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A House Is a Body
A House Is a Body: Stories | Shruti Swamy
9 posts | 10 read | 10 to read
Swamys A House Is a Body will not simply be talked about as one of the greatest short story collections of the 2020s; it will change the way all storiesshort and longare told, written, and consumed. There is nothing, no emotion, no tiny morsel of memory, no touch, that this book does not take seriously. Yet, A House Is a Body might be the most fun Ive ever had in a short story collection. Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy Dreams collide with reality, modernity with antiquity, and myth with identity in the twelve arresting stories of A House Is a Body. In Earthly Pleasures, a young painter living alone in San Francisco begins a secret romance with one of Indias biggest celebrities, and desire and ego are laid bare. In A Simple Composition, a husbands professional crisis leads to his wifes discovery of a dark, ecstatic joy. And in the title story, an exhausted mother watches, hypnotized by fear, as a California wildfire approaches her home. Immersive and assured, provocative and probing, these are stories written with the edge and precision of a knife blade. Set in the United States and India, they reveal small but intense moments of beauty, pain, and power that contain the world. A House Is a Body introduces a bold and original voice in fiction, from a writer at the start of a stellar career.
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review
WorldsOkayestStepMom
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Mehso-so

I enjoyed a couple of the stories, but I wanted more from them. The title story was really good!

Megabooks 💯 agree with you. This was a low pick for me. 2y
44 likes1 comment
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Brooke_H
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Pickpick

A solid debut collection of 12 short stories that deal with all the fantastical and banal moments of human experience. Most of the stories are dark and bizarre, with an almost experimental feel. A couple of the stories left me feeling uneasy (borderline distressed), but I would still recommend.

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flybluejay
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Pickpick

thoughts on death, marriage, family, and home.

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shadowspeak17
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is between pick and so-so for me. The writing was beautiful at times but at others it was a bit much. Too flowery?... maybe. I‘m probably not describing that right. Anyway, I did like several of the stories, at least until their endings. I felt like too many of the stories ended right as they were really getting started, and the abruptness of their endings frustrated me.

#booked2020 #SetInIndia #catsoflitsy #Ember

Megabooks I can see what you‘re saying. 4y
Cinfhen Great review. That‘s the problem with short stories sometimes I want to know more or with other stories I just don‘t care enough 4y
39 likes2 comments
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

I didn‘t care for the first half of this collection. I nearly bailed. It bordered fairytales/mythology (not for me), but still, I enjoyed “The Siege” about a captured princess.

The second half is set in modern Indian culture/diaspora, and I enjoyed several stories including one about a lesbian couple attending a wedding in India and another about explaining a miscarriage to a child (TW). The title story about a wildfire is very impressive. 3.25⭐️

Megabooks First #bookspinbingo square!! 🎉🎉 4y
Cuilin Great review! Stacking! 4y
Megabooks @Cuilin thanks! 4y
Reviewsbylola Gorgeous cover! 4y
Megabooks @Reviewsbylola it is beautiful! 4y
81 likes2 stack adds5 comments
blurb
shadowspeak17
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1. The Art of War by Kelly Roman and A House is a Body by Shruti Swamy
2. A House is a Body
3. Probably, but I‘m not 100% sure yet.
#weekendreads

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RidgewayGirl
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Pickpick

I've never encountered a book of short stories where they were ordered from weakest to strongest. Swamy concentrates on moments of discomfort or crisis. An alcoholic artist meets Krishna, a woman watches a forest fire approach her home, a woman works as a laughter artist.

Ruthiella Yup, usually the collection will open with the strongest story, in my experience. 4y
21 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Lauren.Archer
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Pickpick
Cathythoughts I love this title 4y
52 likes1 comment
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EKonrad
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Mehso-so

A collection of short stories from a promising writer, but I just couldn't connect with the characters. We need more books published by women and people of color, so I might be checking out her work in the future to support a clearly talented writer. But I probably won‘t be raving about this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #arc

Full review at http://erinkonrad.com/2020/08/09/a-house-is-a-body-book-review/