Sunday Book Review

To end off the year, today I’m sharing my review on Sarah Brentyn’s – On the Edge of a Raindrop, short fictional stories that make you ponder about real life.

It was Sarah’s writing that got me thinking about the ‘less is more’ theory about writing, using short micro bursts of story to convey the essence of a character’s life or situation summed up. My piqued interest even prompted me to enter a Flash Fiction (Nonfiction) contest a few months ago at Charli Mills‘ Carrot Ranch.

Get this book on Amazon!

Blurb:

When You’re on the Edge, It’s Easy to Fall

These are stories of lives on the edge.

A girl tortured by the world within her. A boy powerless to escape his home. A mother doomed to live with her greatest mistake. A man lost in a maze of grief.

Each raindrop provides a microscopic mirror of ourselves and those around us. But we can’t always trust what we see. The distorted images disorient the mind, altering our view of reality.

This second collection of flash and micro fiction explores the depths of the human condition and the fragile surface of our perceptions.

Dive into these tales of darkness and discover what life is like On the Edge of a Raindrop

Each selection is approximately 100 words, with a bonus section of Microbursts in which each story is told in 50 words or less.

My 5 Star Review:

It was Brentyn’s first book, Hinting at Shadows that drew me in to the mysterious world of micro-fiction. This type of writing fascinates me, how a whole story can be painted in so few words, leaving so much to be taken in with pause and reflection.

On the Edge of a Raindrop leaves plenty thought provoking moments from Brentyn – Mistress of Flash Fiction. She can sum up a life in a paragraph and create moments of human awareness with so few words. As she writes, “There is a world inside a drop of fiction.”

This passage in particular resonated with me, “Sugar coated lies, though easier to swallow, have a bitter aftertaste.” Two other stories grabbed at my heartstrings – Puddles and Wishes.

These short bursts of stories pack a real punch and because of the short length are easy to go back and read again and again, and perhaps leave a different impression. Highly recommended, especially for those who enjoy being able to read shorter works without losing the impact of a story.