Smart Oven For Lonely People by Elizabeth Tan
Trigger Warning: not providing one for this book.
Age Rating: 17+ [only two stories with mature themes]
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction, Surrealism.
A Spoiler Free Summary
A short story collection full of relevant social issues in conjunction with surrealist elements that touch on both degenerate utopias and dystopias which questions the readers’ belief if there is actually a difference between the two. Overall, for those who don’t want to analyse the stories’ content, it is just a fun short story collection to read.
Review
Tan’s unique titles and stories are eye catching and enticing. I loved her short story collection which was introduced to me through school [specifically literature] and is definitely a book I would recommend to others. Apart from her in-depth way of writing I was so happy to find an Australian Asian author, especially part of the VCE curriculum and I hope her work will continue to be there. She tackled many relevant topics and exaggerated the world we live in which draws us close, so we understand and see that this saturated version of a degenerate utopia is actually what our world is becoming. In stories such as “A Girl Sitting on a Unicorn in the Middle of a Shopping Centre” it criticised materialism and consumerism in a more advert way and expressed a girl who was simply looking around a shopping centre. This is very much like the reality of our world and “Ron Swanson’s Stencilled ‘Stache” is about a the take over of social media and how many things that seem real but are just a façade. I really enjoyed the way she wrote some of her descriptions were so satisfying [I have added some of my favourite moments in the quotes section] and definitely her titles were some of the most interesting ones I’ve read, which really encompasses her personality of her short stories. As I read this a couple months ago for school [even earlier when I read it for the first time], my initial thoughts aren’t as clear, but I still wanted to share this book, the main thing I remember is how refreshing the novel was from the sea of classic literature school required.
I also would just recommend her short stories in general because the writing is so engaging, and the stories are just very enjoyable in general.
School had also required me to write a short story based on one of her stories, before my SAC, we wrote practice stories and I wrote on inspired by the elements of “A Girl Sitting on a Unicorn in the Middle of a Shopping Centre,” I’ll be sharing that towards the end of the holiday season as that plays a part in the story so please keep an eye out, in the meantime please check out Elizabeth Tan and her work, including “Smart Oven for Lonely People.”
Quotes
“Grown-ups had a way of doing that-flattening their fears with concrete, building something neat and pretty on top, as if life really were a picnic.” [Night of the Fish]
“A man-shaped membranous sac of blood.” [Our Sleeping Lungs Opened to the Cold]
“This gentle darkness, this soft temple. This loving body, unspooling from the harness of man-made meaning.” [Our Sleeping Lungs Opened to the Cold]
“It please her to be a girl and to be like other girls because the best people in her life are all girls, so why wouldn’t she want to be like other girls?” [A Girl is Sitting on a Unicorn in the Middle of a Shopping Centre]
“Or a kind of perfunctory empathy, the detection of a blip in his beautiful universe, something to rectify as soon as possible so he could keep sailing on?” [Smart Ovens for Lonely People]
“I came to be in this very predicament, I would lie awake in the cold indigo light, nerve-bitten, twitching, strapped hopelessly to consciousness like half an avocado to one of those avocado saver things.” [Ron Swanson’s Stencilled ‘Stache]
“She messaged the red lines intersecting her torso and tried to love and understand and honour her body into something less conspicuous, something to carry without apology.” [Washing Day]
“The sky becomes the sinister colour of cordial.” [Lola Metronome and Calliope St Laurent Having a Picnic at the End of Civilisation as We Know It]
Recommendations
If you are looking for a short story collection that tackles materialism, consumerism and many relevant issues today in a unique and over saturated way, this is a wonderful story collection for it.
Pros
It’s a short story collection so the information is easy to digest and especially good if you are trying to get out of a reading slump.
Cons
Nothing in particular.
