
November 7, 2023
Normal Rules Don’t Apply is a collection of eleven interconnected short stories by award-winning, best-selling British author, Kate Atkinson. While the connections are sometimes quite vague or tenuous, and readers may be scratching their heads as to how the story of the middle-aged dispirited divorcée whose bloated stomach turns out to be an immaculate conception, or the tale of the angst-ridden toys in the sadistic child’s playroom, or the story of the soap opera star who falls in love with a Prince, fit into the scheme of things, the way other stories mesh in becomes much clearer towards the end.
Certainly, the first story, The Void, which features what seems to be a Universe Reset that takes a lot of lives, both animal and human, and occurs with alarming regularity, will likely leave readers puzzled until they read the penultimate story.
Characters (or iterations of them), names, objects and themes appear in each other’s stories, so F Franklin Fletcher, a would-be writer with a fascination for the myriad of possible paths in life and a plan “to recreate the fractal in fictive form � an endlessly bifurcating narrative, based not on making a choice but on making all possible choices�, features in five of the stories.
Initially, he makes a tidy sum betting on a horse race at the grey horse’s suggestion (a bit-player in a different tale has less luck with a talking horse), then finds himself in a relationship with a beautiful daughter in the wealthy Kingshott family, celebrates a lightning-fast engagement before things take an adverse turn. When “He would swim in the Kingshott gene pool like a happy, sun-kissed otter� he later decides “Perhaps he wouldn’t be such a happy otter if Connie’s sisters were in the gene pool with him, circling like sharks.�
Meanwhile, the ghost of the personal assistant to a Kingshott sibling floats around observing what happens in the aftermath of her murder. The story that a vicar’s teenaged daughter describes about the disappearance of the family’s baby son is interspersed and entwined with the plot of a folk tale from an old book found in the attic: The Stolen Child, that involves a Queen desperate for a child, a witch in a forest cottage, a loyal hound and a cursed princess.
In another thread, Franklin narrowly escapes hooking up with the Kingshott daughter, makes a fortune in a different way, meets the cursed princess with hound, and learns the fate of the baby son. The stories feature faithful dogs, some of which talk; horses that talk; violets; strawberry smoothies; a talking fox; a golden ring inside a fish; and the sister of god, working in an advertising agency, getting a chance to do a better job of genesis than her spoilt younger brother has done so far.
All this, wrapped in some marvellous descriptive prose: “He had become reconciled to the fact that no matter how many times the wheel of fortune turned, he would always find himself stuck on the underside, like gum on a shoe�, and even if the reader isn’t quite sure, by the final chapters, of just what, exactly, has occurred, the journey to this point is, nonetheless, a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable one; with Kate Atkinson writing, how could it be otherwise?
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld.
Certainly, the first story, The Void, which features what seems to be a Universe Reset that takes a lot of lives, both animal and human, and occurs with alarming regularity, will likely leave readers puzzled until they read the penultimate story.
Characters (or iterations of them), names, objects and themes appear in each other’s stories, so F Franklin Fletcher, a would-be writer with a fascination for the myriad of possible paths in life and a plan “to recreate the fractal in fictive form � an endlessly bifurcating narrative, based not on making a choice but on making all possible choices�, features in five of the stories.
Initially, he makes a tidy sum betting on a horse race at the grey horse’s suggestion (a bit-player in a different tale has less luck with a talking horse), then finds himself in a relationship with a beautiful daughter in the wealthy Kingshott family, celebrates a lightning-fast engagement before things take an adverse turn. When “He would swim in the Kingshott gene pool like a happy, sun-kissed otter� he later decides “Perhaps he wouldn’t be such a happy otter if Connie’s sisters were in the gene pool with him, circling like sharks.�
Meanwhile, the ghost of the personal assistant to a Kingshott sibling floats around observing what happens in the aftermath of her murder. The story that a vicar’s teenaged daughter describes about the disappearance of the family’s baby son is interspersed and entwined with the plot of a folk tale from an old book found in the attic: The Stolen Child, that involves a Queen desperate for a child, a witch in a forest cottage, a loyal hound and a cursed princess.
