Vanishing and Other Stories by Deborah WillisPublication date: August 17, 2010
First published: May 12, 2009
Publisher: Harper Perennial
ISBN: 9780062007520
Price: $13.99
Pages: 288
Deborah Willis' website here.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It has been awhile since I have read a really good book of short stories. Not only was this book beautifully written, but I was easily sucked into each of the stories.
The stories in Vanishing are linked together by a common theme of loss. In some it is loss of a loved one--a parent, partner, child or spouse. The loss may be due to death, illness, personal choices and betrayals, an emotional withdrawal, or purely unexplained. The stories focus on how the loss affects those left behind to pick up the pieces.
I have to admit that the stories are gloomy and somewhat dark. There was a lot of sadness and some things were a little disturbing. It seemed like there were a lot of affairs involved, including relationships between teenagers and adults. I probably enjoyed the stories like Rely and Frank a little more since the focus was different.
This is the first book published by this young author and I think she shows incredible talent. The prose was concise and yet lyrical at the same time. The book had a nice pace to it and the stories seemed well thought out, but they didn't drag on too long. A great debut!
About the Author:
Deborah Willis’s work has appeared in the Bridport Prize Anthology, Event, and Grain, and she was a winner of PRISM International's annual fiction prize. Short-listed for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction and long-listed for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, Vanishing and Other Stories is her first book of fiction.I am the last host on this tour. Please visit the other stops: Booksie’s Blog ~ Eleanor’s Trousers ~ The Lost Entwife ~ Raging Bibliomania ~ All About {n} ~ In the Next Room ~ she reads and reads ~ Cozy Little House ~ Rundpinne ~ Confessions of a Bookaholic ~ Life in the Thumb
Book 84 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 48 of 50 for the New Author Challenge, Book 7 of 8 for the Orbis Terrarum Challenge (Canada)
Source: I received this book from the publisher as part of the TLC Book Tour.
3 comments:
Short stories work much better for me when they're linked together like that. This sounds like a good collection.
Sometimes I am really in the mood for dark, gloomy stories. This definitely sounds like something I would enjoy.
I'm not usually a short story fan but I've heard such good things about this book that I know I have to read it! Thanks for being on the tour. I'm so glad you really enjoyed this one.
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