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Девушка-музыкант заводит дружбу со стаей птиц, и это открывает перед ней неожиданные возможности. Вызванный ко двору крысолов оказывается втянут в борьбу за трон разоренного королевства. Молодой муж обнаруживает соседство с огромным плюшевым медведем, которого купила его супруга, пугающим из-за его слишком внимательного взгляда. Попавшиеся в искусно расставленные силки и в капканы, созданные собственными руками, герои дебютного сборника Наоми Исигуро стремятся к свободе и полету, и перемены, что ждут их за поворотом, превосходят самые смелые ожидания.
190 pages, ebook
First published February 6, 2020
About the author
Naomi Ishiguro
5 books71 followersNaomi Ishiguro studied writing at the University of East Anglia and is a former bookseller and bibliotherapist at Mr B.’s Emporium in Bath. She lives in London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
September 21, 2021
Enjoyable, if most of the time not very propulsive stories about modern day urban life, with some more fantastical interludes.
Until I know what’s wrong with me I have no hope of finding a cure, or a treatment, or any kind of escape route from out of this trap of myself, from these tortured thoughts and sentences, from this condition and this pain inside my chest.
Naomi Ishiguro had me very excited about this short story collections. As often, there is variety in how much I clicked with the stories, but in general I quite enjoyed Escape Routes.
Thoughts per story are included below:
Wizards - 3 stars
This story has some nice banter and Ishiguro effectively manages to capture the rambling mind of a child while also satirising astrology along the way.
A typical English kind of humor I also recognize in David Mitchell his early work pervades the story, however for too long I hadn’t really clear where the tale was working towards with its two disparate threads.
Bear - 2.5 stars
A rift in a marriage is exposed through an item bought at an auction. The obsessions this brings with it is nicely portrayed but I can't recall much about any resolution or special characteristics of the character so slightly less than 3 stars.
The rat catcher I - 3 stars
A dark story of a nearly industrial age dilapidated palace being visited by a rat catcher, who kind of turns out being a prey instead of a hunter. Interesting and different, if not hundred procent successful in pay off in my opinion.
Heart problems - 4.5 stars
Definitely the best story in my opinion, about a man from Ireland falling apart, depression and someone listening to him. Feels like Sally Rooney her writing in how the story reflects on modern day city life and the alienation it brings with it:
It’s just, he says, it’s like something in me is missing, or defective - not necessarily my heart, but still something important, something that should be at the very centre of me, but isn’t. And the result is that I’m neither one thing nor the other, neither here nor there.
Shearing season - 2.5 stars
A fairy like tale of wanting to be an astronaut and the mental aerobics needed for that path. Inventive in the assignments given to the main character, but in the end not super memorable for me.
The Rat Catcher II - 2.5 stars
Something feels very off and Franz Kafka like in this part of the story, with the young king being quite peculiar and our narrator less effected by events from part I than expected
Accelerate! - 3.5 stars
A latte brings about a lot of trouble, with coffee being a catalyst for a more efficient urban life, with a main character again feeling estranged from his seemingly successful life and amnesious lover.
Like earlier story Heart Problems, just from an other perspective and less impactful.
The flat roof - 2.5 stars
Again someone finding a place in the city, presumably London. This time grief plays a role, and birds form, as in Accelerate!, form the key to escape
Rat catcher III - 2 stars
The perspective changes compared to the two earlier parts, and we get a few unexplained things popping up and a rather sweet resolution. I’d expected more of an pay-off for this longest story.
Feels like a weaker version of Piranesi, but then with a rat infestation and without the sea. Bewildering but not necessarily in a positive manner.
Until I know what’s wrong with me I have no hope of finding a cure, or a treatment, or any kind of escape route from out of this trap of myself, from these tortured thoughts and sentences, from this condition and this pain inside my chest.
Naomi Ishiguro had me very excited about this short story collections. As often, there is variety in how much I clicked with the stories, but in general I quite enjoyed Escape Routes.
Thoughts per story are included below:
Wizards - 3 stars
This story has some nice banter and Ishiguro effectively manages to capture the rambling mind of a child while also satirising astrology along the way.
A typical English kind of humor I also recognize in David Mitchell his early work pervades the story, however for too long I hadn’t really clear where the tale was working towards with its two disparate threads.
Bear - 2.5 stars
A rift in a marriage is exposed through an item bought at an auction. The obsessions this brings with it is nicely portrayed but I can't recall much about any resolution or special characteristics of the character so slightly less than 3 stars.
The rat catcher I - 3 stars
A dark story of a nearly industrial age dilapidated palace being visited by a rat catcher, who kind of turns out being a prey instead of a hunter. Interesting and different, if not hundred procent successful in pay off in my opinion.
Heart problems - 4.5 stars
Definitely the best story in my opinion, about a man from Ireland falling apart, depression and someone listening to him. Feels like Sally Rooney her writing in how the story reflects on modern day city life and the alienation it brings with it:
It’s just, he says, it’s like something in me is missing, or defective - not necessarily my heart, but still something important, something that should be at the very centre of me, but isn’t. And the result is that I’m neither one thing nor the other, neither here nor there.
Shearing season - 2.5 stars
A fairy like tale of wanting to be an astronaut and the mental aerobics needed for that path. Inventive in the assignments given to the main character, but in the end not super memorable for me.
The Rat Catcher II - 2.5 stars
Something feels very off and Franz Kafka like in this part of the story, with the young king being quite peculiar and our narrator less effected by events from part I than expected
Accelerate! - 3.5 stars
A latte brings about a lot of trouble, with coffee being a catalyst for a more efficient urban life, with a main character again feeling estranged from his seemingly successful life and amnesious lover.
Like earlier story Heart Problems, just from an other perspective and less impactful.
The flat roof - 2.5 stars
Again someone finding a place in the city, presumably London. This time grief plays a role, and birds form, as in Accelerate!, form the key to escape
Rat catcher III - 2 stars
The perspective changes compared to the two earlier parts, and we get a few unexplained things popping up and a rather sweet resolution. I’d expected more of an pay-off for this longest story.
Feels like a weaker version of Piranesi, but then with a rat infestation and without the sea. Bewildering but not necessarily in a positive manner.
August 27, 2021
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Like many collections of short stories Naomi Ishiguro’s Escape Routes is a bit of a mixed bag.
The stories collected in Escape Routes are centred around individuals who feel 'trapped'. Throughout the course of these narratives Ishiguro’s characters seem to undergo some sort of existentialist crisis. Most are mystified by their present and deeply uncertain of their future. Some crave to break free from what they perceive to be an unfulfilling or somehow undesirable existence. Others believe that there is something deeply wrong with them, physically or psychologically. There are also those who feel pressured by their parents, partners, or friends, to be someone they are not.
At times it is the possibility of the fantastic that changes their circumstances. On other occasions an encounter, with other people or with nature, might lead them to a path of self-acceptance or self-reconciliation.
In theory I appreciated the themes that Ishiguro explores in her narratives. Given the economical nature of the short story Ishiguro doesn’t waste her words as she often begins her stories by emphasising or addressing what troubles her characters’ minds. Ishiguro also demonstrates an intelligent and efficient use of the English language. Frequently she articulates her characters’ unease in an amusing manner. Ishiguro’s dialogues also demonstrate her ability to render the different ways in which people speak or express themselves as well as giving an impression of those pauses and inflections that characterise most conversations.
For the most part I enjoyed the humour with which she imbues her stories. Her characters are not to be taken too seriously and in depicting their predicaments she often adapts an ironic and vaguely self-aware tone. While she doesn't make light of her characters’ various troubles, she does hint towards a self-dramatisation on their part.
Sadly, as much as I liked her writing style and the themes at the core of her stories I can’t say that I particularly enjoyed any of her stories. Most of these narratives are characterised by a studied weirdness, one that comes across as artificial. Whereas through her characters’ inner monologues and their conversations with others Ishiguro creates and maintains a sense of almost Wes Andersonesque absurdity, these more blatantly bizarre elements lessened the ‘ordinary yet surreal’ quality of her stories.
While the start of her stories are promising enough, they soon seemed to fall into a rather predictable ‘this-is-how-you-write-a-short-story’ structure. Rather than suffusing her narratives with a natural sense of ambiguity, Ishiguro mostly relies on her endings in order to ‘subvert’ our expectations. The perplexing and open-ended way in which her stories culminate in seemed more contrived than enigmatic.
