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toreadistovoyage 's review for:

Seven Empty Houses by Samanta Schweblin
3.5

I don't often read short story collections. I have a hard time with what feels like an excerpt from a longer work. When I do venture into a collection, I appreciate when the stories feel connected in some way - either obviously (shared characters, settings, etc.) or veiled (thematic, style, etc.)

Commonalities amongst some/all of the stories were:
Peculiar behavior (some possibly due to mental health issues, other more open-ended)
Trauma informed behavior
Home (what is home? differences in homes; loss of home; letting others in/keeping others out)

What I appreciated about these stories was the peculiarity. The characters did not act/think/behave in what would be considered "normal" ways. There were a few stories, especially "None of That", that left me wishing that they had been expanded upon. I wanted to know more about those characters and that world. There were a couple of stories that felt less connected and were less successful for me.