Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day

Imagine observing a highly-proficient artisan specializing in balloon animals or origami. Twist and fold, twist and fold. Then there's that last turn and the obscure creation suddenly pops into being, large as life. But Ben Loory is a tad more skilled than most and when his bizarre inventions abruptly open their eyes, gain consciousness of their artificial existence, and then scream wildly (or saunter up to you for a cuddle) - well, it's at that moment you realize you've hit on something extraordinary. - Adam

I had no idea what to expect of these short stories, which are described by one blurb-er as a "love child" of Mother Goose and Philip K. Dick. Exciting! Then I saw that Jack Zipes was one of the blurb-ers (is there a better, more official name?) and I was sold. (I should add I'm rarely swayed by blurbs, too, but I'm a sucker for Zipes!)

All this is to say that by the time I cracked open this book, I was expecting something a bit odd, very inventive, and quite quirky. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed. This collection of forty stories tackles the everyday in the most extraordinary manner. There's a deceptive childishness to the stories, like listening to a toddler weaving a narrative together -- but by the time you get to the end of the show more tale, you find a hint of humor or horror or tenderness that is unexpected and wholly mature.

I shivered, I laughed, I gasped, and I sniffed.  Loory's briefest stories stung and delighted me, and I couldn't decide if I wanted to pause after each one to mull or plunge on for another guaranteed surprise.  Immediately upon finishing I made my wife read this (I literally had her reading in the movie theater while we waited for Cowboys & Aliens to start), and I've kept my copy in my purse so I can share my favorite stories with anyone who has five minutes to spare.  show less

Not only am I going to reread this book immediately, I'm going to select stories for my students to read this year. While there are a handful of stories that are a bit uneven, they are still astonishing. "Post-modern fairy tales" is as good a tag for this book as I've seen, and yet that doesn't quite do this collection justice. I'm puzzled, surprised, delighted and annoyed by these stories, sometimes all at once. (The "annoyed" part comes from having to work out what some stories mean, which is another way of saying that perhaps I've gotten lazy when it comes to short stories, or I've gotten too used to hyper-realism in short fiction.) As a reader who enjoys fables and various modern attempts to write them (Isak Dinesen, for one), I show more thoroughly enjoy Ben Loory's book. show less

I was really looking forward to reading this book because I like short story collections, especially of the fantasy/paranormal/supernatural persuasion, but unfortunately, I don't think it was quite for me. I was left wanting more often than not, not because I didn't get the story, but because it fell somewhat flat. There were a few very well written stories, and I did enjoy those, I just felt there were too few of these.

3/5 stars.

Ben Loory's collection of short stories is, surprisingly, accurately portrayed by the cover. As much as I depend on them (old adages be damned), they often lie, depicting some scene or person never to occur or exist within the novel. The ocean, the spaceship and the octopus tentacle are all main aspects of at least one story. Let me also say that I love the cover, from the art to the texture of it. I also like the texture of the paper within (which does the old timey thing where some pages stick out more than others) and the flaps built into the trade paperback. This book is an excellent tactile experience.

Even before reading the first story, I was charmed by Loory, whose author's note reads: "Here are some stories. I hope you like show more them." So simple, but completely perfect, because that's what I, as a reader just starting into the book, precisely hope to do. So, you may wonder, did I like the stories? For the most part, yes. The stories are all very short and the writing is deceptively simple. In very few of the stories did I feel like I had a good grasp on what exactly was going on.

Most of the stories are left very open-ended, almost as though the stories are as much about you as they are about the characters in them. This point is borne out by the fact that the characters generally do not have names, referred to only as boy, girl, man, woman, friend, etc. In fact, if I remember correctly, the only characters who receive names are animals: the octopus family in "The Octopus" (along with their likely human landlord, who may be the only human with a name) and the moose (who receives a moniker) "The Man and the Moose." I am not quite sure what to make of this, but it's definitely intriguing.

The universality of the characters combined with the fantasy/magic elements made the stories feel like modern fairy tales or fables or urban legends. The magic was pervasive, subtle and a part of the regular world, which reminded me, in an odd way, of Sarah Addison Allen's novels. Where hers feature a sweet, happy magic, Loory's magic is generally that of something dark and dangerous, although some of the stories included are cute ones (which I fancy are the ones for the day). As an example of what reading the stories is like, I am going to share the shortest story with you.

"Once there was a man who was afraid of his shadow.
Then he met it.
Now he glows in the dark."

Without a doubt, Stories for the Nighttime and some for the day is an interesting read and exceedingly thought-provoking. Every story really is like the one above, in that the meaning is rather unclear and it's up to you to suss it out. I think this would be an excellent title for a book group, as everyone could share their impressions and analyze the themes running through all of the stories to get at the project's aims as a whole. I hope to see more from Ben Loory, especially what kind of a novel he would write. show less

This small book is deceptive looking. It’s slight looking, only 200 pages. The stories are short; some only four pages long. But, oh how this author can make you think in four pages! These tiny gems are all surrealistic. There are walking trees and aliens and severed heads that talk and an octopus that lives in an upstairs apartment, collects teaspoons and loves Darjeeling tea. They demand that you suspend disbelief and accept their own internal logic.

I gobbled these stories up in two nights, unable to stop reading them. Some are funny, some creepy. Some made me go “Huh?” They are all… odd, in a through the looking glass sort of way, and they are mostly all fun to read.

Title: Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day
Author: Ben Loory
Pages: 208
Pub: 2011
Genre: Fiction, Short Stories
Etc: ARC from Netgalley

The Short of It

Clever and odd short fic fun.

The Long of It

This is a collection of oftentimes surreal (an octopus who has slight agoraphobia living downtown) and oddly unique short stories. Some are relatively harmless, while others have a bite that will tear at your mind.

For example, in “The Book” a woman freaks out after purchasing a book that ends up having blank pages. She then verbally attacks the author and anyone else who purchases it. Or “The Tree” where a tree decides to get up and explore it’s surroundings, roaming the world.

The Thoughts about It

I cannot capture how odd these show more stories were. After reading a couple of them, my immediate thought turned to how awesome some would be for my classroom. The majority of the stories are about five pages long, but the depth to them is something fierce. Ooooh and the writing? Wowzers. Is it over the top to say lyrical? Feisty lyrical prose?

The only downside was really more about me rather than the collection. I’m not disciplined enough to read only a couple of short stories at a time, and I think that’s how they probably should be read. Rather, I sorta devoured the whole text in a day or two which led to the stories bleeding into one and another. I also could probably have read them on a different level entirely if I had the patience.

Luckily though, this is a collection that warrants the time to read again and again. show less