In another thread, Franklin narrowly escapes hooking up with the Kingshott daughter, makes a fortune in a different way, meets the cursed princess with hound, and learns the fate of the baby son. The stories feature faithful dogs, some of which talk; horses that talk; violets; strawberry smoothies; a talking fox; a golden ring inside a fish; and the sister of god, working in an advertising agency, getting a chance to do a better job of genesis than her spoilt younger brother has done so far.
All this, wrapped in some marvellous descriptive prose: “He had become reconciled to the fact that no matter how many times the wheel of fortune turned, he would always find himself stuck on the underside, like gum on a shoe�, and even if the reader isn’t quite sure, by the final chapters, of just what, exactly, has occurred, the journey to this point is, nonetheless, a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable one; with Kate Atkinson writing, how could it be otherwise?
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld.
January 4, 2024
Since I first picked up a copy of Life After Life, Kate Atkinson has become one of my favorite British writers as I have eagerly read almost everything she has written. Normal Rules Don't Apply: Stories is a stunning collection of short but loosely interconnected stories with a unifying underlying theme of the nature of storytelling itself that may bring up all kinds of reactions. Perhaps The Guardian describes Kate Atkinson's writing best in that she likes to employ the device in stories to disrupt time and consequences. I think that the story that moved me the most was the short story that opened this collection, The Void, where we are introduced to an old man and his daughter Barbara who refused to believe that he was going to die one day, while he was surprised each morning he awoke. As strange phenomenon began occurring in this small British village, everyone is impacted. I am still thinking about this narrative.
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea; and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.
-------- ISAIAH 5:30
October 24, 2023
This is not Atkinson's greatest work, but even her not greatest works are better than most people's greatest! In these interconnecting short stories, she takes on all kinds of big things (some of which will be familiar themes from her other work, like the idea of a multiverse and if we could ever do better if we were given infinite chances) and smaller funny things (like the royal family's penchant for American actresses or talking horses). It is all highly entertaining, much of it is thought provoking, and Atkinson's writing is just so smart. Honestly, compared to much of what I've read lately, I should be giving this a 5, but Life after Life is a 5, and so, this, I guess, is a 4.5.
August 13, 2023
I absolutely loved this collection of short stories. Kate Atkinson is such a wonderful storyteller. All of these stories are slightly interlinked, where a character from one might show up briefly in another. Highly recommend!
August 29, 2023
Normally I avoid short story collections. As soon as you get into a story and get to know the characters, you're back at the start of a new story. But this collection is different. There are threads connecting the stories, crumbs from one showing up in another, and it ended up being a really fun, unique read (and the stories were great on their own).
September 14, 2023
Kate Atkinson presents a collection of short stories, interlinked with recurring characters and motifs. Each story has a fantastical element to it, often with a 'Twilight Zone' style twist ending. In fact one of the stories reminds me of a specific TZ episode, 'Five Characters in Search of an Exit', where the characters are living dolls.
So, here's the thing with literary novelists who start playing with genre tropes. Sometimes they treat them as baubles, shiny objects to pick up and play with willy-nilly. Because it's fantasy, they think that no rules apply (as the title says).
If they stick with a single concept as Atkinson did in 'Life After Life' it can work because they carry it out to a logical end point. But if it's just mixing and matching, then it's as chaotic as a bunch of different colored jacks scattered on the ground.
That's sort of what we've got here. We don't really understand the strange fantasy elements that are going on: talking animals, living dolls, fairly tale characters come to life, strange blackouts that kill everyone who is outdoors. The penultimate story explains what's going on with a 'deux ex machina' approach, but it seems like a cheap trick that justifies any weirdness the author comes up with.
The publication history shows that many of these stories were written for different venues over time, so this collection is an amalgamation that seems stuck together with the penultimate story, 'Gene-Sis' added to provide a source behind the disparate weirdness. Science fiction has a term for a novel that is assembled from separately-published stories, the 'fix-up' novel. This is a 'fix-up' collection.