The first two stories—‘Wizards’ and ‘Bears’—were perhaps the most successful ones in this collection. One follows a young boy and a rather child-like man in their quest for ‘more’. The boy hopes for magic while the man seems on the lookout for some sort of sign. Both of them feel that their parents’ would not accept or understand their true selves. The other is a quirky tale in which a man becomes paranoid over a stuffed bear.
Stories such as ‘Heart Problems’ and ‘Accelerate!’ were okay...if almost entirely forgettable. They played around with perspective, which kept me somewhat engaged but their endings were somewhat uninspiring.
This collection also includes a story that is divided in three parts: ‘The Rat Catcher I, II, and III’. This was the only story I actively disliked. It had this unsuccessful grotesque tone, a gimmicky and unconvincing ‘historical’ setting, and an incredibly derivative storyline. It’s never a good sign when you want to skim or skip a short story.
Perhaps I’ve read too many short stories by Shirley Jackson or watched too much stuff by David Lynch to be truly troubled or intrigued by Ishiguro’s work. While I can recognise that she a clearly talented writer (I wish I had her command of the English language) her storylines seemed to be held back by this conventional type of weirdness and a general lack of subtlety.
Rather than developing or expanding on the themes of entrapment and alienation, Ishiguro’s narratives are hampered by these attempts to ‘startle’ the reader with enigmatic—and incredibly formulaic—elements and endings.
Most of her stories rely perhaps a bit too much on capturing a character’s meandering line-of-thoughts. Their moments of introspection or self-analysis are interrupted by abstract contemplations which did little to add some emotional depth. If anything the characters’ zigzagging thoughts lessened my interest in them and their stories.
Overall, while I can’t deny that Ishiguro is more than a capable writer, Escape Routes wasn’t a memorable read.
I wasn’t enchanted, mesmerised, or surprised by her narratives, and for the most part I was too aware of the fictionality of her stories to be able to suspend my disbelief or to truly ‘immerse’ myself into what I was reading.
Nevertheless, just because I wasn’t able to form an emotional attachment to Ishiguro’s characters and their stories doesn’t mean that other readers won’t like them, in fact, I hope that other people will appreciate Ishiguro’s work more than I did.
Like many collections of short stories Naomi Ishiguro’s Escape Routes is a bit of a mixed bag.
The stories collected in Escape Routes are centred around individuals who feel 'trapped'. Throughout the course of these narratives Ishiguro’s characters seem to undergo some sort of existentialist crisis. Most are mystified by their present and deeply uncertain of their future. Some crave to break free from what they perceive to be an unfulfilling or somehow undesirable existence. Others believe that there is something deeply wrong with them, physically or psychologically. There are also those who feel pressured by their parents, partners, or friends, to be someone they are not.
At times it is the possibility of the fantastic that changes their circumstances. On other occasions an encounter, with other people or with nature, might lead them to a path of self-acceptance or self-reconciliation.
In theory I appreciated the themes that Ishiguro explores in her narratives. Given the economical nature of the short story Ishiguro doesn’t waste her words as she often begins her stories by emphasising or addressing what troubles her characters’ minds. Ishiguro also demonstrates an intelligent and efficient use of the English language. Frequently she articulates her characters’ unease in an amusing manner. Ishiguro’s dialogues also demonstrate her ability to render the different ways in which people speak or express themselves as well as giving an impression of those pauses and inflections that characterise most conversations.
For the most part I enjoyed the humour with which she imbues her stories. Her characters are not to be taken too seriously and in depicting their predicaments she often adapts an ironic and vaguely self-aware tone. While she doesn't make light of her characters’ various troubles, she does hint towards a self-dramatisation on their part.
Sadly, as much as I liked her writing style and the themes at the core of her stories I can’t say that I particularly enjoyed any of her stories. Most of these narratives are characterised by a studied weirdness, one that comes across as artificial. Whereas through her characters’ inner monologues and their conversations with others Ishiguro creates and maintains a sense of almost Wes Andersonesque absurdity, these more blatantly bizarre elements lessened the ‘ordinary yet surreal’ quality of her stories.
While the start of her stories are promising enough, they soon seemed to fall into a rather predictable ‘this-is-how-you-write-a-short-story’ structure. Rather than suffusing her narratives with a natural sense of ambiguity, Ishiguro mostly relies on her endings in order to ‘subvert’ our expectations. The perplexing and open-ended way in which her stories culminate in seemed more contrived than enigmatic.
The first two stories—‘Wizards’ and ‘Bears’—were perhaps the most successful ones in this collection. One follows a young boy and a rather child-like man in their quest for ‘more’. The boy hopes for magic while the man seems on the lookout for some sort of sign. Both of them feel that their parents’ would not accept or understand their true selves. The other is a quirky tale in which a man becomes paranoid over a stuffed bear.
Stories such as ‘Heart Problems’ and ‘Accelerate!’ were okay...if almost entirely forgettable. They played around with perspective, which kept me somewhat engaged but their endings were somewhat uninspiring.
This collection also includes a story that is divided in three parts: ‘The Rat Catcher I, II, and III’. This was the only story I actively disliked. It had this unsuccessful grotesque tone, a gimmicky and unconvincing ‘historical’ setting, and an incredibly derivative storyline. It’s never a good sign when you want to skim or skip a short story.
Perhaps I’ve read too many short stories by Shirley Jackson or watched too much stuff by David Lynch to be truly troubled or intrigued by Ishiguro’s work. While I can recognise that she a clearly talented writer (I wish I had her command of the English language) her storylines seemed to be held back by this conventional type of weirdness and a general lack of subtlety.
Rather than developing or expanding on the themes of entrapment and alienation, Ishiguro’s narratives are hampered by these attempts to ‘startle’ the reader with enigmatic—and incredibly formulaic—elements and endings.
Most of her stories rely perhaps a bit too much on capturing a character’s meandering line-of-thoughts. Their moments of introspection or self-analysis are interrupted by abstract contemplations which did little to add some emotional depth. If anything the characters’ zigzagging thoughts lessened my interest in them and their stories.
Overall, while I can’t deny that Ishiguro is more than a capable writer, Escape Routes wasn’t a memorable read.
I wasn’t enchanted, mesmerised, or surprised by her narratives, and for the most part I was too aware of the fictionality of her stories to be able to suspend my disbelief or to truly ‘immerse’ myself into what I was reading.
Nevertheless, just because I wasn’t able to form an emotional attachment to Ishiguro’s characters and their stories doesn’t mean that other readers won’t like them, in fact, I hope that other people will appreciate Ishiguro’s work more than I did.
February 24, 2020
3/5 stars
I have to say: I don’t envy Naomi Ishiguro...
With the legacy of her father proceeding her, she clearly has some large shoes to fill. Although I tried to go into her debut collection with a completely open mind, I’d be lying if I said her last name didn’t play a part in me requesting an ARC of it.
It’s important to me to mention this subconscious bias that many of us may have towards the daughter of a Nobel price winner. Often times, there’s a lot of talk surrounding the rise of a new creater, that happens to be family of. Some people will overestimate them: “as the daughter of, she has to have the same talent”. Others will underestimate will, feeling like they only got they opportunity they did because of their parents fame.
In spite of them writing under the same name, in very similar genres, aswell as being deliberatly marketed as being family, I will try to detangle my feelings about Kazuo’s work, from those about Naomi’s work. Nonetheless I wanted to mention this interesting choice, probably on the part of her agents, as I’m not sure it does Naomi any favours perse.
Judging from this debut collection, Naomi is perfectly capable as an author to stand on her own two feet. She has a destinct voice that I enjoyed reading from, and paints some great mental pictures with her words. She demonstrates that she has many of the skills a author needs: her choice of words is smart and deliberate, and manages to hit the right emotional tone for the context. As a non-native, one of the things I’ve always loved about the English language is discovering the nuances that “synonyms” carry, and how words with the same meaning can convey a different emotional value. It’s something that not all languages have, and something I always enjoy discovering in a new one. Naomi Ishiguro plays with this idea a lot.
This is a major selling point for me, especially in short stories: the fewer words, the more each word counts.
Another skill she demonstrate is the ability to create destinct voices for separate characters, which is where I guess the comparisson to David Mitchells work comes from. That unfortunately brings me to the downside of the collection, as many of the critiques that David Mitchells Cloud Atlas received are in place for Escape Routes even more so.
