Thanks to Ecco Books for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. For full disclosure, I attended college with the author 🤓
Four interconnected stories (Terrace Story, Folly, Fortress, and Cantilever) make up this quirky short book. Themes of family, love, loss, and size are explored. I don’t think I’ve read anything else where I’d say “size” was explored, but with the help of some magical realism, one character has the ability to increase the size of physical objects which leads to interesting thoughts on the effects of size, in addition to the ethics of using the power. I liked stretching my mind (hah!) to try to grasp this, along with its connection to the rest of the stories.
I found one story not as well fused with the others, but that could have been me reading it too quickly along with the non-chronological arrangement of the stories. The book is just 202 pages, but I found myself pausing and letting ideas marinate in my mind before I moved on in the book. It was a good companion for my weekend train trip to NY/NJ/PA.

🍋 a fresh-squeezed review 🍋

happy pub day to hilary leichter’s enchanting TERRACE STORY

TERRACE STORY begins with a couple and their young daughter struggling to make ends meet in a small apartment. when they unexpectedly find a peaceful terrace in their closet, they reap the benefits until realizing this peculiar glitch has severe repercussions.

what follows are interconnected vignettes on a variety of characters all struggling with loneliness and plagued by longing in a world riddled with questions of belonging.

the magic is in how leichter approaches these universal human emotions. she plays with the rules of time and space to evoke nostalgia and memory. she blurs lines between fact and fiction to illustrate how, really, relationships already exist in this gray purgatory.

in other words, leichter is a master at taking ordinary emotions and wrapping them into a surreal parable, wonderfully simple and absurd. her prose is smooth and affecting, ensuring this short novel in no way sacrifices impact.

if you know me at all, you know i’m a superfan of leichter’s first novel, TEMPORARY — and i can confidently say she’s done it again!

TERRACE STORY is a book not meant to be explained but experienced. i highly recommend succumbing to the expansive architecture of leichter’s world — you’ll leave heartbroken and optimistic all at once.

4.5/5 ⭐️

*thank you @eccobooks @netgalley for the advanced copy*

I enjoyed the weirdness this had. It's not quite a novel-in-stories - things are slightly too connected from story to story to exist entirely on their own, but this has four parts that exist on some level of periphery of one another. It's magical realist, though when the magic wears off, things get very real for its characters. There's a charming strangeness to Leichter's world, and I enjoyed this time in it.

Leister's writing in this collection of four short stories will leave you spell-bound. The collection explores the search for connection and what individuals do once they find it. Features a small amount of magical realism and a few futuristic type events. Terrace Story is hard to put down and leaves you wanting more. I received an advance review copy via NetGalley.

Title: Terrace Story
Author: Hilary Leichter
Publisher: Ecco
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Review:
"Terrace Story" by Hilary Leichter

My Sentiments:

'Terrance Story' was an interesting collection of short stories about different characters that explore concepts of 'familial, romantic love, loss, extinction, and death and just what it means to exit.' These stories will bring in magical realism, fantasy, and some science friction as this author gives the reader a challenge as 'one's notions of love, identity and the future of the past.'

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

All I have to say here is WOW. I've read (and taught) the short story this book was born from many times, as well as her first novel Temporary, and I was so, so curious as to how Leichter was going to expand it out into a full-length novel. Stephanie from the initial story is the main character here, and I was very into exploring her more as a character (loved seeing her backstory). The book reads like a modern-day fable on our spaces, our desires, and the ways our lives can expand and contract to suit them. No plot spoilers, part of the delight of this one is coming to understand the structure and how the pieces come together! Another great, short novel from Leichter.

This was my first book by this author, so I didn't know what to expect. I knew it was outside of my comfort zone, but I decided to give it a chance anyway.

At first, I was very confused and had to reread a few parts to understand what was happening. Although it's a short and fast-paced book, it's important to pay close attention to every detail to avoid getting lost in the interconnected stories, different generations, and magical elements.

Overall, it was a nice read with a beautiful message.

Thanks to Ecco for the ARC! Opinions are my own.

I am glad I read the New Yorker magazine review of this book before starting it because it helped orient me in the right direction. This is so original, I have never read anything quite like it. The stories are longer than a typical short story but not quite novella length. I loved the callbacks to previous stories and the ways the narratives intersected across time and space (literally). It can get a little confusing but my approach is to just go with the flow and let it be confusing. Leichter’s prose is beautiful, elegant, and memorable, I look forward to reading her backlist.

I wanted to like this book more than I did.
I liked the whimsical idea of opening a door and a terrace appears. A magical extension.
I didn’t like most of the characters, especially Stephanie. Why did she make Anne disappear??
No, this one was not for me.

Really liked this one! This is very surreal and magical realism-esque which isn't a genre I tend to explore in but this has really tipped me into that field. I've had other Hilary Leichter books on my TBR and this has really solidified her as an author I want to explore more. Really engaging but easy reading, a mystical plot, and some quirky stuff all in one!

Normally, I’d wait to write a review on something I just finished because I’d want time to sit and comprehend. With “Terrace Story,” I can’t wait. I’m legitimately bursting with thoughts and praise for this novel.

