jenknox's Reviews (494)

I wrote this book. I also had a very extensive launch planned starting early March, in partnership with AUX Media, then COVID-19 hit and I didn't feel as though I was in a good place to promote. Accordingly, this novel-in-stories hasn't made the rounds I'd like it to make yet, but I put everything into this collection of fiction, so I'm rating it 5 stars. Total bias. I hope you read it. Jen

Gay is a writer who is unafraid to look at the shadowed angles of life and expose them with keen insight and unapologetic critique. It seems such a simple thing, to ask that a writer be unafraid in her or his work, to question the obvious or pre-defined roles society hands out like bad hard candy that we all eat and share while ignoring what it does to us. Honesty is perhaps the most difficult thing. So few writers do it. It should be commended. These essays confront, pose, oppose, and enlighten. They are refined and unabashed at the same time. They should be read by you.

There are stories in this collaborative collection by Kathy Fish and Robert Vaughan that contain the complexities and subtleties of novel-length work. There are characters who will create new wrinkles in your brain, who will settle there and teach you things about the world as they struggle in their own. There are stories that complement other stories, even though each contains the distinctive flair of its respective writer. I am better for reading this remarkable book and will return to it often.

I like it.

It was a true privilege to read an advance copy of How We Disappear. This is a gorgeous and wide-ranging collection of finely penned stories by an author who knows how to create atmospheric detail that brings a wide variety of landscapes to life. Masih is adept at creating memorable characters - the range and depth of their stories show great skill, and the attention to nuance are immersive. There's something for every mood and inclination in this collection. I savored each story and will no doubt return to this collection, which calls to its reader long after the last page is turned.

I was honored to receive an ARC of this precisely written collection by Karin Cecile Davidson. This is a collection of stories about the lives and relationships of women with each other, significant and insignificant others, and the world. The scenes are crisp and memorable, as are many of the lines, but what makes this book stand out is the depth of emotional truths that invite us to face realities of life past and present with the honesty only strong fiction can manage.