The reason I love David Mitchells work is that he manages to link his very different stories in a common tread to create a cohesive whole. That common thread, I missed in Escape Routes. All of them share the tone of “weirdness”, yet they overall feel more like an anthology of sorts that a cohesive whole.
Individually, some stories were stronger than others, and because of the lack of connection, the weaker ones weren’t able to be “pulled up” by the stronger ones. This eventually resulted in only a few of the stories being truly memorable to me.
As a whole, this collection was good but not great. It was a mixed bag of stories, written by a very capable and talented young woman, of which some will stick with me, but not all. I will keep an eye on Naomi in the future however, as I think I’d enjoy a full length novel from her hand more than I did her stories.
Many thanks to Tinder Press for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review!
I have to say: I don’t envy Naomi Ishiguro...
With the legacy of her father proceeding her, she clearly has some large shoes to fill. Although I tried to go into her debut collection with a completely open mind, I’d be lying if I said her last name didn’t play a part in me requesting an ARC of it.
It’s important to me to mention this subconscious bias that many of us may have towards the daughter of a Nobel price winner. Often times, there’s a lot of talk surrounding the rise of a new creater, that happens to be family of. Some people will overestimate them: “as the daughter of, she has to have the same talent”. Others will underestimate will, feeling like they only got they opportunity they did because of their parents fame.
In spite of them writing under the same name, in very similar genres, aswell as being deliberatly marketed as being family, I will try to detangle my feelings about Kazuo’s work, from those about Naomi’s work. Nonetheless I wanted to mention this interesting choice, probably on the part of her agents, as I’m not sure it does Naomi any favours perse.
Judging from this debut collection, Naomi is perfectly capable as an author to stand on her own two feet. She has a destinct voice that I enjoyed reading from, and paints some great mental pictures with her words. She demonstrates that she has many of the skills a author needs: her choice of words is smart and deliberate, and manages to hit the right emotional tone for the context. As a non-native, one of the things I’ve always loved about the English language is discovering the nuances that “synonyms” carry, and how words with the same meaning can convey a different emotional value. It’s something that not all languages have, and something I always enjoy discovering in a new one. Naomi Ishiguro plays with this idea a lot.
This is a major selling point for me, especially in short stories: the fewer words, the more each word counts.
Another skill she demonstrate is the ability to create destinct voices for separate characters, which is where I guess the comparisson to David Mitchells work comes from. That unfortunately brings me to the downside of the collection, as many of the critiques that David Mitchells Cloud Atlas received are in place for Escape Routes even more so.
The reason I love David Mitchells work is that he manages to link his very different stories in a common tread to create a cohesive whole. That common thread, I missed in Escape Routes. All of them share the tone of “weirdness”, yet they overall feel more like an anthology of sorts that a cohesive whole.
Individually, some stories were stronger than others, and because of the lack of connection, the weaker ones weren’t able to be “pulled up” by the stronger ones. This eventually resulted in only a few of the stories being truly memorable to me.
As a whole, this collection was good but not great. It was a mixed bag of stories, written by a very capable and talented young woman, of which some will stick with me, but not all. I will keep an eye on Naomi in the future however, as I think I’d enjoy a full length novel from her hand more than I did her stories.
Many thanks to Tinder Press for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review!
February 17, 2021
Хороший дебют, но некоторые рассказы как будто из школьных газет. Один почти полностью копирует сцену «нарисуй-ка мне» из «Мален��кого принца», другой не к месту отсылает к «Уикенду у Берни», поэтому становится смешно. Но про размазню-ирландца из Лондона, который не любит свою невесту и первые две части сказки про крысолова — у этих двух рассказов отличная подача и отрисовка натуры.
Понравился сломанный штамп в истории про мальчика, которому показалось, что он узрел Волшебника. Там наконец выяснилось, что даже если судьба привела тебя к какому-то моменту и подталкивает на подвиг, ты все равно можешь быть не готов.
В «Ускоряйся» �� надеялся, что персонаж начнёт уже просто описывать свою жизнь односложными предложениями, но это были лишь заметки в телефоне. Думал, будет как у Тэда Чана, а так лишь кофе захотел��сь.
⠀
Тем не менее, свою порцию удовольствия я получил и возлагаю большие надежды на полноценный дебютный роман Наоми, который выйдет в марте. В тот же месяц выйдет новый роман Кадзуо Исигуро. Все мои мартовские деньги уйдут в бюджет одной конкретной семьи.
Понравился сломанный штамп в истории про мальчика, которому показалось, что он узрел Волшебника. Там наконец выяснилось, что даже если судьба привела тебя к какому-то моменту и подталкивает на подвиг, ты все равно можешь быть не готов.
В «Ускоряйся» �� надеялся, что персонаж начнёт уже просто описывать свою жизнь односложными предложениями, но это были лишь заметки в телефоне. Думал, будет как у Тэда Чана, а так лишь кофе захотел��сь.
⠀
Тем не менее, свою порцию удовольствия я получил и возлагаю большие надежды на полноценный дебютный роман Наоми, который выйдет в марте. В тот же месяц выйдет новый роман Кадзуо Исигуро. Все мои мартовские деньги уйдут в бюджет одной конкретной семьи.
Shelved as 'unfinished'
May 6, 2021I chose three of the shorter stories in this collection to read. (A number of the others promised magic realism from a child’s perspective, which didn’t appeal. In particular, the three-part “The Rat Catcher,” set in a palace, accounts for over 110 pages. That sounds like it should have been its own middle-grade novel.)
In “Bear,” a newlywed couple looking for secondhand furniture at an auction obtains a human-sized teddy bear whose presence starts to come between them. The mannered male narrator reminded me of a Kazuo Ishiguro character.
In “Shearing Season,” 11-year-old Jamie, a farm boy in the Lake District, wants nothing more than to be an astronaut. When he learns that Miles, one of the new volunteers, is a PhD student in aerospace engineering, he tries to impress the young man, accepting his challenges to draw abstract concepts like “effervescent,” “perspective,” and “The Unknown.” Jamie wonders if creative thinking could “provide something of an escape route from the repetitive rhythms from season to season of a life lived in a world surrounded on all sides by sheep.”
In “The Flat Roof,” Annie sits out on the roof of her new flat and communes with the birds, worrying when they don’t return every day and hoping to share in their joy and freedom. A Q&A included in the back of the paperback makes it clear that this one was autobiographical for the author.
The writing here wasn’t distinctive enough to induce me to try Common Ground, but I’ll look out for what she does in the future.
In “Bear,” a newlywed couple looking for secondhand furniture at an auction obtains a human-sized teddy bear whose presence starts to come between them. The mannered male narrator reminded me of a Kazuo Ishiguro character.
In “Shearing Season,” 11-year-old Jamie, a farm boy in the Lake District, wants nothing more than to be an astronaut. When he learns that Miles, one of the new volunteers, is a PhD student in aerospace engineering, he tries to impress the young man, accepting his challenges to draw abstract concepts like “effervescent,” “perspective,” and “The Unknown.” Jamie wonders if creative thinking could “provide something of an escape route from the repetitive rhythms from season to season of a life lived in a world surrounded on all sides by sheep.”
In “The Flat Roof,” Annie sits out on the roof of her new flat and communes with the birds, worrying when they don’t return every day and hoping to share in their joy and freedom. A Q&A included in the back of the paperback makes it clear that this one was autobiographical for the author.
The writing here wasn’t distinctive enough to induce me to try Common Ground, but I’ll look out for what she does in the future.
March 9, 2021
Если вам нужен краткий путеводитель по мужскому экзистенциальному кризису с изрядной долей магического реализма, то этот сборник рассказов дочери знаменитого Кадзуо Исигуро вам вполне подойдёт.
Волшебники (4/5)
Жизнерадостный и позитивный пацан с ранней стадией рака верит, что после своих 11ти лет, он обретёт магические силы и сможет себя исцелить. А 28ми летний чувак с дредами и с тонкой душевной организацией, наконец-то обретает счастье в виде женщины, которой от него не тошнит. И вот они сталкиваются друг с другом на пляже, чтобы узнать своё предназначение в жизни.
Медведь (2/5)
Пара молодожёнов с проблемами в браке покупают на аукционе огромного плюшевого мишку. Мужчина осознавая свою бесполезность начинает ненавидить себя, когда женщина предпочитает находиться в обществе большой мягкой игрушки чем со своим супругом.
Крысолов I (5/5)
Крысолов с душой поэта готовит хитро сделанные крысоловки для огромных крыс из местного замка и попутно влюбляется в дочь здешнего монарха. Степень абсурдности происходящего в этом рассказе крайне высока.
