https://www.amazon.com/review/R1WV42E7HIY4L9/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv
But Olivia Grace's Disasters in the First World might just change that. Exploring relationships as fragile as bone china, the authors brings us into the middle of tenuous narratives, exploring many themes (sexual partners/mother son/ brother/sister), but invites us in fully as opposed to being spectators. I also love having a beginning, middle and end to the collection-- too many writers think that since a story is short, they can cut out of of those in the sake of art. A nice book, a good, solid read. I may return to short stories after all.

Some of the stories had potential, and some I found myself skimming through very quickly, just looking for anything to grab me.

That was the oddest bunch of stories I have ever read. I was always trying to search for meaning or symbolism, figuring there had to be some there, but couldn't come up with much. I was always thinking that the author is trying to say something, but what it is (to me) is a mystery. There was never any closure either-- it was like I was left hanging every time. There were strange conversations as well-- I kept wondering if perhaps the book was written while the author was under the influence of hallucinogens part of the time... like I would think "ok-- maybe this will make sense-- we are starting to get somewhere" then-- nope, cause a crazy conversation started, and whatever progress I thought had been made was gone. Maybe I would have understood it if I had been under some influence...LOL

Every once in a while, a book comes along that I can’t summarize, and this is one of those. Disasters in the First World is a collection of short stories. And the truth is, it wasn’t for me.

The stories didn’t appear to have any connection or underlying thread, or at least none that I could see. The only thing they really had in common was their strangeness. Not that I mind strangeness. In fact, I really crave some serious strange on the regular. But this wasn’t that kind of strange. Some of the stories made very little sense, and towards the end, everything felt so disjointed that I just couldn’t wait to be done with it. There wasn’t a single story that spoke to me, that made me feel, that I even kind of cared about. Ultimately, finishing the last few stories became work – work I didn’t want to do, but felt compelled to because I’d already gotten so far.

While I can certainly understand how others might find something redeeming in this collection, I’m clearly not one of those people.

Note: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley. I pride myself on writing fair and honest reviews.

The unfortunate demise of the short story is that it is terribly underrated as a genre. As a creative writer who studied English Literature and Creative Writing in university, I was privy to the hard-earned politic of the short story and poetry workshops inevitable to earning those degrees.

And while longer, flushed out novels are largely popular, it’s their older sister, the short story, which is not only more difficult to write for its critical voice, paced movement, and thoughtful, active plots, but essentially for its succinct and shorter form.

The short story is the foundation of every writer’s ability—and if you fail there, you fail as a writer. Period. If a writer can’t write a good 1,500-word short story, how can you expect the writer to write an even interesting 300-page novel? It’s just not done. At least not successfully.

Which is why I applaud Olivia Clare’s ambitious 13-short story collection, Disasters in the First World.
Each individual story is superb in its craft: from Pétur’s serious tone and dark, revelatory secrets; to the character, Blake’s, high-functioning intelligence in The Visigoths; to the subversive terror invoked by Cullen in the story, Olivia; or the unnerving imagination of Del in Rusalka’s Long Legs.

And those are only four stories.

It’s clear in Clare’s writing that her narrative style is adept, exactly aware that what is required to share with her readers and what is omitted is just as significant in not only moving a story along in its plot or revelations, but in also what she would like readers to be left with to imagine. In each of Clare’s stories is an underlying story, driven by real dialogue and strange and sometimes broken, yet eccentric and fascinating characters.

While the plots in the stories themselves reveal the imminent dangers of conflict, the heart of her stories, too, are the characters in relationship or tension with one another, and how they articulate themselves and their understanding. The characters, like the writing, is mature—with serious themes like sickness, mental illness, love, desire, yearning, injustice.

There’s the shift in the knowledge of Tristan’s creatinine levels in the story Creatinine; the ingratiating behaviour inevitable between a potential daughter-in-law with her boyfriend’s hermitic mother in Two Cats, the Chickens, and Trees; the battle of coping with the anxiety and depression of a loved one shown in the incessant email conversations of the story, Things that Aren’t the World; or the estranged silences, which verbalize yearning, yet repression in Pittsburgh in Copenhagen.

Memory and nostalgia play crucial roles in Clare’s stories, too, from childhood play in Quiet! Quiet!; to the desperate need for company and touch in the loneliness of the destitute in the story, For Strangers; to the distant nonchalance, yet mature awareness of Nola in Santa Lucia; to the random beauty and unlikelihood found in the travesty of Little Moon; to the self-indulgent exuberance of hope and recklessness in the Eye of Water.

