I got this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

The switch between a story written and the story itself was an interesting take. I enjoyed the story more than the ones the “writer” wrote. Overall, this was a good book however I would not pick it up again.

The writing is quiet good, and the themes very engaging. I particularly liked the framing device sections, but we never stayed with there long, meanwhile, during the short stories often dwelled over long on the most mundane things, making it quite difficult to keep focused and not be constantly losing attention.

The narration was well performed, however, because the stories, like the framing device, were almost always from a first person perspective, of a female protagonist, it was often hard to differentiate one section from the next, and lose or interpose plots. Combined with the earlier mentioned tend to linger made the book not only often hard to follow, but when not, unrelentingly dry.

Anyone who follows my reviews knows that I'm not buddies with short stories, but that never stopped me from trying new flavors to see if I would end up making up with the genre. Craft is one of those examples.

First of all, who would write about sleeping with the devil like this?! Devil suddenly became the guy you couldn't forget but also knew that you were in toxic relationship. Secondly, the devil of immigration was included in an extremely crafty manner (a nod to the title there). Thirdly, bite size Americans you can buy from vending machines to control your hunger? That's new level of creativity.

I liked how author switched between 1st person and 3rd person point of view. Also, maybe the Devil as we had seen in this book was really misunderstood; he might be only mean to people who didn't sleep with him :D

this one was not for me. I felt super bored through about half the stories and really felt they didn't connect in a way that flowed.

How to describe this book? Contextually it’s quite simple but structurally it’s incredibly abstract. Like the title this is a book within a book, our narrator is writing stories to the Devil, whom she encounters at a party in her twenties and sporadically throughout her life, he becomes her muse or touchstone of sorts.

The short stories within are a range of grotesque, beautiful, bizarre and introspective often highlighting the immigrant experience in America particularly during 2016-2020. The book then flips to these encounters with the Devil in her every day life , it’s a bit of a genre/style bending read it’s short stories but not quite because there is still a central plot surrounding them.

Lima breaks the mold and writes a thought provoking, daring book that explores the “craft” of writing by using stories themselves as the explainer, representing the power and pain of writing for the reader and for the self.

This all sounds a bit upside down, but when you read this book you begin to understand the intent while also being drawn into the beautiful and haunting prose. The central themes and glossy characters make it compelling and vivid.

Craft is one of those books you think about time and time again, as you define yourself as a reader, a consumer, an artist, you’ll love the story but stay for the philosophizing.

AHHHHH! I am so thankful to Tor Books, Ananda Lima, Dreamscape Media, and Netgalley for granting me advanced audio, physical, and digital access to this book before it hits shelves on June 18, 2024.

A young woman meets the devil and sleeps with him one night at a Halloween party; from then on, that very same figment pops up in various stages of her life, and she continues to write stories for him of her life, her happiness, her lack thereof, and more. Listening to this book on audio was confusing at bits, but it was helpful to have the physical collection to help with following along.

These interconnected stories talk of ghosts, family traumas and problems, and other Brazilian-American immigration experiences, such as longing and belonging for the places we call home. This is a quick but haunting read that will leave you pondering over its pages for days to come.

Initially I was intrigued about the stories about the devil in Craft by Ananda Lima. I thought horror short stories would be awesome but that isn’t what is offered here. My favorite things in this novel were the Gremlins 2 references and the meta-reviews of the included short stories, hilarious. Dark, dark comedy.. As in every short story book, everyone has their favorites and it’s in reading it to pick your favorites. But the last chapter‘s always the best. ALC was provided by Dreamscape Media via NetGalley. I received an advance listening copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.75 stars

This collection of linked short stories centers on The Writer (I listened to the audio vs. read by sight, and since I heard 'The Writer' as a proper noun here, I'm sticking to it) and her interactions with The Devil (same note).

The initial story is gripping, and while I enjoyed the collection overall, I did experience some waxing and waning when it came to my interest in the individual stories. What I did find consistently fascinating is how the structure and modality really lead readers into a more cohesive reading experience than most short story compilations allow.

Reading this made me want to dig into some of Lima's poetry and to read what comes out from this author next.

I received a gifted copy of CRAFT: STORIES I WROTE FOR THE DEVIL by Amanda Lima from Tor Books!

CRAFT: STORIES I WROTE FOR THE DEVIL is a short story collection. It begins with an opening story in which a writer meets and sleeps with the devil at a Halloween party in 1999. She sees him at times throughout her life in interludes between the stories she’s inspired to write for him. The stories have variety to them, but they address issues of immigration, relationships, disease, and stories.

I really enjoyed the unique way this collection is compiled. I enjoyed seeing the different ways the fictitious author within the collection shares bits of her own life and seeing how that then influences the stories in the collection itself. Things from our real world like vaccines and masks come up, but also the supernatural with ghosts and other things slightly outside of the norm.

I really enjoyed this author’s writing and would recommend this collection!

An interesting idea. Had a lot of political opinions as well. Racial tension. Caused a bit of anxiety (in a good way). Narrator was good.

I loved this. And it seems like this is a debut (with Lima having previously written poetry?)? Being that I have 2K+ books on my tbr, I don't generally like to re-read books. But I truly want to revisit this story again. This was so surreal and imaginative and interesting. I understood it on a vibes level, but I would struggle to explain it if asked. "Well, you see, this woman sleeps with the devil, who pops up from time to time and seems nice enough, but also there are writing workshops, future ghosts, covid, a toilet rat, artistic expression, tiny vending machine people, and immigration."

The narrator, Taylor Harvey, did a great job capturing the tone (wry, but heavy maybe). I'd be interested in listening to other books narrated by her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher! I was in the mood for this kind of story and your fast approval meant I had virtually instant gratification.