Christine Sneed

The house felt alive around him, its walls and stairways exhaling their stealthy breaths. Why had he and Kathryn felt they needed this particular assemblage of plaster and wood and glass? It seemed a foolhardy move, hubristic and reckless, to buy such a large old house and believe they could bring it to heel.

Christine Sneed's newest collection of short stories is wonderful. Each story takes a moment out of someone's life and give a glimpse into their wider life and concerns. Each story is different from the others and each ends at the right moment. Even the funniest story in this collection, The Monkey's Uncle Lewis, has a moment where a character's bizarre behavior is illuminated so perfectly.

There's no science fiction or flashy experiments, just well-told and beautifully written short stories. I wish there was a bigger market for this overlooked form, because the writers who excel at this should be encouraged to write more of it.… (altro)

This is a great concept. What is life like for a world famous movie star? Or his ex-wife? Or his grown children? Or his twentysomething girlfriend(s). Most of us who have watched the Academy Awards have wondered what are those smiling perfect-looking people really like. And what is it like to live in a family where your father’s brilliance puts everyone else in shadows.

The story is told through multiple points-of-view. Each family member, plus a few ex-wives, girl friends and random employees offer their perspective. The approach has some advantages as we get a variety of perspective on the characters. There are some great chapters, with excellent writing. One of the best being the chapter told by a stagehand who is caught stealing a personal item of the star. But some of the chapters seem rushed – long first person narratives that try to cover too much ground.

Little Known Facts was fun to read – well-paced and easy to turn the pages. But I think the story is spread too thin for such a short novel. It is very much a slice of life story, with not much arc. I didn’t want a Hollywood ending, but I wanted something more.
… (altro)