If you’re unfamiliar with short stories as a genre, this strong collection will not only introduce you to the wonder of this form, but induce you into a new following. These stories are enjoyable as they are intriguing and most importantly, excellently written. It’s clear that Olivia Clare is a gifted writer with the imagination and depth that writers—and readers—aspire to read and learn from. This may be her debut collection of short stories, but she is worthy of the recognition received as such writers before her like J.D. Salinger, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Elizabeth Hay. If you appreciate literary fiction, you’ll be extremely pleased with this collection of rare, dark, yet beautiful stories.
***
Characters: 5 stars
Plot: 5 stars
Language/Narrative: 4 stars
Dialogue: 5 stars
Pacing: 5 stars
Cover Design: 3.5 stars
***
Zara's Overall Rating: 4.5 stars
***

Note: I also included the author bio and links to connect with the author on social media.

A Series of short stories

Olivia Clare’ book is a series of short stories about many of the world concerns of today, depression, drought, environment as well as other worldly concerns.


I was pleased to finish this book, I didn’t understand a word of it. The stories had no point, they just seemed like 192 pages of ramblings. I am sorry if I seem harsh, but it really was awful in my opinion.

I can see what the author is trying to do but just doesn’t seem to pull it off.

I will read another of her books when they are published to see if it is just a hitch.

Helen

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This is a collection of short stories all written by Olivia Clare. I've never read anything by Ms. Clare and she has a unique and strange sense of humor and a bizarre look at reality. The stories are an eclectic group with no singular theme tying them together.

I so wanted to like this but, as I continued reading, it was clear that this collection and I would not get along.

I wanted more from this. The characters weren't - to my mind - especially well-drawn or memorable and the writing style didn't engage me. Some stories even alienated me, since I couldn't follow them.

This is a short story collection for someone else and I can see things in it that person will love. I just didn't love this one, sadly.

Featured in my blog with the title: The One with Icelandic Dementia and the Waterless World

I struggled to try to enjoy this book as I read it. I gave up about halfway through it

I’d like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book through NetGalley.

“Disasters in the First World” is a collection of short stories written by Olivia Clare.
I wouldn’t say I liked the book much. The characters were not relatable at least to me. Some situations were relatable, but it makes sense since the characters all live in the “First World”. There where parts I didn’t understand no matter how many times I went through them. I’m not sure I understood the said “disasters” in the stories. Sometimes they reminded me mental illnesses and others well nothing at all. Some stories were even weird and disturbing. It is addressed to adults mostly, because there were some sexual references. The writing was very descriptive and detailed and probably the reason why I’ll give it 3 stars. Other than that I found it simply okay. Overall, the book addresses subjects that other people may find relatable or at least interesting. I’m possibly too young to grasp some of the themes or they weren’t properly described. The writing is great and it saved the whole book for me, so I do recommend it!

What a fantastic collection of original and creative short stories!! Loved it!!

It's unfair of me to write a review as I bailed on this book. I got half way but just did not understand it

The stories in this eclectic collection are varied in topic, length and strength. Clare is at her best depicting mental illness and my favorite stories dealt with this topic. Dialogue is a strong suit of the author and her conversations feel very authentic. However, the collection as a whole lacks any unifying theme and jumps around in topic and form.

Disasters in the First World is a collection of bizarre, imaginative, and sometimes wild short stories that address topics from natural disasters to mental illness to racism and fetishization, from the worst to the not-so-bad of humanity with all its twists and nuances. Please note that the collection does include references to non-consensual and consensual sexual material.

I found many of the short stories interesting and fascinating insights into various aspects of human society. While the overall flavor of the book was not entirely to my taste, I found the stories intriguing and sometimes bewildering or even disturbing. Some highlights include a story written entirely in letters and a tale set in a desiccated, dehydrating world. The stories, even the ones I did not particularly enjoy, were all well-written, beautifully descriptive and excellently executed.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a fair review!

Rich and colorful collection of short stories that take place all over the map, in contexts of geography, time, and socioeconomics. Olivia Clare's pieces are imaginative and varied, and where I think this writer excels is with her highly convincing, engaging, and pithy dialog, particularly that of the characters with mental illnesses: the mom with dementia visiting Iceland, the kid brother at an art museum who commits the unthinkable, a party full of people on acid, a woman escaping an asylum with her daughter, and my favorite - Cullen the delusional houseguest. The shorts collected here range from fantastical stories, to plebeian family stories with a twist, and even include science fiction (Eye of Water). Where others writers over-embellish, Clare shows great restraint; the tension and suspense in these stories is palpable.