An Oral History of Atlantis is a sharp, hilarious, and sneakily profound collection that proves Ed Park is a master of capturing the surreal contours of contemporary life. With sixteen stories spanning decades and styles, this book is a kaleidoscope of strange truths and uncanny observations, delivered with Park’s trademark wit and a surprising emotional punch.

Park has a gift for bending form without sacrificing feeling. His stories range from speculative to satirical to strangely romantic. Still, they’re all grounded in a deep curiosity about how people make sense of themselves in a world that often doesn’t. Whether through whale watching, online bidding wars, or awkward meet-cutes, his characters are always reaching for meaning, clarity, and someone to understand them.

What makes this collection stand out isn’t just its cleverness (though it has that in spades) but its humanity. There’s a tenderness beneath the irony, a compassion beneath the absurdity. Park knows how ridiculous modern life can be—and how quietly beautiful it is.

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

I really liked some stories, didn't care for others, so made it a middle rating of a 3. The author is definitely a very talented writer - when these worked, they really worked for me. They just didn't all grab my attention. I did love the atmosphere and vibe of the overall collection. My favorites were Bring on the Dancing Horses, Machine City, and The Gift.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

3.7 Stars rounded up

An Oral History of Atlantis is a wonderfully strange and inventive collection of short stories that defies easy categorization. Like many collections, it's a bit of a mixed bag. What sets this one apart is how each story manages to bring something fresh to the table: one might make you laugh out loud, another might leave you quietly puzzled, while yet another lingers with a philosophical echo.

Ed Park’s prose is fluid and inviting almost as if it feels less like reading and more like gliding through a dreamscape of oddities and insights. Even when a story didn’t completely resonate with me, it still offered something memorable, whether it was a clever twist, a surprising emotional beat, or a completely original premise.

If you enjoy fiction that embraces the weird and wonderful, that’s playful but purposeful, and that doesn’t mind veering off the beaten path, An Oral History of Atlantis is well worth your time. It’s a literary ride full of unexpected delights and thought provoking detours.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Ed Park, and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This a compilation of short stories. Right from the first one I was laughing. The laughter and enjoyment continued throughout this book. My thoughts on some of the entries are as follows. In "An Accurate Account" it about an uncle's letter to his nephew about the past. There was good flow and a weird twist. I did not care for "Weird Menace" but, mostly because the formatting of the poem was off-putting to me not necessarily the poem itself. "Eat, Pray, Click" was my favorite of the entries having me wishing for this type of reality. "Slide to Unlock" was a relatable and funny entry with a nice twist at the end. All and all this book made me want to seek out anything else this author might have written.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Strangely enough, I enjoyed most of the stories even if I didn’t have a clue what was going on. The stories aren’t connected in any way, all are written in first person or stream of consciousness. They are mostly entertaining, even if some have an esoteric humor and wit that flies over my head. The stories I enjoyed most have a sense of poignancy to them that Park doesn’t explain, but makes you feel.

This is truly an original, and sometimes strange, collection!

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This was my first read by the author and I quite enjoyed it! The stories are all a little absurd, sometimes interconnected, and speak to the very specific and strange experience of the human condition. I found value in each of them, although there were certainly stories that stood out more than others.

It's a good short story collection for anyone who enjoys dry humor and an acerbic storytelling.

4 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read before and I’m very happy I gave it a chance. The writing style was amazing and I love that there were many different stories tying into a central theme. I was quite apprehensive at first because I’m not a fan of reading books that make me feel like I’m not the target audience or like I’m not equipped to read it but I’m glad I gave it a shot. The beginning story really hooked me in and kept my attention. This was a very unique book and I enjoyed.

A deceptively charming collection of short stories centered around writing and identity. A good short story should succinctly depict the character of the protagonist, establish the setting immediately, and see how they interact. Park is a master of this. His usually befuddled main characters complain to their translators about the rewriting of their novels; try to support their ABD girlfriend who reviews terrible sci-fi novels; or find out who their real father is through an email. Park writes extremely natural description and dialogue perfect suited to the character at hand. I enjoyed these little stories much more than I was expecting. Highly recommended for writers and readers alike.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

I have never read this author before and I found that I really enjoyed his writing style and narrative voice.

This collection is a varied mix of stories, some that were just alright and some that I actually laughed out loud. When he is funny he is hilarious, and when he's serious he's thought provoking. Whatever he's writing feels original and emotional.

I would be interested in reading some of his long form work. Anyone who enjoys short stories will definitely find something in this collection that they enjoy.

3 1/2 stars

Witty, strange, and sneakily profound, An Oral History of Atlantis is a sharp, surreal exploration of identity, memory, and the absurdity of modern life.