Atkinson's writing here is clever rather than deep, but her fans will still enjoy these stories if they can ignore the creaky architecture that holds them together.
So, here's the thing with literary novelists who start playing with genre tropes. Sometimes they treat them as baubles, shiny objects to pick up and play with willy-nilly. Because it's fantasy, they think that no rules apply (as the title says).
If they stick with a single concept as Atkinson did in 'Life After Life' it can work because they carry it out to a logical end point. But if it's just mixing and matching, then it's as chaotic as a bunch of different colored jacks scattered on the ground.
That's sort of what we've got here. We don't really understand the strange fantasy elements that are going on: talking animals, living dolls, fairly tale characters come to life, strange blackouts that kill everyone who is outdoors. The penultimate story explains what's going on with a 'deux ex machina' approach, but it seems like a cheap trick that justifies any weirdness the author comes up with.
The publication history shows that many of these stories were written for different venues over time, so this collection is an amalgamation that seems stuck together with the penultimate story, 'Gene-Sis' added to provide a source behind the disparate weirdness. Science fiction has a term for a novel that is assembled from separately-published stories, the 'fix-up' novel. This is a 'fix-up' collection.
Atkinson's writing here is clever rather than deep, but her fans will still enjoy these stories if they can ignore the creaky architecture that holds them together.
Read
September 18, 2023No rating. DNF Senseless dribble posing as an art form. Triple ugh!
December 13, 2023
Don't normally go for short stories but I found these fun and a touch strange. Really enjoyed them.
1. People drop dead, to the surprise and of an old man in the country with his dog. His granddaughter is hit by 'the dark' in the supermarket.
2. A man named Franklin is terribly influenced by his toffy family ends up placing a bet on a grey horse, when the grey horse tells him to.
3. A woman is surprised to find herself dead, up north away from the life she remembers. Unable to remember how she died, she explores what this "other side" is. She finds herself within the wallpaper scene of her hen-do clairvoyance visit.
4. A vicar's wife tells her hoard of children a disturbing fairy tale which doubles as a life lesson for them. Enchanted queen and princesses, a far cry from the domestic sibling battles in the real world.
5. Franklin's meeting, courtship and engagement to posh Connie seems inevitable. Her endless "would you rather" questions are continued at a very awkward family dinner where he meets his future in-laws and has a disturbing dream when he is visited at night by a future sister in law.
6. A nostalgic and relieved divorcee Pamela muses having missed out on more variety, even if she still channels the 80s more than she feels is appropriate. Retirement, her children, book club and dating unveil her sarcastic pessimism, hidden under stiff upper lip. THEN, she finds herself unexpectedly with child.
7. Tilly's toys living in terror of her tyrany. They hope that her going to school improves their lot and gives them a break. They get a long long break when Tilly dies! Only two toys survive the cull by Tilly's mother, who moves in with a new partner.
8. Back to Connie's incessant questioning of Franklin and wedding planning. They have tea at the vicarage and a family dinner. After a strained evening, he falls deeply asleep and wakes up to find Mr Kingshot is dead, stabbed. Franklin is framed in what has been an excellent family scheme.
9. A LA actress is suffering through a period drama film shoot in Yorkshire, popping pills. She goes to a premiere from which she sneaks away with a prince. From playing in a guest spot on Franklin's TV show Greenacres, Skylar is invited out by the prince Alfie again. Leads to a love nest and media fanfare. The King himself turns up to "have a word", with her old sex tape in hand. Love hurts. Back to LA and pills. Then the 'void'.
10. Kitty works in advertising. She is also sister of a God... A God who has cocked up creation in her eyes. She sits through a smoothie branding meeting, goes to browse pretty things in shops and then the 'void' hits. Now is her chance to rewrite the world. It doesn't go much better.
11. Franklin is told the fairytale from a new perspective, by the princess from the story who has been stuck in this real(ish) world. All the stories overlapping such as seeing his other self coming to Connie's aid and visiting a games shop where the classics inspired games are popularly sold and (possibly) the end of the world.
