Review: The Wild Grass and Other Stories

I finished The Wild Grass and Other Stories by Davin Malasarn. I went in with VERY high expectations.

And they were all meet and then some.

This is a beautiful collection. Each story is exquisite and breathtaking, yet feels utterly simple and real. As if, you know, the author just happened to be spraying cyanide on a field of red rocks to mine for gold, and also happened to be an old woman waiting to die, and also happened to be a childless woman meeting up with her sister's family for a photo shoot, or a child under a crocheted tablecloth during an exorcism...

I have a recurring fantasy about what it would be like to possess telepathy, to simply look at another person, say as I pass by them waiting at a bus stop, and for that moment, BECOME that person. Reading this book felt like possessing that power. Many of the stories are told in the first person, with an intimacy and ease that make it vivid and natural.

I've read a few of these stories before. Red Man, Blue Man is one of my all time favorite stories. I am so glad to finally have a paid copy of it.

Sadly, this review doesn't do the stories justice. I am probably going to re-read the whole thing and try to think of something more profound to say. Also, hopefully I can convince Davin to do a guest post.

Reading this anthology left me thirsty for more, and I hope that Davin considers publishing one of his longer works soon. I kinda hope he self-publishes, for purely selfish reasons, because it means I can read it faster, and the kindle version will probably be less expensive. But if he prefers to go the traditional route, all I can say is, any agent or big-time publisher who reads this and doesn't snap him up is an idiot. Just my personal opinion.