Surreal, tragic collection of short stories with tremendous word/grammar play.

This collection of short stories is truly a remarkable piece of work. The author has masterfully combined the elements of the surreal and the tragic to create a unique and captivating reading experience.

The use of word and grammar play throughout the stories adds an extra layer of depth and complexity. It challenges the reader's perception and forces them to think outside the box.

Each story is filled with vivid imagery and powerful emotions that will leave the reader feeling both震撼 and moved. The author's ability to create such a diverse range of characters and settings is truly impressive.

Overall, this collection of short stories is a must-read for anyone who appreciates innovative and thought-provoking literature.

Although I read an English edition, the book has also been translated into Dutch.

The Dutch translation is titled De windeter = Te Kaihau. It's interesting to note that different translations can offer unique perspectives and interpretations of the original work.

For those interested in a review in Dutch, they can refer to message 67 of the Netherlands & Flanders group Spring Challenge 2014. This review might provide valuable insights into how the Dutch readers received and understood the book.

It shows the importance of considering different translations and reviews when exploring a particular book, as they can enrich our understanding and appreciation of the literary work.

Whether in English or Dutch, the story of De windeter = Te Kaihau seems to have captured the attention of readers and sparked discussions among them.

It would be fascinating to compare and contrast the different translations and reviews to see how they vary and what common themes or elements emerge.

This exploration could lead to a deeper understanding of the book and its significance in different cultures and languages.

Overall, the availability of different translations and reviews adds another layer of complexity and interest to the world of literature.

A short collection of stories is presented here, which often has a reading experience more similar to that of poetry rather than prose. This can be regarded as either good or bad, contingent upon one's personal taste.

For me, although I relished the rhythmic fluidity of Hulme's language in the context of her novels (I have a great affection for the way she combines words, such as 'blueblack' and 'seanoise'), in these stories, I felt that most of the narrative had a hard time maintaining coherence. I could catch glimpses of the themes of family and Maori tradition that had emerged previously in The Bone People. However, without sufficient space to develop interesting and complex characters to anchor the language to an engaging narrative, they became less captivating.

It is not to say that this was a bad book. The screenplay about the eerie vacation to the beach was rather enjoyable to read, and so were a couple of the other stories. But overall, it simply wasn't as excellent as The Bone People.

Terribly disappointing after The Bone People.

It is truly a letdown when compared to the masterpiece that The Bone People was.

In fact, these stories accomplished the worst possible thing: they made me doubt that The Bone People was as good as I remembered it being.

One would expect that after such a remarkable work, the subsequent stories would build on that success and offer something equally engaging.

However, that is not the case here.

The new stories lack the depth, the complexity, and the emotional resonance that made The Bone People so memorable.

They seem flat and uninteresting, failing to capture the reader's attention and hold it.

It is a shame that what could have been a great follow-up has turned out to be such a disappointment.

Perhaps the author was trying too hard to replicate the success of The Bone People and ended up losing the essence that made it so special.

Whatever the reason, the result is a collection of stories that simply do not measure up.

DNF @ pg. 173.

I won't lie. The only reason I obtained this was to peruse the story associated with The Bone People. However, I didn't ultimately do that. Instead, I merely skimmed through it. What I valued about the stories that I did read was that each one had a completely distinct feel. From the writing style, which could range from flowing and lyrical to terse and impactful, to the structure that might be linear or fragmented, and all the way to the characters who were vividly drawn and complex. And yet, there was some intangible thread that connected them. Maybe it was a shared theme or a common emotional undercurrent. But there's not much else to say really. I think I'll just stick with Hulme's novel. It seems to have a depth and a resonance that these short stories, while interesting in their own right, couldn't quite match.

It'll come as no surprise that I had a penchant for the stories that sounded more supernatural. The more otherworldly and mysterious they were, the more they captured my imagination.

On the other hand, the stream-of-consciousness first-person style didn't quite appeal to me. It felt a bit too disjointed and chaotic for my taste.

There were also recurring themes that I wasn't overly fond of. The themes of drunkenness and disability as a burden seemed to be present quite often, and I didn't particularly enjoy wallowing in those rather depressing aspects.

The whitebait story, however, gave me such a strong sense of deja vu. It was as if I had read it before, yet I couldn't quite put my finger on where. It was definitely one of my favorites, along with the story about the family and the sheep. These two stories had a certain charm and appeal that set them apart from the others.

Overall, while there were aspects of the stories that I didn't like, there were also some real gems that made the reading experience worthwhile.