1. People drop dead, to the surprise and of an old man in the country with his dog. His granddaughter is hit by 'the dark' in the supermarket.
2. A man named Franklin is terribly influenced by his toffy family ends up placing a bet on a grey horse, when the grey horse tells him to.
3. A woman is surprised to find herself dead, up north away from the life she remembers. Unable to remember how she died, she explores what this "other side" is. She finds herself within the wallpaper scene of her hen-do clairvoyance visit.
4. A vicar's wife tells her hoard of children a disturbing fairy tale which doubles as a life lesson for them. Enchanted queen and princesses, a far cry from the domestic sibling battles in the real world.
5. Franklin's meeting, courtship and engagement to posh Connie seems inevitable. Her endless "would you rather" questions are continued at a very awkward family dinner where he meets his future in-laws and has a disturbing dream when he is visited at night by a future sister in law.
6. A nostalgic and relieved divorcee Pamela muses having missed out on more variety, even if she still channels the 80s more than she feels is appropriate. Retirement, her children, book club and dating unveil her sarcastic pessimism, hidden under stiff upper lip. THEN, she finds herself unexpectedly with child.
7. Tilly's toys living in terror of her tyrany. They hope that her going to school improves their lot and gives them a break. They get a long long break when Tilly dies! Only two toys survive the cull by Tilly's mother, who moves in with a new partner.
8. Back to Connie's incessant questioning of Franklin and wedding planning. They have tea at the vicarage and a family dinner. After a strained evening, he falls deeply asleep and wakes up to find Mr Kingshot is dead, stabbed. Franklin is framed in what has been an excellent family scheme.
9. A LA actress is suffering through a period drama film shoot in Yorkshire, popping pills. She goes to a premiere from which she sneaks away with a prince. From playing in a guest spot on Franklin's TV show Greenacres, Skylar is invited out by the prince Alfie again. Leads to a love nest and media fanfare. The King himself turns up to "have a word", with her old sex tape in hand. Love hurts. Back to LA and pills. Then the 'void'.
10. Kitty works in advertising. She is also sister of a God... A God who has cocked up creation in her eyes. She sits through a smoothie branding meeting, goes to browse pretty things in shops and then the 'void' hits. Now is her chance to rewrite the world. It doesn't go much better.
11. Franklin is told the fairytale from a new perspective, by the princess from the story who has been stuck in this real(ish) world. All the stories overlapping such as seeing his other self coming to Connie's aid and visiting a games shop where the classics inspired games are popularly sold and (possibly) the end of the world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2023
A quirky collection of linked stories that all have a touch of the fey and unnatural about them. I hesitate to use the term magical realism only because Atkinson’s style plants everything so firmly in the real that whatever oddness arises—a talking horse or dog, say—seems perfectly of a piece with whatever is going on. And all seems so light and charming even when, oh, for instance, an apprentice goddess engages in a little world-building, trying to right the wrongs that her brother left behind when he quit in disgust. It’s just that those darn people will keep messing things up�
August 7, 2024
Eleven stories. . .all heading in wild directions. Every one made me laugh out loud at some point.
There's death, fairy tales, dogs (with medieval names! the minute I get a dog I will name them one of those - but don't hold your breath), sentences and endings that give an abrupt reader wedgie, foxes, violets, a man I'd like to meet named Franklin, queens and kingdoms, scriptures, trolleys, multiple references to Green Acres**, reincarnation (next life: cat!) - sidebar: there are 23 instances of "cat", "dogs in fairy tales (normal rules don't apply,"), soooo many eggs (15 and there may be others implied), one carpe diem, an avid list maker (an admirable choice if one is pulling random stereotypes), instances of sewing and quilt verbs - as is evident, all directions are present.
Bottomline, for me this read was a palate cleanser that had me chuckling. Funny, twisty tales.
**If anyone can help me, all the references to Green Acres have me baffled. Surely we aren't talking about the US Green Acres show? There was a book in 1941 written by Doreen Wallace named Green Acres (hard to find her books. . . there were many. . . ?)