Сердечные проблемы (4/5)
Шотландец не сумевший устроится в Лондоне тоскует по дому, не может найти нормального сыра и забывает купить еды своей женщине, пришедшей с работы уставшей, вдруг присел/прилёг на лавочку и приуныл.
Сезон стрижки овец (2/5)
Всем местным плевать на пацана с его любовью к космосу. И тут какой-то заезжий аэрокосмический инженер начинает гонять того по ферме, чтобы он начал нормально рисовать.
Крысолов II: король (5/5)
Теперь крысолов попадает в лесную сторожку к местному королевичу и подневольно с огоньком начинает того развлекать. Кто сильно переживает за собачек, лучше пропустите этот рассказ.
Ускоряйся! (3/5)
Мужчина так ускорился в этой жизни, что даже женщина, которая постоянно всё забывает и мурмурация стаи скворцов не смогли выбить его из жизненного цейтнота.
Плоская крыша (2/5)
Энни сильно страдает по умершему мужу и сыну. Тут только остаётся, что сесть на крыше и петь песни под гитару на потеху местным голубям.
Крыс��лов III: новый король и старый (3/5)
Сына вдруг испугался сделанных дел в лесном домике, что с перепугу побежал к отцу за советом и заботой. Только труп папы уже долгое время сохнет во дворце, а между ними сколько всего недосказано и не сделано, так что нужно всё срочно наверстать. Впечатлительным особам тут тоже стоит насторожиться.
А теперь давайте представим себе, что первая большая книга Наоми Исигуро будет классной. Представили? Бегом читать сборник её рассказов, чтобы предвкушать скорейший выход романа.
Волшебники (4/5)
Жизнерадостный и позитивный пацан с ранней стадией рака верит, что после своих 11ти лет, он обретёт магические силы и сможет себя исцелить. А 28ми летний чувак с дредами и с тонкой душевной организацией, наконец-то обретает счастье в виде женщины, которой от него не тошнит. И вот они сталкиваются друг с другом на пляже, чтобы узнать своё предназначение в жизни.
Медведь (2/5)
Пара молодожёнов с проблемами в браке покупают на аукционе огромного плюшевого мишку. Мужчина осознавая свою бесполезность начинает ненавидить себя, когда женщина предпочитает находиться в обществе большой мягкой игрушки чем со своим супругом.
Крысолов I (5/5)
Крысолов с душой поэта готовит хитро сделанные крысоловки для огромных крыс из местного замка и попутно влюбляется в дочь здешнего монарха. Степень абсурдности происходящего в этом рассказе крайне высока.
Сердечные проблемы (4/5)
Шотландец не сумевший устроится в Лондоне тоскует по дому, не может найти нормального сыра и забывает купить еды своей женщине, пришедшей с работы уставшей, вдруг присел/прилёг на лавочку и приуныл.
Сезон стрижки овец (2/5)
Всем местным плевать на пацана с его любовью к космосу. И тут какой-то заезжий аэрокосмический инженер начинает гонять того по ферме, чтобы он начал нормально рисовать.
Крысолов II: король (5/5)
Теперь крысолов попадает в лесную сторожку к местному королевичу и подневольно с огоньком начинает того развлекать. Кто сильно переживает за собачек, лучше пропустите этот рассказ.
Ускоряйся! (3/5)
Мужчина так ускорился в этой жизни, что даже женщина, которая постоянно всё забывает и мурмурация стаи скворцов не смогли выбить его из жизненного цейтнота.
Плоская крыша (2/5)
Энни сильно страдает по умершему мужу и сыну. Тут только остаётся, что сесть на крыше и петь песни под гитару на потеху местным голубям.
Крыс��лов III: новый король и старый (3/5)
Сына вдруг испугался сделанных дел в лесном домике, что с перепугу побежал к отцу за советом и заботой. Только труп папы уже долгое время сохнет во дворце, а между ними сколько всего недосказано и не сделано, так что нужно всё срочно наверстать. Впечатлительным особам тут тоже стоит насторожиться.
А теперь давайте представим себе, что первая большая книга Наоми Исигуро будет классной. Представили? Бегом читать сборник её рассказов, чтобы предвкушать скорейший выход романа.
June 19, 2020
3.5 STARS
As with any collection, some entries will be more successful and impactful than others. For me, the stand outs were Shearing Season and Flat Roof. Unfortunately, the story I enjoyed least was The Rat Catcher, which actually came in three parts and took up quite a chunk of the book.
The writing is beautiful and I enjoyed how quickly I sank into the reality (often filled with anxiety, grief, uncertainty) of the characters. Having said that, there were very few characters here that I actually liked, and sometimes I wish the author had employed a little more subtlety in exploring particular themes.
Not all of the endings felt satisfying and I found that it was the stories that employed more fantastical/mystical elements that provided the most emotional pay off for me. It was when a balance between the fantastical and the author’s direct, sometimes harsh tone, was found that I most enjoyed this book.
As with any collection, some entries will be more successful and impactful than others. For me, the stand outs were Shearing Season and Flat Roof. Unfortunately, the story I enjoyed least was The Rat Catcher, which actually came in three parts and took up quite a chunk of the book.
The writing is beautiful and I enjoyed how quickly I sank into the reality (often filled with anxiety, grief, uncertainty) of the characters. Having said that, there were very few characters here that I actually liked, and sometimes I wish the author had employed a little more subtlety in exploring particular themes.
Not all of the endings felt satisfying and I found that it was the stories that employed more fantastical/mystical elements that provided the most emotional pay off for me. It was when a balance between the fantastical and the author’s direct, sometimes harsh tone, was found that I most enjoyed this book.
February 4, 2020
In Naomi Ishiguro’s debut collection of short stories, we encounter a world of fantasy and fairy tale, where characters and their worlds are slightly out of the ordinary. As ever, short story collections generally have some good and some not so good, and this was no exception. The overall standard, however, makes Ishiguro a writer of note and one to watch for the future.
In ‘Wizards’ a lonely young boy is obsessed with wizards, whilst a hipster Tarot reader is busy trying to seduce a client. When their worlds collide, it leads to a devastating outcome. In ‘Bear’ a man becomes increasingly perturbed by an oversized teddy bear bought by his wife, which is moved from room to room until it finally ends up in the bedroom. A story concerning a rat catcher and a power struggle in an unnamed kingdom comes in three parts, dispersed throughout the collection. And other stories feature a man convinced he is disintegrating, a young boy who is asked to draw a picture of ‘The Unknown’, and a high-flying IT worker who becomes hooked on caffeine.
There are nods and allusions to fairy tales; the obvious one being the Rat Catcher story, but another story begins: ‘Once upon a time, there lived an extremely gifted eleven-year-old called Jamie.’ The stories bring to mind Angela Carter, but with a definite millennial twist. The characters are isolated, lost, trapped; birds and animals are a common theme, flight a dominant metaphor. There are moments of clarity, of understanding, but these more often than not are at the precise moment of danger or crisis.
This is clearly the work of a gifted writer, and whilst not all perhaps have the same impact, the stories are compelling and dark, stylishly written and giving enough depth to the characters in a short space of time that they hold your attention. Ishiguro has said that she is writing a full-length novel, which I look forward to immensely. An engaging and involving collection, this is definitely worth a read. 4 stars.
In ‘Wizards’ a lonely young boy is obsessed with wizards, whilst a hipster Tarot reader is busy trying to seduce a client. When their worlds collide, it leads to a devastating outcome. In ‘Bear’ a man becomes increasingly perturbed by an oversized teddy bear bought by his wife, which is moved from room to room until it finally ends up in the bedroom. A story concerning a rat catcher and a power struggle in an unnamed kingdom comes in three parts, dispersed throughout the collection. And other stories feature a man convinced he is disintegrating, a young boy who is asked to draw a picture of ‘The Unknown’, and a high-flying IT worker who becomes hooked on caffeine.
There are nods and allusions to fairy tales; the obvious one being the Rat Catcher story, but another story begins: ‘Once upon a time, there lived an extremely gifted eleven-year-old called Jamie.’ The stories bring to mind Angela Carter, but with a definite millennial twist. The characters are isolated, lost, trapped; birds and animals are a common theme, flight a dominant metaphor. There are moments of clarity, of understanding, but these more often than not are at the precise moment of danger or crisis.
