Official Review: The Odd and The Strange by Harvey Havel

[Mtibza eM]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Odd and The Strange" by Harvey Havel.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

The Odd and The Strange is an aptly titled book. It consists of very short stories that are very odd and very strange. Most of them are terrifying, if not horrific. Only a few of them are hilarious and funny. Harvey Havel, the author of this book, wrote these collections of stories knowing very well that they would leave readers stupefied.

The book opens up with a story titled “Lightning Love.” In this story, a married couple finds out that they are expecting a baby, and things between them start being different and shaky. The husband is now cold towards the wife. He quits his job, knowing very well that his income is needed in the household. Even though he has changed to the extent that he now poses a threat towards his family, his wife still does not want to give up on him because she believes that he still loves her. A strange thing occurs that brings back the husband’s love that the wife knows before the pregnancy. Another story is titled “The Birthmark.” It is about a boy who is in high school who has a birthmark on his face that causes him to get bullied by other pupils. His mother is depressed, and he thinks she is so because of him. He considers himself a shame to her life. Things change when he meets a girl in his school who is from a rich family and who promises to get him the help he needs. Excited that the world is about to change for the better for him, the opposite ends up happening.

“Workplace Love” is another story about a male employer who has sex with a female employee, and after doing so, he turns on her and fires her. “The Good Doctor” is another interesting story about the doctor who is running for the presidency only to be later visited by the CIA to ask to perform a very strange and appalling surgery on him because of the better good.

For the sake of the review, I decided to summarise the above few stories that stood out for me in this book. The book contains more than fifty short stories, so those I mentioned are just a few of the many.

I don’t know how to best describe my experience with this book, so I’ll just try. From the very first story, I knew that the title of the book wasn’t lying when it said The Odd and The Strange. And to think that was the opening story, I braced myself for what was to come. The journey of reading this book was very bumpy, uncomfortable, disturbing, shocking, but most importantly, it was soothingly worth it.

These stories didn’t fail to elicit a lot of strong emotions from me. I go angry, annoyed, and furious. I even laughed in disbelief. So I can say the book lived up to its promise. While I was reading these stories, I kind of guessed their endings, but because of the superb penmanship of the author, I didn’t stop myself from turning the pages. That’s what I liked about it. It was gripping.

What I didn’t like is that the author didn’t employ much of the show-don’t-tell technique because the book is filled with more narration than dialogue. More than often, I felt like I was outside the window looking in. Another thing the racial undertones and remarks made by many characters from most stories made me really uncomfortable. The book would have been better organised if it were divided into different parts, based on the genre of these stories since they transcend to more than two genres. Some fell under horror, others drama, while others fell under sci-fi. These stories: “Sylvia’s Mirror and “The Mirror,” have glaring similarities. I think it was a repetition error.

I came across four errors, which didn’t manage to dilute the quality of the book. So with all being noted, I award this book with a rating of 3 out of 4 stars which I feel it perfectly deserves. Young and immature readers should steer away from reading this one as there is a usage of profane language. The book doesn’t discriminate against any religion or persons. I recommend this book to people who love scary books and who are into weird stories. There are scenes and themes of rape, stalking, racial discrimination, bullying, and abuse. If you are sensitive to the aforementioned themes, then I strongly advise you to shy away from this book as it explicitly details them. The book is 419-paged.

******
The Odd and The Strange
View: on Bookshelves | on Barnes and Noble | on Smashwords

[Sakura5]

Fifty short stories seem a lot for a collection, and the variety of genres they cover is quite impressive. Thank you for your detailed and honest review!

[Raluca_Mihaila]

If the stories made you feel so many emotions it means that the author did a good job. Loved reading your interesting review!

[markodim721]

I like the realistic imperfection that is present in the stories. There are no guaranteed happy endings. Thanks for the objective review.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a collection of really diverse stories, though they have the goal of stimulating emotions in readers. Alas, some themes seem really brutal, stimulating negative emotions, so I'm not sure I'm ready to read those stories. Thank you for your thorough review!

[Dzejn_Crvena]

Great review!
It's understandable that you don't know how to describe your experience in the entire book, considering they're bizarre and unsettling.
I'd probably laugh at how absurd some stories end.
This reminds me of Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar, a favorite children's book I read earlier this year.

[Rayah Raouf]

I haven't read many short stories but this does sound entertaining. I was shocked about the page count, but I think I can work with that. Thank you for the review.

[Mbrooks2518]

Stories that cause strong emotions are good, but I'm not sure these are stories I'd want to read. Thanks for the great, thorough review!

[Chizioboli]

Thank you for this fantastic review. I am not a fan of horror so I might pass on this,..... Wouldn't want to be scared to my pants . Good job

[Mtibza eM]

Thank you for this fantastic review. I am not a fan of horror so I might pass on this,..... Wouldn't want to be scared to my pants . Good job

I understand. Thank you for reading and commenting.

Stories that cause strong emotions are good, but I'm not sure these are stories I'd want to read. Thanks for the great, thorough review!

I understand. Thank you for stopping by.

I haven't read many short stories but this does sound entertaining. I was shocked about the page count, but I think I can work with that. Thank you for the review.

Thank you. It is sure a lengthy read.

Great review!
It's understandable that you don't know how to describe your experience in the entire book, considering they're bizarre and unsettling.
I'd probably laugh at how absurd some stories end.
This reminds me of Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar, a favorite children's book I read earlier this year.

Thank you for the compliment. I will be on the lookout for that book.

[Mtibza eM]

This seems like a collection of really diverse stories, though they have the goal of stimulating emotions in readers. Alas, some themes seem really brutal, stimulating negative emotions, so I'm not sure I'm ready to read those stories. Thank you for your thorough review!

Yes, i applaud the author for succeeding in evoking such strong emotions. Happy reading, and thank you for stopping by. Really appreciate it.

I like the realistic imperfection that is present in the stories. There are no guaranteed happy endings. Thanks for the objective review.

Thank you very much.

If the stories made you feel so many emotions it means that the author did a good job. Loved reading your interesting review!

He really did. Thank you for the compliment.

Fifty short stories seem a lot for a collection, and the variety of genres they cover is quite impressive. Thank you for your detailed and honest review!

Yeah, but I am glad that they are very short, so I was able to finish them in no time. Thank you very much.

[Asma Aisha Ansari]

What an odd and strange book!
I like reading short stories. And this collection seems unique.
I agree with you that the author should have divided the book in parts as per themes and genres.
Thanks for this informative and thorough review