Linger and Other Short Stories by Glynis Rankin
I give this book a 3.
I am not a fan of short stories in general, though they are growing on me, and I’m not a fan of intense, emotional, realistic dramas (I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi), but I enjoyed this book, if enjoyed is the right term. This book, this collection of stories, is more of an experience that you either appreciate or not. There are moments that I enjoyed, but overall this book is a reaction seeker. It’s not really something you enjoy, but something you experience and react to.
Many aspects of this collection made me very uncomfortable, but if it didn’t I’d wonder about the kind of person I am. I know myself very well and understand that I intentionally stay away from certain topics, but that doesn’t mean I’m afraid to address those issues head on. I’ve recommended this book to many people because it is powerful. I’m sure there are others who’ll receive it even better than I have, but for now, I’m glad to have had the experience and am ready to return to my world of fantasy. 😉
I do not recommend this book to children, and only recommend it to teens under strict parental supervision. This is an intense adult read worth experiencing.
This review has been posted to GoodReads. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
2 replies on “Review: Linger”
Short story writing is an individual and somewhat specialised art, difficult to do well, but capable of producing intense reactions when skillfully written. Some people love short stories, because they tend to be intense and high impact. Others, like yourself, prefer their stories more drawn out, but there is no reason why your preferred genre of fantasy can’t be included in short formats. I’m pleased you found something worthwhile in this book.
At this point I’d say i quite enjoy short fiction. It took a while, but now I’m even trying to write some of it. As for this collection, I think it was content that was tough for me to handle. It’s a very serious, realistic, and intense collection of stories.