April Wilder

Wow. I love short stories, even—sometimes especially—when they truck in the familiar, the comforting, the well-worn. But there's always the little voice in the back of my mind clamoring to be told something new, or something old in a new way. And these are those stories, without a doubt. This is a challenging and complicated collection, not a quick read. And while the voice is wickedly clever and the humor dark, the tone is never smart-assy or show-offy. Wilder cares about these show more characters, no matter how offbeat or strange they seem. Because, in fact, they're no different from any of us, and this is her point—a point she makes eloquently, sometimes hilariously, and sometimes in such a bittersweet way as to make me close the book for a minute and just think.

These stories are well worth the time it takes to read them closely, and will mess with your head, just a little, in the best possible way.

AND I've got a nice long piece about the book and author up at Bloom -- come on by and see. show less

I seldom list books I haven't enjoyed, even if i don't review them while they are still in memory, so I can only assume I liked at least some of these stories.