This is clearly the work of a gifted writer, and whilst not all perhaps have the same impact, the stories are compelling and dark, stylishly written and giving enough depth to the characters in a short space of time that they hold your attention. Ishiguro has said that she is writing a full-length novel, which I look forward to immensely. An engaging and involving collection, this is definitely worth a read. 4 stars.
March 13, 2020
I REALLY enjoyed this collection of stories. They all had an absolutely fantastic sense of voice and character. The narrative styles were different for each, but somehow they all had a beautifully cohesive feel to them.
My favourite stories were 'Accelerate!' 'Shearing Season' 'Bear' and 'Wizards'. 'Heart Problems' was also extremely good, and I particularly liked the shift in style midway through the story.
I'm really looking forward to Naomi's novel, and I shall continue to follow her writing closely.
My favourite stories were 'Accelerate!' 'Shearing Season' 'Bear' and 'Wizards'. 'Heart Problems' was also extremely good, and I particularly liked the shift in style midway through the story.
I'm really looking forward to Naomi's novel, and I shall continue to follow her writing closely.
Read
March 27, 2020Naomi Ishiguro writes beautifully. Her style is deceptively simple, yet there's an inherent lyricism, a cadence to her prose that makes the reading experience so pleasurable. This collection of stories isn't really unified by an obvious theme, but more loosely tied together by this feeling of finding oneself by escaping the constructs the characters might find themselves in. Most of the stories are situated in contemporary settings, except for the interweaving Rat Catcher series of 3 stories which are set in this rambling old medieval castle run down by rodents.
My favourite stories were actually the ones that were least focussed on plot but rather on the characters discovering some aspect of themselves and setting that free. Shearing Season follows a young boy on a remote rural sheep farm, with an ardent, unfaltering love for space and science. Accelerate! offers a fascinating commentary on how most of us are mere caffeine boosted robots, dashing from one task to the next on clockwork through the lens of a character caught in that vicious circle and his relationship with a young woman who simply lives in the present moment. Heart Problems follows a young man, newly moved to London but desperately homesick for his small Irish county lacking the bustle and speed of a big city.
As can be said with most short story collections, some stories are better than others and for that reason, I always struggle with rating them. One thing's for certain, I will look out for anything else she writes. For a debut author, Naomi Ishiguro is incredibly talented and has a way with words that is nothing short of enviable.
My favourite stories were actually the ones that were least focussed on plot but rather on the characters discovering some aspect of themselves and setting that free. Shearing Season follows a young boy on a remote rural sheep farm, with an ardent, unfaltering love for space and science. Accelerate! offers a fascinating commentary on how most of us are mere caffeine boosted robots, dashing from one task to the next on clockwork through the lens of a character caught in that vicious circle and his relationship with a young woman who simply lives in the present moment. Heart Problems follows a young man, newly moved to London but desperately homesick for his small Irish county lacking the bustle and speed of a big city.
As can be said with most short story collections, some stories are better than others and for that reason, I always struggle with rating them. One thing's for certain, I will look out for anything else she writes. For a debut author, Naomi Ishiguro is incredibly talented and has a way with words that is nothing short of enviable.
April 16, 2021
Vie di fuga di Naomi Hishiguro (Einaudi) è una raccolta di racconti che mi ha stupito. Ormai avete imparato a conoscermi, sapete che amo le raccolte di racconti: Vie di fuga mi ha stupito per diversi motivi, tra tutti quello della leggerezza.
Hishiguro, che è proprio la figlia di quell'autore da Nobel, ha una voce originale, sfacciata, leggera.
Ho come avuto la sensazione che Hishiguro potesse narrarmi anche il crimine più efferato e l'avrebbe fatto con un sussurro, con un sorriso dipinto sul volto.
Il filo conduttore in Vie di fuga è esattamente il titolo. Tutti i personaggi stanno cercando di scappare da una situazione, da una persona, da un dolore. Eppure, nonostante l'angoscia di alcune pagine, sono riuscita a sorridere.
Come al solito, quando si tratta di racconti, non entrerò nei particolari per non rovinarvi la sorpresa. Vi basti sapere che in Vie di fuga ho fatto la conoscenza di un bambino di undici anni convinto che sarebbe diventato un mago, ho conosciuto una donna che possedeva un inquietante orso di peluche e realizzato una trappola mortale in compagnia dell'acchiapparatti. A lui sono dedicati tre racconti, mescolati insieme agli altri.
Mago è forse la storia che mi ha impressionato di più. Da una parte c'è un bambino sulla spiaggia in compagnia di una madre scostante e forse depressa, dall'altra uno strambo tizio che incontra quella che gli sembra la donna della vita. Loro non lo sanno, ma entrambi stanno fuggendo da qualcosa ed entrambi si imbatteranno nella loro paura più grande.
RECENSIONE COMPLETA: www.lalettricecontrocorrente.it
Hishiguro, che è proprio la figlia di quell'autore da Nobel, ha una voce originale, sfacciata, leggera.
Ho come avuto la sensazione che Hishiguro potesse narrarmi anche il crimine più efferato e l'avrebbe fatto con un sussurro, con un sorriso dipinto sul volto.
Il filo conduttore in Vie di fuga è esattamente il titolo. Tutti i personaggi stanno cercando di scappare da una situazione, da una persona, da un dolore. Eppure, nonostante l'angoscia di alcune pagine, sono riuscita a sorridere.
Come al solito, quando si tratta di racconti, non entrerò nei particolari per non rovinarvi la sorpresa. Vi basti sapere che in Vie di fuga ho fatto la conoscenza di un bambino di undici anni convinto che sarebbe diventato un mago, ho conosciuto una donna che possedeva un inquietante orso di peluche e realizzato una trappola mortale in compagnia dell'acchiapparatti. A lui sono dedicati tre racconti, mescolati insieme agli altri.
Mago è forse la storia che mi ha impressionato di più. Da una parte c'è un bambino sulla spiaggia in compagnia di una madre scostante e forse depressa, dall'altra uno strambo tizio che incontra quella che gli sembra la donna della vita. Loro non lo sanno, ma entrambi stanno fuggendo da qualcosa ed entrambi si imbatteranno nella loro paura più grande.
RECENSIONE COMPLETA: www.lalettricecontrocorrente.it
April 2, 2021
To some extent, I feel sorry for Naomi that every review (including this one) of her debut short story collection will undoubtedly begin by considering her as the daughter of Nobel Prize winning Kazuo. However, when you are the daughter of one of the best living novelists (and my personal favourite), the sympathy is blended with a fair share of envy too!
Despite the largest of large shadows from which she has to emerge, this debut work suggests Ishiguro Jr is more than capable of standing on her own two feet (or...writing with her own two hands?). Though the stories themselves are sometimes a little implausible on an emotional level, her writing is, like her father’s, remarkably controlled and economical and at times strikingly beautiful. There is an incipient confidence and style here that I am very keen to see develop over her future works.
The stories here are united by a thread of characters undergoing somewhat of an existentialist crisis- they either don’t know where they are, what’s lead them to the moments the narrative documents or where they may be going next. There are moments of magical realism that help pave the route for the escapism of both the characters and the reader. There are flaws in a few of the stories but my allegiance to House Ishiguro compels me to my 4 star review.
I bet Pops is very proud. And rightly so.
Despite the largest of large shadows from which she has to emerge, this debut work suggests Ishiguro Jr is more than capable of standing on her own two feet (or...writing with her own two hands?). Though the stories themselves are sometimes a little implausible on an emotional level, her writing is, like her father’s, remarkably controlled and economical and at times strikingly beautiful. There is an incipient confidence and style here that I am very keen to see develop over her future works.
The stories here are united by a thread of characters undergoing somewhat of an existentialist crisis- they either don’t know where they are, what’s lead them to the moments the narrative documents or where they may be going next. There are moments of magical realism that help pave the route for the escapism of both the characters and the reader. There are flaws in a few of the stories but my allegiance to House Ishiguro compels me to my 4 star review.
I bet Pops is very proud. And rightly so.
May 26, 2020
I really wanted to like this, but it was not my cup of tea.
While I enjoyed a few of the stories (Accelerate!, the one about the kid who wants to be an astronaut, and the Rat Catcher), the rest were just... there. I would be lying if I said Naomi Ishiguro's writing is flat - it is not, she is talented and writes beautifully, but I the stories felt elegant but pointless, meaningless. I cannot mention other stores in the book because, while I read them in this past 3 days, I just don't remember them. I read their titles and my mind is blank.