*A sincere thank you to Kate Atkinson, Doubleday books, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #NormalRulesDontApply #NetGalley
There's death, fairy tales, dogs (with medieval names! the minute I get a dog I will name them one of those - but don't hold your breath), sentences and endings that give an abrupt reader wedgie, foxes, violets, a man I'd like to meet named Franklin, queens and kingdoms, scriptures, trolleys, multiple references to Green Acres**, reincarnation (next life: cat!) - sidebar: there are 23 instances of "cat", "dogs in fairy tales (normal rules don't apply,"), soooo many eggs (15 and there may be others implied), one carpe diem, an avid list maker (an admirable choice if one is pulling random stereotypes), instances of sewing and quilt verbs - as is evident, all directions are present.
Bottomline, for me this read was a palate cleanser that had me chuckling. Funny, twisty tales.
**If anyone can help me, all the references to Green Acres have me baffled. Surely we aren't talking about the US Green Acres show? There was a book in 1941 written by Doreen Wallace named Green Acres (hard to find her books. . . there were many. . . ?)
*A sincere thank you to Kate Atkinson, Doubleday books, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #NormalRulesDontApply #NetGalley
November 29, 2023
I spent quite a bit of time struggling to articulate why I found this book, a linked story collection, frustrating. I was typing on a laptop awkwardly perched on my knees, my arms stretched on either side of my cat who was kneading my blanket-covered lap. Then I brushed the mouse pad with the back of my hand, and the review disappeared, and I had to start over. That seems very apt for this book.
Basically, these stories are outrageous in their mind expanding craziness, but because each one's weirdness is so different from the next, the threads of connection running through them feel random and are more confusing then enlightening. That didn't stop me from feeling it was vitally important to look out for all the hyperlinks (as it were), but that's par for the course with Atkinson's narrative drive and brio. Jackson Brodie (from and its sequels) is always saying "a coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen." It's frustrating when you want an explanation and only get incoherence. Perhaps the stories would've been more effective if they weren't linked. "The Void," in particular, would be better as a stand alone
I noted with amusement that when the youthful Franklin (a recurring character) describes the novel he intends to write, it sounds an awful lot like :
[It] was an attempt to produce a "fictional text" based on chaos theory. He entitled it What If?
"I'm trying," he declared, to anyone who would listen (not many) "to re-create the fractal in fictive form -- an endlessly bifurcating narrative, based not on making a choice but on making all possible choices."
And after several paragraphs of this:
"Just kill me now," the girl in the kitchen at the party said.
Basically, these stories are outrageous in their mind expanding craziness, but because each one's weirdness is so different from the next, the threads of connection running through them feel random and are more confusing then enlightening. That didn't stop me from feeling it was vitally important to look out for all the hyperlinks (as it were), but that's par for the course with Atkinson's narrative drive and brio. Jackson Brodie (from and its sequels) is always saying "a coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen." It's frustrating when you want an explanation and only get incoherence. Perhaps the stories would've been more effective if they weren't linked. "The Void," in particular, would be better as a stand alone
I noted with amusement that when the youthful Franklin (a recurring character) describes the novel he intends to write, it sounds an awful lot like :
[It] was an attempt to produce a "fictional text" based on chaos theory. He entitled it What If?
"I'm trying," he declared, to anyone who would listen (not many) "to re-create the fractal in fictive form -- an endlessly bifurcating narrative, based not on making a choice but on making all possible choices."
And after several paragraphs of this:
"Just kill me now," the girl in the kitchen at the party said.
December 23, 2023
One of my favourite authors and she didn’t disappoint with this collection of weirdly wonderful short stories. They are linked but sometimes tenuously. I listened to them as audiobooks and then went and bought a paper copy and started again. Excellent read. The cover is gorgeous too!
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October 17, 20233.5
Sadly, I found this collection of loosely connected short stories a disappointment, despite being by an author I admire. However, this is still Kate Atkinson, and if you enjoy her inimitable style, her wit, her droll humor and her wry parenthesized asides (and I do), the stories can be entertaining to read, even when they mostly fall flat. There are several stories that stood out and that I found truly hilarious, but the majority of them are odd (even for Atkinson) and unremarkable.
