Reviews for Numerology and Other Stories

The average rating for Numerology and Other Stories based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-12-18 00:00:00 Tomoharu Kimura I never, ever, ever want to read a short story collection like this again. Heralded as "profound" and "moving," giving insight into the nature of humanity, this collection succeeded in doing one of those things: moving me to nearly vomit. These stories all feel either pointless or contrived, the writing is mediocre, and the plots are far from compelling. That isn't to say that every story in this collection was utterly without merit: there were one or two that were partially palatable ("The Language of Sorrow" and "Escapes" being pretty much the only ones). The rest are filled with all manners of revolting depravity, and I would NEVER recommend that anyone ever read them. One of them in particular branded itself on my mind: "New People." Just thinking about it makes me shudder. I wish I could un-read this entire book. Please do yourself a favor and avoid this book at all costs.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-01-08 00:00:00 Petra Hartmann This collection of short stories revolves around women in the wake of failed relationships. For the most part, these are women who are coping with a divorce or romantic break-up. On a few occasions, the primary character is a youth coming to terms with a parent's new romantic alliance. I like the short story for its tight construction which can carry such a punch. But, these stories rarely had that sort of power behind them. The characters and situations have shown up in so many novels and TV movies that they felt a bit tired.