There's talent here and I'm looking forward reading more of her writing, but maybe a more fleshed out novel if we're lucky, rather than short stories.
While I enjoyed a few of the stories (Accelerate!, the one about the kid who wants to be an astronaut, and the Rat Catcher), the rest were just... there. I would be lying if I said Naomi Ishiguro's writing is flat - it is not, she is talented and writes beautifully, but I the stories felt elegant but pointless, meaningless. I cannot mention other stores in the book because, while I read them in this past 3 days, I just don't remember them. I read their titles and my mind is blank.
There's talent here and I'm looking forward reading more of her writing, but maybe a more fleshed out novel if we're lucky, rather than short stories.
December 16, 2019
This provided my very own escape route when I needed it most ♥️ beautiful, magical and funny in all the right ways. Loved it!
July 8, 2020
Loved this! This collection of short stories focuses on themes like identity, freedom, and craving to break free. Naomi Ishiguro's writing is uncomplicated and beautiful, carrying a very nice balance of fantasy and reality. A fantastic debut, can't wait to read whatever she comes up with next.
August 13, 2021
Vie di Fuga è una raccolta di mondi fantastici i cui personaggi, più o meno terrestri, più o meno verosimili, scappano da/inseguono qualcosa. La redenzione, la libertà. A tratti grottesco, folle, naïf, lo scrivere di Naomi Ishiguro è sicuramente sofisticato e secco, senza arzigogoli. La freddezza percepita è soltanto una crosta: una volta erosa (o rosicchiata), se ne percepisce il succo.
Non è propriamente il “mio genere”, ma è qualcosa di ben fatto, ben ambientato e sofisticato.
Non è propriamente il “mio genere”, ma è qualcosa di ben fatto, ben ambientato e sofisticato.
April 26, 2022
What an absolutely incredible and gripping collection of short stories. Woven together by themes of surrealism, escapes, coming of age, being untethered, and - of course - the Rat Catcher in three parts, these stories inject just enough magic into believable stories to reach the blurring of lines that I so love about this genre.
March 1, 2021
UN PO' ANONIMO
È piuttosto complicato recensire una raccolta di racconti come questa: le storie sono piuttosto disomogenee, se si fa eccezione per le tre parti del racconto “L’acchiapparatti” che è stato diviso non so per quale oscuro motivo, mettendoci altri racconti in mezzo.
Lo stile della Ishiguro è scorrevole, piacevole, non si risparmia in crudezza quando necessario ma non lascia il segno se non in pochi tratti.
Alcuni racconti possono effettivamente ricollegarsi a quello che è il titolo “Vie di fuga”, ma è un filo piuttosto sottile e secondo me non abbastanza sviluppato: sebbene alcuni dei personaggi alla fine del proprio racconto si aprano una strada per fuggire da quello che è uno stato emotivo o sociale, questa fuga ha una consistenza troppo debole e forse solo in un un racconto è effettivamente percepibile: racconto che probabilmente è anche il più apprezzabile, che narra di una ragazza che passa le sue giornate sul tetto di casa e “fa amicizia” con uno stormo di piccioni. Per quanto riguarda il racconto dell’acchiapparatti, che dovrebbe essere quello principale, ci ho trovato larghi tratti di nonsense: sebbene sia i personaggi che le vicende siano velate di fiabesco, queste in certi tratti risultano totalmente assurde anche per il genere; soprattutto i personaggi si comportano in maniera insensata soprattutto nelle loro interazioni, che sono molto spesso inverosimili: robe di uno che ti uccide il cane e alla fine della fiera lo saluti con mille ringraziamenti.
Onestamente ho cercato di staccare il nome di Naomi da quello ingombrante di suo padre, premio Nobel, ma onestamente credo che non fosse stato per cotanto padre la scrittrice starebbe ancora sgobbando e piangendo sangue (come noi comuni mortali) per farsi leggere nel proprio paese, e di certo non starebbe pubblicando in tutto il mondo. Magari ci sarebbe riuscita in seguito, ma non così presto.
“Be’, allora le avrei detto… che mi ero fermato su una collina del Somerset e avevo scoperto che le illuminazioni esistono e che, per quanto la vita sia colma di spaventi e delusioni, l’armonia si manifesta in istanti fugaci di una chiarezza così limpida che donano a chi li afferra un attimo di qualcosa di simile alla redenzione.”
È piuttosto complicato recensire una raccolta di racconti come questa: le storie sono piuttosto disomogenee, se si fa eccezione per le tre parti del racconto “L’acchiapparatti” che è stato diviso non so per quale oscuro motivo, mettendoci altri racconti in mezzo.
Lo stile della Ishiguro è scorrevole, piacevole, non si risparmia in crudezza quando necessario ma non lascia il segno se non in pochi tratti.
Alcuni racconti possono effettivamente ricollegarsi a quello che è il titolo “Vie di fuga”, ma è un filo piuttosto sottile e secondo me non abbastanza sviluppato: sebbene alcuni dei personaggi alla fine del proprio racconto si aprano una strada per fuggire da quello che è uno stato emotivo o sociale, questa fuga ha una consistenza troppo debole e forse solo in un un racconto è effettivamente percepibile: racconto che probabilmente è anche il più apprezzabile, che narra di una ragazza che passa le sue giornate sul tetto di casa e “fa amicizia” con uno stormo di piccioni. Per quanto riguarda il racconto dell’acchiapparatti, che dovrebbe essere quello principale, ci ho trovato larghi tratti di nonsense: sebbene sia i personaggi che le vicende siano velate di fiabesco, queste in certi tratti risultano totalmente assurde anche per il genere; soprattutto i personaggi si comportano in maniera insensata soprattutto nelle loro interazioni, che sono molto spesso inverosimili: robe di uno che ti uccide il cane e alla fine della fiera lo saluti con mille ringraziamenti.
Onestamente ho cercato di staccare il nome di Naomi da quello ingombrante di suo padre, premio Nobel, ma onestamente credo che non fosse stato per cotanto padre la scrittrice starebbe ancora sgobbando e piangendo sangue (come noi comuni mortali) per farsi leggere nel proprio paese, e di certo non starebbe pubblicando in tutto il mondo. Magari ci sarebbe riuscita in seguito, ma non così presto.
“Be’, allora le avrei detto… che mi ero fermato su una collina del Somerset e avevo scoperto che le illuminazioni esistono e che, per quanto la vita sia colma di spaventi e delusioni, l’armonia si manifesta in istanti fugaci di una chiarezza così limpida che donano a chi li afferra un attimo di qualcosa di simile alla redenzione.”
May 23, 2021
❝ Hai mai la sensazione che il tempo passi e non ti porti con te?❞
È uno dei sentimenti più ricorrenti all’interno di questo libro, e in tutte quelle persone che (come me) sono vinte dalla nostalgia e hanno difficoltà ad accettare e adattarsi a un qualsiasi cambiamento.
Un altro filo conduttore onnipresente è la volontà di evadere con la fantasia, o con qualsiasi altro mezzo, dalla propria condizione.
❝ Hai mai l’impressione di essere nel posto sbagliato? ❞
I protagonisti di questi racconti cercano in ogni modo di fuggire da una realtà opprimente: c’è Alfie, in fuga dalla madre che non riuscirebbe ad accettare il suo futuro da mago; o Daniel, che prepara e disfa in continuazione la sua valigia nella speranza di lasciarsi Londra alle spalle; il piccolo Jamie, che sogna di diventare un astronauta nonostante sia nato in un remoto allevamento di pecore; o ancora Evgeny, che abusa di caffè per concentrare i suoi impegni in qualche ora della giornata, nell’illusione di risparmiare tempo prezioso.
È difficile riassumere in poche righe la profondità di tutti i personaggi e delle loro rispettive vicende.
Solitamente, una raccolta contiene racconti di diversa qualità, invece in questo libro non ce n’è stato nemmeno uno che non mi sia piaciuto.
Ho apprezzato l’intensa umanità dei protagonisti, e mi sono affezionata a tutti loro, anche a quelli di cui non veniva neanche menzionato il nome; ognuno vive un dramma inverosimile ma allo stesso tempo familiare.
Naomi Ishiguro ha esordito con una potenza devastante, rivelando nelle sue parole probabilmente anche i suoi complessi: la storia “l’acchiapparatti” è forse un richiamo alla percezione di vivere all’ombra del padre? Rivela la paura di non riuscire a renderlo fiero?
