I especially loved the stories in this collection that were about free-spirited moms with boring sons. It was an interesting reversal of expectations, which I think this author does well in general. Her spare language conveys impressive character development and setting without being heavy handed. I look forward to reading more of her work. ( )

That was the oddest bunch of stories I have ever read. I was always trying to search for meaning or symbolism, figuring there had to be some there, but couldn't come up with much. I was always thinking that the author is trying to say something, but what it is (to me) is a mystery. There was never any closure either-- it was like I was left hanging every time. There were strange conversations as well-- I kept wondering if perhaps the book was written while the author was under the influence of hallucinogens part of the time... like I would think "ok-- maybe this will make sense-- we are starting to get somewhere" then-- nope, cause a crazy conversation started, and whatever progress I thought had been made was gone. Maybe I would have understood it if I had been under some influence...LOL ( )

The unfortunate demise of the short story is that it is terribly underrated as a genre. As a creative writer who studied English Literature and Creative Writing in university, I was privy to the hard-earned politic of the short story and poetry workshops inevitable to earning those degrees.

And while longer, flushed out novels are largely popular, it’s their older sister, the short story, which is not only more difficult to write for its critical voice, paced movement, and thoughtful, active plots, but essentially for its succinct and shorter form.

The short story is the foundation of every writer’s ability—and if you fail there, you fail as a writer. Period. If a writer can’t write a good 1,500-word short story, how can you expect the writer to write an even interesting 300-page novel? It’s just not done. At least not successfully.

Which is why I applaud Olivia Clare’s ambitious 13-short story collection, Disasters in the First World.

Each individual story is superb in its craft: from Pétur’s serious tone and dark, revelatory secrets; to the character, Blake’s, high-functioning intelligence in The Visigoths; to the subversive terror invoked by Cullen in the story, Olivia; or the unnerving imagination of Del in Rusalka’s Long Legs.

And those are only four stories.

It’s clear in Clare’s writing that her narrative style is adept, exactly aware that what is required to share with her readers and what is omitted is just as significant in not only moving a story along in its plot or revelations, but in also what she would like readers to be left with to imagine. In each of Clare’s stories is an underlying story, driven by real dialogue and strange and sometimes broken, yet eccentric and fascinating characters.

To read the rest of my review, you're welcome to visit my blog, The Bibliotaphe Closet at:
https://zarasclosetblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/28/book-review-disasters-in-the-fi...

Until next time, happy reading! ( )

This eclectic collection of short stories are varied in topic, length and strength. Clare is at her best depicting mental illness and my favorite stories dealt with this topic. Dialogue is a strong suit of the author and her conversations feel very authentic. However, the collection as a whole lacks any unifying theme and jumps around in topic and form.

I received an advanced copy of this collection from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

Blog post due: June 1, 2017