I really wavered on this book. I picked it up because it’s the read for my book club for February, and I’m not sure if I would’ve finished it otherwise. This is a book that asks a lot of you, and I think is so shrouded in metaphor that it becomes hard to untangle. The complete lack of any fleshed out women in the book doesn’t make it any easier. That said, the last story offers a redemption that I didn’t expect. I decided on three stars instead of four, but it was close. It really is a hell of a redemption.

It's been a while since I felt really challenged by fiction to think harder, make the right connections.  I am here for the mythology and history of Cross River, it's quickly become something I know, the way I know my own landscape, irrespective of its physical truth.  But I struggled with the second collection, the story of the professor.  I just... didn't connect something.  I appreciated the writing, all these big ideas and the fact that the author didn't wait for me to catch up.  I wish I'd had a moment of clarity and synthesis, but I didn't.  I'll keep thinking about it. 

I didn’t love every story in this collection, but the ones I did, I really loved. In particular, the final story, Special Topics in Loneliness Studies. It had an Infinite Jest feel to it and I was here for it. I was also a big fan of Mercury in Retrograde. Overall a great collection. Excited to read more by Rion Amilcar Scott.

This short story collection was structurally one of the most creative and unique I’ve read - it utilizes a variety of genres across each story, focuses on rich characterizations, and felt like a community analysis of the fictional Cross River. I felt like the stories at beginning and the final one were strong bookends. The final story (a novella told across several parts) being the strongest for me. Thematically it tied together things that has first surfaced in earlier parts of the collection.

That said, overall this missed the mark for me. I felt like I lost direction with the writing and as such probably lost a lot of the meaning that so many other readers have so cleverly picked up and commented on. Definitely check out other reviews as this has been adored by so many readers!

The latter half of the novel is one story, and it was my favorite. The first half of the novel was tough to get through at times.

This was a very enjoyable collection of stories filled with satire and wisdom. They're a little difficult to get in to but once you do you'll be glad you stuck with it.