Davanti alle parole che il nuovo Re rivolge al defunto padre, viene da pensarlo, ed è facile immedesimarsi, perché un po’ tutti temiamo di deludere i nostri genitori.
Proprio perché credevo che questo potesse essere un pensiero dell’autrice, ho letto il suo libro prima di approcciarmi a qualsiasi opera del padre, e sono felice di averlo fatto, perché non sono stata influenzata dalla fama del suo cognome e ho apprezzato la lettura per il capolavoro che è~
È uno dei sentimenti più ricorrenti all’interno di questo libro, e in tutte quelle persone che (come me) sono vinte dalla nostalgia e hanno difficoltà ad accettare e adattarsi a un qualsiasi cambiamento.
Un altro filo conduttore onnipresente è la volontà di evadere con la fantasia, o con qualsiasi altro mezzo, dalla propria condizione.
❝ Hai mai l’impressione di essere nel posto sbagliato? ❞
I protagonisti di questi racconti cercano in ogni modo di fuggire da una realtà opprimente: c’è Alfie, in fuga dalla madre che non riuscirebbe ad accettare il suo futuro da mago; o Daniel, che prepara e disfa in continuazione la sua valigia nella speranza di lasciarsi Londra alle spalle; il piccolo Jamie, che sogna di diventare un astronauta nonostante sia nato in un remoto allevamento di pecore; o ancora Evgeny, che abusa di caffè per concentrare i suoi impegni in qualche ora della giornata, nell’illusione di risparmiare tempo prezioso.
È difficile riassumere in poche righe la profondità di tutti i personaggi e delle loro rispettive vicende.
Solitamente, una raccolta contiene racconti di diversa qualità, invece in questo libro non ce n’è stato nemmeno uno che non mi sia piaciuto.
Ho apprezzato l’intensa umanità dei protagonisti, e mi sono affezionata a tutti loro, anche a quelli di cui non veniva neanche menzionato il nome; ognuno vive un dramma inverosimile ma allo stesso tempo familiare.
Naomi Ishiguro ha esordito con una potenza devastante, rivelando nelle sue parole probabilmente anche i suoi complessi: la storia “l’acchiapparatti” è forse un richiamo alla percezione di vivere all’ombra del padre? Rivela la paura di non riuscire a renderlo fiero?
Davanti alle parole che il nuovo Re rivolge al defunto padre, viene da pensarlo, ed è facile immedesimarsi, perché un po’ tutti temiamo di deludere i nostri genitori.
Proprio perché credevo che questo potesse essere un pensiero dell’autrice, ho letto il suo libro prima di approcciarmi a qualsiasi opera del padre, e sono felice di averlo fatto, perché non sono stata influenzata dalla fama del suo cognome e ho apprezzato la lettura per il capolavoro che è~
June 16, 2020
This is a very dull book. Most of the stories seem like exercises in writing rather than inspired creative expression. Ishiguro has chosen to write short stories but she does not seem to have either the ideas or the skill needed to craft a story into a successful deployment of language. In fact, almost ALL of her written expressions are ordinary and show little regard for consistency of tone.
The stories themselves are largely uninteresting. Only one is close to successful: ‘Shearing Season’, which in some ways resembles ‘Solid Geometry’ by Ian McEwan, but with a lighter atmosphere and a more child-centred scenario.
There are times when Ishiguro edges towards the territory of her father’s early novels, with characters and voices that lack or conceal self knowledge, but in a short story it just seems like padding. Perhaps she would be more at home with a novel, but even so she will need to craft her sentences much more carefully if she wants to give her readers a proper imaginative experience.
The stories themselves are largely uninteresting. Only one is close to successful: ‘Shearing Season’, which in some ways resembles ‘Solid Geometry’ by Ian McEwan, but with a lighter atmosphere and a more child-centred scenario.
There are times when Ishiguro edges towards the territory of her father’s early novels, with characters and voices that lack or conceal self knowledge, but in a short story it just seems like padding. Perhaps she would be more at home with a novel, but even so she will need to craft her sentences much more carefully if she wants to give her readers a proper imaginative experience.
August 29, 2020
After the first two stories the fascination with Naomi Kazuo's talent outweighed my original curiosity how much of her father I would find here. There is the same precision and subtle irony, but there also are warmth and playfulness. These are stories of transformation, some of a conventional nature from life to death, others of a more abstract nature, from we to I, or from I to he, from single to multiple personalities, or from human to animal. Some motives are borrowed from fairy tale and mythology, but there is always a fresh perspective. I am very much looking forward to her first novel Common Ground.
January 5, 2021
Whimsical yet grounded in reality. Naomi Ishiguro is a new talent. Each story is a pearl. Beautifully told with a mix of humour and sadness, each story builds on the next creating a thoughtful and insightful whole.
February 12, 2020
A novel can often be a very interesting way of exploring a theme - such as love, freedom, grief - but the very form of the 'novel' brings with it some restrictions in the amount of different ways you can approach or discuss a subject without sacrificing the overall narrative. Many novelists do this incredibly successfully, but I've always found that short story collections can approach their subjects in a much more unique way, taking a whole range of drastically different characters, settings, plots and intrinsic messages, and uniting them with a common theme.
Nowhere is this benefit of short stories more evident than in Naomi Ishiguro's debut collection. Escape Routes sees Ishiguro find inventive and unexpected new ways to explore her themes of freedom, flight and individuality, weaving through settings as diverse as the bedroom of a newly wed couple who purchase a giant stuffed bear, a fantasy kingdom plagued by rats, a rooftop where a woman comes to terms with her grief and a closet where a space-obsessed child manages to conjure a universe. It's a hugely varied collection and without the skill of Ishiguro could have ended up as a very disconnected set of tales, but the subtle thematic links are fantastically construed and as a result this is one of the most coherent sets of short stories I've read.
There are a couple of less memorable stories, but in general each of them stands very successfully as a single entity, with several of them conjuring incredibly powerful images that linger long after reading. Particularly memorable to me are the story about a space-obsessed child who comes into contact with an aerospace engineer and is challenged to draw some rather existential concepts, creating something wondrous as a result, as well as a short story focused around a man who becomes increasingly obsessed with coffee and the fast-forwarding effect it seems to have on his life.
The latter of these two, in particular, is my highlight of the collection. Ishiguro not only juxtaposes two very different types of people - those who live in the moment and have little regard for what has passed or what is yet to come, and those who are constantly trying to plan ahead and cram as much as possible into their life, to the detriment of the experiences themselves - but also very clearly plays with the form of the story to illustrate this point. As the protagonist drinks more and more coffee to facilitate his ever-increasing psychological demands of himself, he remarks that he now finds the idea of prose far too slow and laborious, at which point the story migrates to the format of a play and back, as the caffeine wears off, before then losing all structure and descending into a stream of consciousness when the protagonist hits his worst. This type of ploy can often come across as gimmicky and unearned in writing, but here, Ishiguro handles it masterfully and it's a fantastic use of the medium.
I was surprised to see some of the stories were highly interconnected, with three actually forming something of a trilogy. I liked the setting and concept of the story arc across the three tales, but it did, by the end, start to feel more like a conventional multi-perspective novel, which felt like a slight let down after the clever use of the short story form throughout the rest of the collection, though this is a minor gripe at best.
Another theme that Ishiguro explores to a significant extent is the idea of busy urban life and the homogeneity of big cities, whether specifically named as London or kept purposefully unclear. Many of the points made - about the speed that people walk, the way that rush hour affects the whole dynamic of the city and its inhabitants, the pressures this can put on one psychologically - are all things that I've been aware of in my own experience but haven't ever seen portrayed in fiction quite so effectively.
Overall, I thought this was a very impressive collection of short stories from an incredibly promising young writer. Ishiguro has a vivid imagination and the literary powers to effectively form this into a series of highly effective stories and considerations, and I very much look forward to seeing what she turns her hand to next.
I received an electronic review copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Many thanks to Headline for approving my request.
Nowhere is this benefit of short stories more evident than in Naomi Ishiguro's debut collection. Escape Routes sees Ishiguro find inventive and unexpected new ways to explore her themes of freedom, flight and individuality, weaving through settings as diverse as the bedroom of a newly wed couple who purchase a giant stuffed bear, a fantasy kingdom plagued by rats, a rooftop where a woman comes to terms with her grief and a closet where a space-obsessed child manages to conjure a universe. It's a hugely varied collection and without the skill of Ishiguro could have ended up as a very disconnected set of tales, but the subtle thematic links are fantastically construed and as a result this is one of the most coherent sets of short stories I've read.