An eclectic short story collection from Ed Park, An Oral History of Atlantis, explores elements of a society frayed by technology, immigration, loss of subcultures and humanities (the school subject). The stories at first seemed fragmented until recurring characters begin popping up, asking the reader to pay closer attention to the thread that runs through each tale.

I enjoyed this collection, I found myself picking it up and putting it down over the course of two weeks, and each time I read a new story I was surprised by the voices that populated the pages. Many of the stories left me feeling unsettled, wrong footed, every time I anticipated something happen Park would swing the story in a different direction entirely.

I'd recommend this book to my friends when it comes out, looking forward to seeing the book in stores IRL.

Some stories are great, some are just good, then there are a few meh.

I think Park's novel is a better display of his talent. In longer form, the po-mo setups have time to pay off. Not all the short stories landed for me. But the ones I loved, I really loved. The wife on Ambien was hilarious.

Theme: 2 stars - there wasn't anything tying these stories together
Writing: 4 stars

Ed Park has a keen eye, a quick tongue and is as smart
as he is observant. Each story is its own statement.
Each statement is relevant. Lives are built from
individual, relevant statements.
This is the book I will want to have in the bookcase
next to the Pulitzer, Nobel, and every other
indicator of accepted accomplishment.
My thanks to Random House
for offering this book for my
reviews, which are completely voluntary and
completely my own thoughts

i say this every time i read a short story collection, so it’s kind of a tradition by now: short stories aren’t really for me. i have yet to ever rate a collection like this 5 stars, and if a pulitzer prize finalist can’t even get me there, i think that’s pretty solid proof! not to say that this was bad — i’m just not really the audience for it.

one thing that i enjoyed with this collection was the little strands of connection interwoven through the stories. sometimes it was something as small as the same town being mentioned in two different stories, but i really like noticing small details like that! part of my issue with short stories is i often feel like i’m left wanting, so having that sense of interconnectedness assuages that feeling a bit. of course, not every one can have those details, so there were a few that i didn’t quite “get” or that i thought were too abrupt. overall, my favorites were “a note to my translator”, “the gift”, “watch your step”, and “seven women”. if you’re more of a short story person than i am, you will probably enjoy this!

Short stories are a hard sell for me, but An Oral History of Atlantis was enjoyable start to finish. Ed Park's wordsmithing is exceptional, allowing for some truly hilarious turns of phrase and insightful observations. My favorite by far was "The Gift." Any reader who appreciates cheeky literary craftsmanship will enjoy this collection. Recommended.

An Oral History of Atlantis is a brilliantly imaginative collection of short stories by Ed Park that explores the absurdities of modern life with deadpan humor and keen insight. From a college student whose on-screen role blurs with his real identity to a man confronting his life through the passwords he struggles to remember, Park's characters grapple with memory, art, and the fleeting nature of existence. With his trademark wit, Park crafts a world both familiar and surreal, offering a fascinating meditation on the transient beauty of life.

I have learned in my twenty fifth year of life that I really really love short story and essay collections, and, as such, I was really excited to get toddle into this one. I was immediately drawn in by the cover, so I want to give a huge kudos to its designer.

I also want to say that unlike many, as I am learning, I had yet to read anything by Ed Park before starting this collection.

Every one of these stories felt super distinct, which I love in a collection, but every one showcased Park’s knack for clever, absurd scenarios delivered with a razor-sharp wit and a distinctly smart sense of humor. The collection took me a lot longer to read than a book of a comparable size by another author may have, but I don't think that's a negative thing. I, in fact, think it's a lovely thing to find a book that you want to spend time with, a book whose author might be twenty times as intelligent as you are and whose writing takes you a second to fully understand, if you ever do.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the advance copy of this book.

It's really refreshing to read an author that challenges the status quo and relishes in the joy of writing. Mr. Park does a great job keeping you on your toes in his collection of short stories. I love how it's just a stream of consciousness. Sometimes disorienting, some times bizarre, sometimes wonderful. There's a beauty in just writing an idea out just so it can exist.

This will definitely persuade me to look into more books by the author. Truly a unique reading experience!

to be honest, i'm not the right audience for this book. sure, i like literary fic, but these short stories felt more like slice of life / meandering, i couldn't figure out the shared theme between these stories. just not for me.

Ed Park writes with witty humor, a sly wink and a nod evident in many of these stories. A lot of them feature writers, so many that I wonder whether that is a unifying theme in this collection. There is one story with an excess of Tinas that made me laugh hard. I haven't read his novels yet, but I'll definitely be checking those out after reading these stories.