
Sunday Book Review – Sarah Brentyn – On the Edge of a Raindrop
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.
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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.
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33 Comments
Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.
Wonderful review Debby and congratulations Sarah.. Happy New Year.. ♥
dgkaye
Thanks Sal. Happy New Year my dear friend! <3 xx
Sarah Brentyn
Thank you, Sally. Happy New Year! 🎉
Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life.
And to you Sarah… hugs xx
Jacqui Murray
I’m getting into collections of stories so this sounds wonderful. Happy new year to you!
dgkaye
Thanks Jacqui. And I’m sure you will thoroughly enjoy Sarah’s writing. 🙂
Sarah Brentyn
I love collections, too. Flash, short stories, anthologies… They’re great. Glad to hear you’re getting into them. Happy New Year, Jacqui. 🎉
Sarah Brentyn
Oh! What a lovely way to end the year! Thank you so much for this wonderful review. ❤️❤️❤️ Haha! “Mistress of Flash Fiction”. A badge of honor. Really, this is a beautiful review, Debby. Thank you.
Also, I love that my writing inspired you to get your flash on. I love a flash convert!
Happy New Year! 🎉
dgkaye
LOL on all counts my friend. Thanks for the inspiration and I hope this year will be beautiful for you my friend. <3 xxxx
Sarah Brentyn
You are spoiling me in the comments here. Quite. I’m not sure I can take anymore. 😉
~The Riddler ???
dgkaye
Lollllllllllllllll ????? <3
Sarah Brentyn
😉 ❤️
Maxima
Wishing you a very Happy New Year!
dgkaye
Thank you Stefan. Wishing you the same. 🙂
robbiesinspiration
A lovely review of this book, Debby.
dgkaye
Thanks Robbie. I thoroughly enjoy reading Sarah’s work. 🙂
D. Wallace Peach
Wonderful review, Debby. I love Sarah’s flash fiction too, and this book was just as good as the first. Happy New Year. 🙂
dgkaye
Thanks Diana. Glad to hear you enjoyed it too! 🙂
Sarah Brentyn
Thank you so much, Diana. 🙂 Happy New Year! 🎉
lisa thomson-The Great Escape...
This collection sounds fascinating. I LOVE the title, too. Nice to meet yet another new and exciting author. Thanks, Deb for the introduction!
dgkaye
Thanks Lis. Sarah is a brilliant writer – so few words can hit right in the soul. So glad I could introduce you to her books. 🙂 x
Sarah Brentyn
Thank you, Lisa! Happy New Year! 🎉
Tina Frisco
Terrific review, Deb; and congratulations, Sarah. Micro-fiction is soup for the little grey cells 🙂 ❤
dgkaye
Well put my friend! And thanks 🙂 <3
Sarah Brentyn
Thank you kindly, Tina. I love this: “soup for the little grey cells”. Indeed, it is.
Happy New Year! 🎉
Christy B
This sounds like a terrific read! Each story is bite-size at less than 100 words, so I would think it’s a great choice for those times when you have a few moments handy while in waiting rooms, want to read only 5 minutes before bed, etc. 🙂
dgkaye
Exactly Christy! That’s an added bonus of reading flash fiction, we can always sneak in another one. 🙂 xx
Liesbet
Micro-fiction, or non-fiction, stories do sound intriguing, yet difficult to produce. Sarah must be a very talented writer! I’d love to try something challenging like this in the future… Creating a story – beginning to end, and ideally with a twist – in 100 words is quite amazing.
dgkaye
Thanks Liesbet. It’s a fun challenge. 🙂
Norah
I am always amazed at how much story Sarah can get into so few words. Great review of her book, Debby.
dgkaye
Thanks Norah. I’m with you on Sarah’s writing. 🙂 x
Norah
She’s a master of her craft.
dgkaye
She really is! 🙂