The Beautiful Indifference: Storiesby Sarah HallExpected publication: January 29th 2013 by Harper PerennialFrom Man Booker Prize-shortlisted author Sarah Hall comes a collection of unique and disturbing short fiction hailed as a sensation by UK reviewersThe serenity of a Finnish lake turns sinister when a woman's lover does not come back from his swim . . . A bored London housewife discovers a secret erotic club . . . A shy, bookish girl develops an unlikely friendship with the schoolyard bully and her wild, horsey family . . . After fighting with her boyfriend, a woman goes for a night walk on a remote tropical beach with dark, unexpected consequences.Sarah Hall has been hailed as "one of the most significant and exciting of Britain's young novelists" (The Guardian). Now, in this collection of seven pieces of short fiction, published in England to phenomenal praise, she is at her best: seven pieces of uniquely talented prose telling stories as wholly absorbing as they are ambitious and accessible.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A copy of The Beautiful Indifference was provided to me by Harper Perennial/Edelweiss for review purposes.
'A Beautiful Indifference' is a collection of seven short stories that had been previously published in various forms and have been honored for awards on their own. The first story, 'Butcher's Perfume' was shortlisted for the BBC National Short Story Award in 2010 and 'Vuotjärvi' was long-listed for the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award in 2011.
I've only recently started reading short stories but I decided to pick this one up and was very pleased. Very raw and disconcerting stories with prose that really packs a punch and manages to leave your mind whirling. Each story is very allegorical. Lacking in a true, concrete conclusion and typically left open to interpretation, they all seem to have some deeper meaning that was unattainable for the most part for me. Despite this, these were some of the most gratifying short stories I have ever read. The writing was truly brilliant and left me always wanting more. Sarah Hall is definitely an author worth checking out.
4 comments:
That is nice to hear that this contained some of the best short stores. I hate when you get books with just a few and the rest are mediocre and I am always up for gorgeous writing. Oh and I saw your WOW from the other day with the rose on the cover just went up on Edelweiss I think yesterday.
Wow, the stories sound so eclectic. Short stories are hit an miss with me. I don't really care for ones that have an ending that leaves things open for interpretation, though. Wonderful review Bonnie. :)
Short stories are usually a hit or miss for me, too. I absolutely loved ones like The Paper Menagerie, Ponies, and The End of the Party. On the other hand, I've read short stories in YA anthologies that are really, truly awful. But this collection sounds wonderful, and I'm crushing on the title. :) Excellent review, Bonnie!
Short stories don't always make it on to my reading pile unless they are connected to a series or book I am a fan of. These sounds great though, and I'm glad you were impressed. Brilliant review, Bonnie!
Post a Comment