Official Review: Things are not Always as They Seem

[saturday+deviant]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Things are not Always as They Seem" by Barb McIntyre.]

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The book consists of 26 short stories that average around 4 to 5 pages [this is based on the page length on an Iphone, which is what I used to read the book]. What was really nice about these stories was the varying perspective of characters in each story. Of course a different perspective is not something out of the ordinary, however, the way that the perspective is introduced or revealed to the reader is surprising in most of the stories. I think that what also makes the stories so fantastic is that they are based on average, everyday events like feeding fish or taking the bus from work. So when the view shifts they are still understandable as to why the characters are thinking like they are.

As a precaution there are some warnings that I feel I need to make about this book. Some of the more problematic subject matter in the book includes:

Suicide: there are a few stories that have characters contemplating or committing suicide
Murder: there are a few stories in which the characters contemplate, commit, or are witness to murder
Sexual references: these are slight and far between but the manner in which they are introduced can be upsetting since they are connected to biblical references.
Biblical references: now I don’t mean that there are religious characters and that those stories are “worse,” but there are a few stories that construe stories from the bible in a more negative light and may make religious readers uncomfortable.
Drug use: like the sexual references, this particular subject matter is used sparingly and in a manner of religious devotion rather than as an endorsement for recreational use.

I had no problem reading about any of these aspects and as a nod towards McIntyre, they were all written about tastefully and without a blatant ulterior motive. The book was a quick read with short, engaging stories that made me contemplate my daily life and the people and beings around me.

Out of the 26 stories included in the book, I was stunned and amazed by seven of them. That is not to say that the rest of the stories were awful, but these few were the ones that really made me think about the choices that are made in my life and how it affects others.

What really got me into the book was the very first story included and how shocking the ending was. I admit that when I began reading the book, I was expecting a few simple short stories that followed an average narrator. Boy was I shocked when I finished the first story, but in a good laughable way. This is where the uncommon perspective was key in making the stories so unique. They are deceptively simple in their plots.

Other aspects of the stories that I favored were the “realness” of them; each story is plausible and could happen in real life, no problem. Also the quality of the writing was well done and kept the stories from being too difficult to read or understand. Overall I was actually upset that a few ended so quickly because I became engrossed in them very quickly.

Okay, so as much as I loved the book and most of the stories, there were a few that just didn’t do anything for me. They fell short of the amazing factor that the others had. Not to say that they were written poorly, one didn’t make sense to me plot-wise and another just seemed like an ordinary story about the daily life of some people. Nothing special. But because they are the minority I decided that they would be ignored for the most part when reviewing this book; the good ones overrode the bad.

Overall, this book was a wonderful collection of short stories that proved insightful as well. And that was super important to me, a person who normally thinks that short stories cannot provide the necessary development to make the story worthwhile. This book proved me wrong and I was glad for it.

I would give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.

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[Megan Young]

Sounds like a book I would really enjoy as well.

[whero]

Nice review, I think I might read it.

[sahmoun2778]

Good review. I like the way you broke the controversial topics and addressed them in an objective way. It certainly sounds like the could be some "treasures" in this book.