I've always turned to short stories to get me through a reading slump, or to intersperse between my other reading. One benefit of the form is that it allows readers to start and stop at will. I've been working through Katherine Heiny's latest collection Games and Rituals for the last couple of weeks, turning to a story here and there when I needed a break from the longer sci-fi work I was trudging through. Heiny is an author I'd heard of but had never read, so I was excited to be offered a copy of this work from her publisher. It was filled with heartfelt and witty stories that worked well in the bite-sized format of short stories.
The book comprises eleven stories, each of which has something to do with relationships. Heiny peeks into the lives of these characters as they face a kind of turning point in their life. The opening story Chicken-Flavored and Lemon-Scented sets things off on the right foot as it imagines the lives of DMV employees and the people they encounter during their driving tests. Office relationships come to a head when professional and personal lines are crossed. Several of the stories explore romantic relationships in their various stages. 561, one of the stronger entries in the collection, imagines a woman called to help her husband move his ex-wife out of their family home.
Like most short collections, some of the stories in Games and Rituals are stronger than others. What is apparent throughout, though, is that Katherine Heiny has a penchant for digging deep into characters and conjuring relatable situations to place them in. Heiny's dry wit permeates the pages, adding humor to even serious moments. I easily breezed through the collection. The slice-of-life approach really works here, giving us just enough insight into the lives of these characters to latch onto them. Games and Rituals is a solid collection that has me interested in exploring more of Katherine Heiny's writing.
For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2023, 29)
It's always nice to find that book...or short story collection in this case...to help you out of a reading slump! Sometimes a really good nonfiction book will help me get back into reading when I can't seem to settle down with anything else. Hope you have a good week this week, Ethan! :D
ReplyDeleteI agree. Short stories always make for a good change of pace.
DeleteI am not a huge short story reader. They tend to leave me a bit wanting, but I can understand it being a good format to fight a reading slump. Like a palette cleanser which doesn't require a big time commitment.
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely a few that left me wanting more, but I look at them as a great way to sample an author's writing without committing to a longer work.
DeleteOn occasion I enjoy short stories and novellas, too. When I don't want to commit to a full length story but want a little bit of entertainment.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear you had to deal with a trip to the ER! Hopefully, there are treatments that help control your husband's chronic illness and he feels better. It's tough watching a loved one go through it! Hope you get some rest and peace!
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I really appreciate your well wishes. It was a long week last week, but he's doing much better now!
DeleteMy favorite way to read a book of short stories is one story per day. This sounds like it was really well done.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear that your husband was ill, Ethan! I hope that he is feeling much better now.
That's the approach I took with this one! Thanks for the well wishes! He's home now and very much on the path to recovery.
DeleteI've never been able to get into short stories for some reason. I think it's because there's just not enough time to really get to know the characters, settings, etc. I'm glad you're able to enjoy them, though.
ReplyDeleteThe format can be very hit or miss for me too.
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