WOW! nothing is supernatural in these stories, but uncanny behavior is a common thread. unsettling, but compelling stories that show the unsavory parts of being human. this collection looks at loss and what it means to be empty inside or feel surrounded by emptiness in some capacity. the characters in these stories strive to control their lives while giving in to the reality of existence—whether by organizing all the items in their houses or stealing stuff from others' homes. big themes throughout these stories: dementia/memory loss (though never explicitly stated), identity via our possessions (especially clothing), and personal space (both literal and figurative). after reading each story the images and characters stick with you and all the stories together work really well with each other ( )

Eerie and surreal and often disturbing. In the case of the long story about the old woman with dementia who wants to die, truly harrowing. Schweblin is unique. ( )

Fascinating to go back to the beginning. The tone is here, the uneasy reality and themes of disorder. I quite like how they tie together as a collection. ( )

No rating. DNF.

I got to the second house. That was enough.

This is a short, sharp, and immersive collection of seven stories.

Schweblin takes the home as a starting point; what is commonly seen as simple, prosaic, and safe she spins off its axis ever so slightly. She tilts the angle of our lens just enough to make these spaces feel off-balance, peculiar, and vulnerable.

In doing so she illuminates the truth that no matter how picturesque the view is from the street, behind every closed door is a microcosmic world full of emotions and traumas that only the inhabitants know. The grief, loss, confusion, desperation is palpable; it fogs the air and envelops the reader.

In these stories we find a daughter accompanying her mother as she scouts out upscale homes that are in need of her surreptitious aesthetic fixes, a search for children who have gone missing with their grandparents last seen joyously dancing naked in the backyard, a woman who walks out of her home in the middle of a difficult conversation clad only in slippers and a robe, and an elderly woman trying to exert some control as she is dealing with the deterioration of her mind and body, among others.

Despite the brevity of most of these stories, the characters are full, well-defined, and knowable. They take up space and they are begging to be seen.

Honestly, I was blown away by this collection. It's not horror, these aren't scary stories in a traditional sense but they destabilise and stir. I immediately wanted to read more by this author and happily there's more to read. ( )