The first story immediately hooked me with its interview transcription and focus on a child star who grew up to be a screw up. The second story was a step down, but the next two play with form to create truly unique stories that were compelling and thought-provoking. And the final story, Small Comfort, is perfectly odd and goofy. Collectively, it’s an incredible commentary on the state of the world, especially regarding class and modern relationships. It also flirts with crime novel tropes here and there. I enjoyed it a lot. Quite the variety.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m still not entirely sure I *understand* *Small Comforts* by Ia Genberg—and yet, I can’t stop thinking about it.

This is a slim, quietly layered novel that reads more like a series of intimate portraits than a traditional story. At first, I found it perplexing. The narrative drifts through memory—friends, lovers, and finally a mother—without much structure to hold onto. But somewhere along the way, it began to settle in.

In the first three sections, I kept sensing an undercurrent of money—never discussed outright, but always present. It shows up in subtle ways: who has freedom, who feels slightly out of place, who seems to move easily through the world and who doesn’t. It quietly shapes the dynamics of these relationships without ever announcing itself.

Then comes the final story—and everything shifts.

Here, the focus turns to the narrator’s mother, and suddenly all those earlier markers of life—money, lifestyle, social identity—fall away. What remains is something much more intimate: illness, caregiving, memory, and love. It’s in this section that the book found its emotional footing for me.

And unexpectedly, its humor.

I found myself smiling at the small, almost wry moments—especially the inclusion of the ex-husband’s rather questionable crime novel ideas, woven into such a tender and serious space. That contrast felt so real to me. Even in the most difficult times, life has a way of letting in the absurd.

By the end, I realized this isn’t a book that explains itself. It asks you to sit with it, to notice what lingers. What begins as a study of relationships shaped by subtle imbalances becomes something deeper—a reflection on what actually matters when everything else fades.

It’s quiet, a bit elusive, and not always easy to grasp—but it left an impression.

And sometimes, that’s more than enough.

Thank you HarperVia and NetGalley for an early copy of “Small Comforts”. All opinions are mine. Expected publication date is June 30, 2026.

Thanks to HarperVia and Netgalley for an eARC of Small Comfort by Ia Genberg. Small Comfort is an enjoyable short story collection that revolves around the ideal of wealth and what it really means in relation to life. My favorite by far was the first story that deals with the former child actor being interviewed and the misconceptions about influence and power being built by both the interviewee and interviewer.