There are a couple of less memorable stories, but in general each of them stands very successfully as a single entity, with several of them conjuring incredibly powerful images that linger long after reading. Particularly memorable to me are the story about a space-obsessed child who comes into contact with an aerospace engineer and is challenged to draw some rather existential concepts, creating something wondrous as a result, as well as a short story focused around a man who becomes increasingly obsessed with coffee and the fast-forwarding effect it seems to have on his life.
The latter of these two, in particular, is my highlight of the collection. Ishiguro not only juxtaposes two very different types of people - those who live in the moment and have little regard for what has passed or what is yet to come, and those who are constantly trying to plan ahead and cram as much as possible into their life, to the detriment of the experiences themselves - but also very clearly plays with the form of the story to illustrate this point. As the protagonist drinks more and more coffee to facilitate his ever-increasing psychological demands of himself, he remarks that he now finds the idea of prose far too slow and laborious, at which point the story migrates to the format of a play and back, as the caffeine wears off, before then losing all structure and descending into a stream of consciousness when the protagonist hits his worst. This type of ploy can often come across as gimmicky and unearned in writing, but here, Ishiguro handles it masterfully and it's a fantastic use of the medium.
I was surprised to see some of the stories were highly interconnected, with three actually forming something of a trilogy. I liked the setting and concept of the story arc across the three tales, but it did, by the end, start to feel more like a conventional multi-perspective novel, which felt like a slight let down after the clever use of the short story form throughout the rest of the collection, though this is a minor gripe at best.
Another theme that Ishiguro explores to a significant extent is the idea of busy urban life and the homogeneity of big cities, whether specifically named as London or kept purposefully unclear. Many of the points made - about the speed that people walk, the way that rush hour affects the whole dynamic of the city and its inhabitants, the pressures this can put on one psychologically - are all things that I've been aware of in my own experience but haven't ever seen portrayed in fiction quite so effectively.
Overall, I thought this was a very impressive collection of short stories from an incredibly promising young writer. Ishiguro has a vivid imagination and the literary powers to effectively form this into a series of highly effective stories and considerations, and I very much look forward to seeing what she turns her hand to next.
I received an electronic review copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Many thanks to Headline for approving my request.
December 13, 2019
Escape Routes, by Naomi Ishiguro is a collection of short stories, each of which have a fantastical or mystical element that it features. Normally, I write very long reviews but for this I figured a mini review would be much better for a few reasons:
1.Firstly, It contains multiple, easy to spoil short stories that I cannot go into detail about without giving away significant aspects.
2.Secondly, because there are a lot of different characters due to the numerous stories.
3.Finally, because, while the writing is amazing and the stories are perfect for such a collection, this was not for me- and by that I mean I am not a short story person and I found that because of that I couldn’t connect well with the stories in general but I did respect and understand them.
Despite this not being the best option for me personally, I do believe it deserves four stars! And here is why:
— Incredibly Captivating, Beautifully Immersive And Gorgeously Descriptive —
The Writing Style. Naomi Ishiguro is a magnificent writer and this collection illustrates her talent wonderfully. Her writing is incredibly captivating, beautifully immersive and gorgeously descriptive. The writing is what made me push through and finish the book because it was just so pleasing to read and really hooked you. Should she write a full length novel, I would definitely buy it because I absolutely adored her style and loved the whimsical mystery combined with the harsh and emotive tone. The balance was very unique and well crafted.
— Interesting And Intriguing —
The Stories. Despite not being for me, the stories themselves are incredibly unique and interesting. If you love ambiguous, mystical stories that leave you with a sense of yearning but also understanding then you will love this. Each story is interesting and intriguing, the Ratcatcher ones were probably my favourite as they had dark, vicious and creepy undertones, but they were all very original and definitely worth the read. The pacing for each story is well done, and the order of the stories helps balance out the pacing and keeps you interested. Overall, if you love short story collections then I would definitely recommend this to you!
–Complex Characters That Are Very Layered —
The Characters. The stories are relatively character driven which is great, specifically for the types of stories this collection includes. The characters are at the core of the stories, their minds, their thoughts, their emotions are key to the development and it works wonderfully. Overall, the characters are very interesting and very different from each other allowing you to easily separate the stories, they are also unique and their motivations are intriguing. The Ratcatcher stories in particular have some complex characters that are very layered despite the short length of the tale, and yet they still maintain a sense of mystery about them. Both the stories and the characters seem to hold specific morals that are powerful at the end of the stories and the overall point of the stories are easy to recognise and adds a great depth to them.
The ambiguity of the tales, or the moral greyness, general grey line that exists creates an interesting atmosphere that makes you think about the stories, their morals and life. The mystical element adds another layer to the tales and creates a unique sense of satisfaction but also a sense of unfinished business, which works well with the stories overall.
Overall. While this was not for me personally, I cannot dispute the richness of the stories or the beauty of the writing. This is the perfect choice for short story lovers who enjoy a fantastical or magical element to their stories. Each tale is incredibly rich and immersive with a unique story and interesting characters.
I received an eARC of #EscapeRoutes by #NaomiIshiguro from #Netgalley @headlinepg #Headline @TinderPress #TinderPress in exchange for an honest review.
https://kbbookreviews867789450.wordpr...
April 18, 2020
When I requested Escape Routes from NetGalley, I obviously was not paying enough attention – I must have been distracted by the attractive cover. I am not a fan of short stories in general as I find them unsatisfying; no sooner have you started reading and it’s all over. Unfortunately, this also means I have nothing to compare these stories with.
Having said all that, the writing is very accomplished, but I was just not emotionally engaged. As the title suggests, there is a theme running through the stories in this collection; in the words of Freddie Mercury, they want to break free. The nine very different stories are a mix of style, length and genre. The three stories about the Rat Catcher have a kind of fairytale quality and they gave me the creeps, as they were no doubt meant to.
I look forward to reading Naomi Ishiguro’s next book – hopefully it will be a novel – as this was beautifully written, but just not what I was expecting.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 25, 2020
Via Audible.
This is the first work by Kazuo Ishiguro’s daughter : she very much has her own voice, though one sees hints of some of his themes of time, memory and place . There is also, in a good way, a slight Roald Dahl vibe at times, and her self confessed love of Doctor Who is reflected too.
There is a surreal, impressionistic feel throughout these stories that at times breaks into stream of consciousness writing and, of course, themes of escape. Wizards offers magic both imagined and the magic humans can actually do. The three part Ratcatcher works through a rat catchers bizarre relationship with a fictional royal family to a macabre ending. A story of kinship with birds brings unexpected changes.
Some of it is more accessible and engaging than at other times, but it’s all interesting and unusual. A credible debut.
This is the first work by Kazuo Ishiguro’s daughter : she very much has her own voice, though one sees hints of some of his themes of time, memory and place . There is also, in a good way, a slight Roald Dahl vibe at times, and her self confessed love of Doctor Who is reflected too.
There is a surreal, impressionistic feel throughout these stories that at times breaks into stream of consciousness writing and, of course, themes of escape. Wizards offers magic both imagined and the magic humans can actually do. The three part Ratcatcher works through a rat catchers bizarre relationship with a fictional royal family to a macabre ending. A story of kinship with birds brings unexpected changes.
Some of it is more accessible and engaging than at other times, but it’s all interesting and unusual. A credible debut.
June 2, 2021
Mi dispiace, ma a parte un paio di storie il resto è stato un "non ho capito". Mi aspettavo tanto da questo libro e forse presa troppo dalla bellezza della copertina non mi sono informata più a fondo.
August 14, 2021
L'assenza di un finale, di uno sviluppo logico, per me hanno molto più senso di una qualsiasi razionalizzazione degli eventi e dei sentimenti. Specialmente se si parla dei temi affrontati in questo libro. Ma senza una linea guida chiara, o entri nello stream dell'autore o semplicemente tutto ti sembra sconnesso, senza senso e inconcludente. Le vie di fuga dei personaggi di Naomi le conosco, le ho anche usate a volte. Per questo forse sento le sue parole come le confidenze di chi ha sperimentato inadeguatezza, frammentazione, voglia di scappare, incapacità di spiegare.
April 25, 2020
A collection of short stories full of magic and wonder, but also danger and unexpected turns. I look forward to reading Naomi Ishiguro's work for many years to come.
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