Please note that I received this book via NetGalley. This did not affect my rating or review.
This is a collection of short stories by Deborah Jiang-Stein. The main reason why I just gave the overall collection 5 stars was that although it took me a bit to get used to how she curated this collection, it started to resonate with me after a while. We follow a “main” character so to speak, but some of the other stories were so short that I didn’t always understand what point she was trying to convey. There are some connections between some of the stories and some characters pop up again, but you have to be on the watch for it. For me that was the fun part. I liked how things got revealed to me slowly.
The author also leaves a note about writing stories about people whom others don’t see. I think that is the thread that ultimately ties everyone, just people going about their day to day that you don’t see or even think of at all. Here’s my review of each story.
“Everywhere at Once” (5 stars)-An unnamed main character talks about how her cousin is doing her best to lure her away from Seattle and her flower selling there. We find out why though she stays in Seattle. This is one of the longer stories in the collection. We do eventually figure out her name is Felma, or so she says.
“Stiff Licorice” (3.5 stars)-This one started out and ended weird. It just kind of turned into four really Christian people finding themselves at a restaurant and hanging out later.
“Except for the Sea” (4 stars)-A man arrives in Minnesota and is drawn to the water there and meets a mysterious woman.
“The Big Wave” (4 stars)-I think this is one of the few stories where someone is named. In this one, a man named Ramon is the world champion of big wave body surfing. He gives a bouquet of flowers to the goddess of the ocean to ask for safe passage and I think that was one of the stories that I found linked back to the first one and the character in there.
“Aimless, Forgetting” (5 stars)-Same character from story 1, Felma, we follow her as she walks and walks. She tells her more about her life and how she still is searching for someone. You also get the impression for the first time, she may be suffering from mental illness.
“Devoured” (4.5 stars)-This one jumps to Tokyo, Japan and we follow a young girl whose life seems tied to her family’s candy stand.
“No Regrets” (2 stars)-This was really short. An unnamed person is living in Tokyo. I didn’t get much from this fairly short story which is why I only gave it 2 stars.
“The Bottle Duster” (3.5 stars)-still in Tokyo and we get a story about a woman who is a bottle duster and her life that definitely seems lonely.
“Fountain of Redemption” (3.5 stars)-A man is taken to someplace away in his mind while sitting on a subway in Tokyo. This was okay, again fairly short so didn’t really get whatever deeper meaning I was supposed to from it.
“French Opera, Chocolate, and Statues” (4 stars)-Follows a young boy and his family as they fly from the Philippines (layover in Tokyo) with their final destination being Detroit. I like how it describes the houses nearby what will eventually be their family home.
“I Figure a Flower” (5 stars)-Felma from story 1 and story and “Aimless…” She talks about how people walk by her and don’t see her or when they do stop, they ask her what’s on her mind. Now after the first story and the other featuring her, do we think this is true? I found myself questioning everything she was laying out. I loved how an opera song touched her so much she kept playing it one day and a really darker twist to a children’s classic. This one goes on a bit longer, like the other stories. It always reads as mini-stories in one story featuring this character that the author obviously wants us to know.
“Moment of Truth” (5 stars)-A character visits an aunt in Chicago to see the Midwest Bonsai Flower Show and deals with her aunt’s neighbor who can’t take a hint. I liked how this one went a bit longer and honestly it really digs in on nosy people who don’t ask questions just because they are asking, but because they want to wound with their questions. I loved the slow reveal of this character, her aunt, and her mother.
“Destined for Fame” (5 stars)-Follows a woman named Anne who is in prison and her writing.
“Finders” (5 stars)-Again we follow Anne from the prior story and it lists what her life is like in jail in more detail along with the connections she makes. This story needs a trigger warning for rape.
“Esther Levin, Undefeated” (5 stars)-A woman just going through her own thoughts during the night. This is a longer short story and it definitely showcases the kind of thoughts one gets when we can’t sleep or are afraid to.
“The Chosen One” (5 stars)– Rev Aurora who appears as a side character in “Finders” is out of jail and we definitely see her slide out of her recovery from alcohol.
“Edwin in the Ring” (5 stars)-Rev Aurora recounts how her big brother got her into preaching. It also shows the loneliness of preaching (at least it did to me) and how Aurora used it to be left alone, though preaching to me always seemed to be about the people you were preaching to.
“The Last Haircut” (5 stars)– Rev Aurora again, and the story this time is about her former housemate. We also get some more glimpses into Aurora’s life.
“Ester Levin, Undefeated” (5 stars)-Esther again and we get more clues about where she really is.
“Bone” (5 stars)-Follows a widow named Etta who disappears after the death of her husband.
“Welded Zipper” (5 stars)-Etta again, we have her now in a different sort of life from the one she had when she was younger.
“Bees and Honey” (5 stars)-A woman provides detail about her aunt who use to preach…who do we think this is about? I loved the details we get here. There is also some ties to the prior story, you may miss it if you don’t read closely though. I love the little Easter eggs we get in this collection.
“The List” (5 stars)-Back to the flower cart seller again.
“Might Tip Over” (5 stars)-Following Felma some more. And again I wonder about something that I am going to keep to myself. We get even more revealed here about her and her times spent away.
“Inventive and Meant to Be” (5 stars)-Following Felma’s cousin who set up in Minneapolis. And we get some details about how unfair it is to be a woman. I liked this little interlude we get.
“Dreams and High Hopes Wrapped in an Old Trench Coat” (5 stars)-Is this young girl tied to someone that we have read about before? Probably. Maybe.
“Esther Levin, Undefeated” (5 stars)-We follow Ester again, talking about where she is and if she deserves to be there. And the loneliness of the place she is at.
“Dear Baby Girl” (5 stars)-One of the saddest stories in the collection, well heck a lot of them are sad, but this one just leaves you longing. It’s tied to one of the characters we have been introduced to. I am being careful to not reveal to much to potential readers out there. But if you read some of the earlier stories, you are going to know who this is about.
“Number Four” (5 stars)-A cab driver (who we can guess at) telling her passenger she reminds her of someone. This passenger we know has a connection to someone else in this collection.
“Always There” (5 stars)-We follow Felma again and again you get glimpses into the reality and what she perceives to be.
“Edge of the Pond” (5 stars)-A woman moving in with her aunt on Vashon Island. This island and woman are referred to here and there throughout the collection.
“Spiritual Torments” (5 stars)-I think this story resolves a lot of questions readers may have about the drip and drabs we have been getting. It just solidified who the younger woman is and the aunt too.
“Ashes to Ashes” (5 stars)-Some questions answered and just another lost in the end.