To summarize, “Terrace Story” is told through 4 interwoven tales, each a love story in their own right and in relation to one another. These are BIG love stories though, alright?! And not like romcom love stories - although there are definitely elements of that, too - but galactic love stories. Stories that traverse time and place and people. This book is actual magic. I wanted to live inside it, but also was happily overwhelmed by sitting outside of it.

Liechter is brilliant here. Her characters are real, the way they interact with one another so pure and loving and funny. The way she writes romantic love and dialogue in this book had me craving the same kind of humor and intimacy for my future. The way she wrote heartbreak was equally devastating and yearning and honest.

It’s not only a series of stories about romantic and platonic love, but one of self-love as well. That love can be found in any environment, in any circumstances, together or apart. Maybe that sounds sappy but that’s not the way Leichter writes it. Her versions of love are earnest and lived in and longed for.

Damn, this book is gorgeous. The cover is gorgeous, the prose is exhilarating, the stories are heartwarming and wrenching at the same time, but in the best way.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟no notes, no alterations, a perfect novel.

Thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for the ARC!

What a weird, quick book! Extremely surreal and told through 4 interconnected vignettes, this felt a bit like a strange dream.

The issue with any sort of short story collection or structure like this is that it’s rare for every part to be equally as good. Parts of this worked really for me, but others were a huge drag. The first one grabbed me attention and the surrealism was used in such an interesting way, but the second one completely lost me. The magical surrealism/sci fi element was a fascinating idea, but I’m not sure if I totally *got it*. Maybe I’m just not smart enough for this books or wasn’t in the right head space!

I can see others enjoying this a lot more than I did, but I’m still glad I read it. The writing was very compelling, and I can some Emily St. John Mandel parallels. I’d still be very interested to read more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ecco books for the e-ARC to review!

I did not know what I was about to read when I started this and did not realize that it had a fantasy element to it. The first chapter read like a really good short story. I think I would have been satisfied to just stop there. It was a fast/fairly short read that took me out of my usual types of books. Very discussable.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ecco Books and the author for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Terrace Story is a genre-bending tale that ensconced me in one sitting on my couch on a lazy Saturday. We are introduced to a young family of three, ashamed of their tiny cramped apartment, until their friend and work colleague, Stephanie, is invited over and an overflowing closet is suddenly transformed into a beautiful decorative terrace. With this new discovery comes unabashed joy - but also dark repercussions as addition begets subtraction. Through four interwoven, nonlinear short stories, we see the effects of this one extraordinary event on each character and the world around them.

This novel would make a great book club choice due to its numerous thematic elements. It tackles grief, love, and loneliness that transcend time and space. The power and value of memories is explored. There is also social commentary on extinction, as well as how the world reacts when a woman chooses to create space rather than shrink to conform to societal expectations. The prose was lovely and I felt the author had a distinct voice.

I found some of the stories more riveting than others and some parts had me scratching my head, but the ending did bring everything full circle. At the conclusion, I was left with a sense of surreal contentment. If you are a fan of speculative or dystopian fiction, I think this book will give you a lot to ponder.

3.5 stars for now but this is one that needs to marinate before I fully settle on a rating.

I am in awe of this author's imagination! This collection of interwoven stories was fascinating and forced you to suspend belief in order to really get into the themes of love, family, and identity. I was impressed with the visual elements and callbacks that tied together the stories across space and time.

I did not enjoy this book. I was not prepared for the creepy vibes that this book shot out, and after the first story TERRIFIED me, the rest of the book just felt a bit uninteresting and a tad rambling. The whole second story did not fit into the overarching plot and was just confusing at the time that I read it. I hear that this book is deep, it's an exploration, the prose is beautiful and haunting. I'm simply going to be haunted by the fact that Stephanie really looked Annie in the face and shut the terrace door. The meaning didn't feel very deep; and I'm not saying that the book was shallow, but every emotion was always right at the surface, and I just didn't like it.
Plus, the whole fourth story seems like it's supposed to be uplifting or make you think about the depths people are willing to go for those they love, but all I could think about was how that meant Stephanie wasn't the only one who had that ability?? Which kind of makes no sense. And then I thought, well maybe there's just more people like her in this parallel world, but then how could they be moving through the time tunnel to get people from the other side? I know there's supposed to be magic and mystery, but there wasn't enough suspension of disbelief for me to look past that. It was just confusing.

Had difficulty getting into the story, just wasn't for me. I think the style just didn't jibe with me, but nothing wrong with the book at all!

I had no idea what to expect when I began reading this book. It was a fun read. The ending was a great surprise!

An interesting book that gives an abstract, mystical, surrealistic view into life, love and loss. Not my typical type of book but enjoyable. Thanks #NetGalley

Thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for the ebook. This fascinating short book is about a family, husband, wife and young daughter, who live in a cramped apartment, but when the wife’s friend from work visits, the apartment suddenly has a large terrace. This is disturbing, but not disturbing enough to stop the friend from visiting more and more often, but there’s always a price to pay. The book tells the story from many angles: First through the eyes of the family, then later we see the life of this friend and these odd powers and even many years later, we see what this time has done to shape the life of the daughter. A very original tale.