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jr3083
Jun 20, 2017jr3083 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Written by the author of one of my favourite books (This Side of Brightness) this is a really strong collection, comprising a novella and three short stories. Each one of them is memorable in its own way. I often find myself thinking about the editorial decision to select one short story over another in a compilation like this, and whether and how the individual stories contribute to the overarching unity of the collection. These stories, very different though they are, are linked by their exploration of multiple perspectives, the elision of past and present and the contingency of fate. I enjoyed each of them, most particularly the first and final stories. Perhaps it’s because there were only four of them, but each of them is clearly defined in my mind in its own right – something that doesn’t always happen when reading a book of short stories. Or perhaps, as I suspect, it’s because Colum McCann is a very, very good writer. See my full review at: https://residentjudge.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/thirteen-ways-of-looking-by-colum-mccann/