Tag: #bookreview
The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu
The Best Lies by Sarah Lyu Trigger warning: obsessive friendship, toxic relationships, child abuse, death\murder. Age rating: 14+ Overall rating: 4.8 out of 5. Genres: Young Adult, psychological thriller. A spoiler free summary Remy Tsai knew what every day looked like. She used to be content, with Jack, her boyfriend, and her best friend Elsie, who understood her in every way, like no other. But within one night everything changed. Jack, shot, is now dead and Elise was the one to pull the trigger. As a police investigation takes place, Remy must sift through her own memories to look for the truth. Was it self-defence? Or something that could destroy the one friendship that meant everything to her. Review The best lies was a really enjoyable read, an unexpected one to be honest. The author’s writing is simple yet there were many golden moments that were both relatable and devastating. The alternating timeline may have been a little confusing at times as many novels which use concurrent time line are usually, but it allowed for a better understanding of the mentality of the main character, Remy. What initial attracted me to the novel was the fact there was an Asian main character and that the novel was not a fantasy one and I really appreciated that race was not the character’s “flaw” or overcoming nature and was rather a part of them. I loved how the story explored the nature of friendships and the obsessive behaviour which evolved from trauma [in this novel] was not completely unrealistic, but rather something that was blown up and dramatized. The toxic side of family in relation to immigrants and the “perfect family” with the romanticised “American dream” was well addressed and which is unfortunately very real for many, even if that is not the parents’ intentions. I enjoyed how happiness was not forced throughout the book and this definitely affected the ending as well. Something about a best friendship that ends in tragedy is touchingly disturbing to anyone as friendships are part of the human experience which many people crave. Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and took great pleasure in seeing the disaster of romanticising friendships through trauma connection and support when no one is there for you. Quotes “Love is the weapon they wield when it suits them, the justification for everything they do.” “But then there is the first one, the very first trauma, and isn’t that where everyone’s story begins?” “What hurt the most was knowing that she was enough for me, but I wasn’t enough for her.” “Her pain doesn’t diminish my pain. It’s a false dichotomy.” “Suffering isn’t romantic. It’s just painful.” Recommendations If you are looking for a disturbing novel in which friendships can go very wrong written through concurrent timelines and the truth of how trauma effects everyone differently, this novel is for you. Pros: The main character was Asian; it explored the idea of the American dream for immigrant families and the struggles that come with presenting as the “perfect” family and how some relationships aren’t meant to be. Cons: Nothing in particular sticks out.
The falling in love montage by Ciara Smyth
The falling in love montage by Ciara Smyth Trigger warning: dementia, trauma. Age rating: 13+ Overall rating: 5 out of 5. Genres: contemporary, romance (Sapphic). A spoiler free summary Saoirse wanted to do a couple simply things for the coming long summer holidays: go to parties, watch movies and kiss her troubles away with other girls. Saoirse feels like she deserves a break after dealing with the pain of her mother’s dementia and slowly getting over her ex, Hannah. Here comes Ruby, the most beautiful girl Saoirse has ever seen, but Saoirse is not ready to commit to another relationship. So Ruby, the romcom fan and optimist challenges Saoirse to try a summer romance, just like in the movies. But what could go wrong with a falling in love montage with an ending date? Review This was such a sweet sapphic romance to read. I liked the realness of it with its darker themes of the trauma of the main character, Saoirse. The novel was easy to dive into the world and it was written in first person of Saoirse which allows for the reader to really feel the feelings of what the main character is going through. There were points throughout the book where I wanted to shout at Saoirse to do something or communicate [yes, there is miscommunication but, in a way, where it makes sense, is done well and it’s not cringey]. The author added other elements such as illness, it’s nice to see the diversity in that way too. I personally cannot say if it’s an accurate depiction, but it is not the main focus of the story. The parents of Saoirse are quite involved in the plot of the story, which is a nice touch. I really enjoyed the relationships, especially Oliver and Saoirse frenemy type. I loved the aspect of the big movie moments Ruby and Saoirse had to tick off their list, as another plus the author refenced many real movies [many I didn’t get since I’m not a movie watcher], but I’m sure if you like movies, particularly romcoms it will make the book just a tad better and the author added a large list of movies called, “Saoirse and Ruby’s Rom-Com watchlist.” There was great character development, obviously Saoirse as well as other side characters. There is one small side character named Barbara or Barb and she is such a loveable character I honestly wished she was more involved in the novel. The writing was easy to understand but had a lot of depth and overall, I really enjoyed this book. Quotes “As a great philosopher once said: shake it off.” “Oh wisht. You think I could work in the business of love this long and not get some of that gaydar? I’ve known some brides in my day who shouldn’t have been marrying grooms, that’s for sure. You still get the odd one here and there who doesn’t know it yet, poor dears. I try and give them a hint, you know subtle, would you not like a nice pantsuit, dear. That sort of thing.” “Whether that relationship lasts a week or fifty years is not what makes it special.” Recommendation If you want a sapphic read with big movie moments this book is for you. This novel is light-hearted and heavy at the same time, filled moments that will make you want to shout and laugh. Pros: I love when authors add the reader into the acknowledgments, it makes the novel special. This was done in this book. There was sapphic rep and it wasn’t set in the US, nothing against the US but it’s nice to see a different location. Cons: Not too many I can think of in the moment, apart from a little more diversity in the race department [if there was it wasn’t clear], but I’m not sure if it’s a valid complaint/con, since there is diversity in other categories.
Enna Mari 