Sadly, I found this collection of loosely connected short stories a disappointment, despite being by an author I admire. However, this is still Kate Atkinson, and if you enjoy her inimitable style, her wit, her droll humor and her wry parenthesized asides (and I do), the stories can be entertaining to read, even when they mostly fall flat. There are several stories that stood out and that I found truly hilarious, but the majority of them are odd (even for Atkinson) and unremarkable.
January 19, 2024
The first story in this collection, 'The Void', was what I what I wanted from this reading experience. It was snappy, intriguing, a little creepy. But everything that came after that just didn't hit the same. I don't want to rate it any lower because I do honestly think this isn't an ideal genre for me, but I did find this a little painful to get through.
I really enjoyed the speculative twists, when they happened, and contrary to some other reviewers here I appreciated the authors choice to have all the vignettes in this book interconnect in some way. But the writing was too meandering and the characters weren't interesting enough to justify the amount of time the stories lingered on their upbringings and personal histories. Ultimately I was bored.
I think if what you want from this collection is a leisurely stroll through the mundane moments of modern day life, you will enjoy it much more than I did. But if your expectations lean more towards the bizarre and mysterious you may be disappointed.
Of the eleven stories featured, three are of note. 'The Void' gets a 4 star rating from me, 'Blithe Spirit' a 3.5, and the final short ('What If?') a 3.5 as well. Due to it's placement it can't really be recommended on its own, but I did think it was fun and tied up the overarching narrative nicely. It was probably the most playful.
I really enjoyed the speculative twists, when they happened, and contrary to some other reviewers here I appreciated the authors choice to have all the vignettes in this book interconnect in some way. But the writing was too meandering and the characters weren't interesting enough to justify the amount of time the stories lingered on their upbringings and personal histories. Ultimately I was bored.
I think if what you want from this collection is a leisurely stroll through the mundane moments of modern day life, you will enjoy it much more than I did. But if your expectations lean more towards the bizarre and mysterious you may be disappointed.
Of the eleven stories featured, three are of note. 'The Void' gets a 4 star rating from me, 'Blithe Spirit' a 3.5, and the final short ('What If?') a 3.5 as well. Due to it's placement it can't really be recommended on its own, but I did think it was fun and tied up the overarching narrative nicely. It was probably the most playful.
March 4, 2025
Kate Atkinson is a consummate storyteller; over recent years she has written some of the finest contemporary English literature. The creation of short story stories is a path taken by many and often not successfully- it's a fine line to capture the essence of a character and a well formed plot in a concise structure. Normal Rules Don't Apply is a mixed selection- spinning a hypnotic web of curiosity, surreal imagination and some unique individuals.
These stories are a cornucopia of fascination - twists and turns prevail and there are thread that links these stories- whether it be characters or events.( Franklin's world needed to be a novel in itself ).
There is a sense of the 'Dahl-esque ' in the darker turns and conclusions. One thing is for sure is the magic of Kate Atkinson's pen - at times poetic in prose and certainly rich in vocabulary this a selection of stories to 'escape' and venture into new, imaginary and fantastical worlds pulling us into stories that will disturb, satisfy and certainly intrigue.
Whether you are new to Kate Atkinson's work or already admirer, there is much here to cause reflection and ultimately enjoy
These stories are a cornucopia of fascination - twists and turns prevail and there are thread that links these stories- whether it be characters or events.( Franklin's world needed to be a novel in itself ).
There is a sense of the 'Dahl-esque ' in the darker turns and conclusions. One thing is for sure is the magic of Kate Atkinson's pen - at times poetic in prose and certainly rich in vocabulary this a selection of stories to 'escape' and venture into new, imaginary and fantastical worlds pulling us into stories that will disturb, satisfy and certainly intrigue.
Whether you are new to Kate Atkinson's work or already admirer, there is much here to cause reflection and ultimately enjoy
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