Get in Trouble by Kelly Link
Reviewed by: Carey Gibbons, Reference Assistant
Genre: Short Stories
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: Get in Trouble is a short story anthology of weirdness. The stories in this collection all start out fairly normally, but then little things that turn into big things indicate that the characters involved don’t quite live in the same world that we do. Link writes about secret identities, superhero sidekicks, Egyptian religion of the future, people who have two shadows, clockwork monkey eggs, pocket universes, haunted spaceships, haunted life size dolls, and haunted nudist colonies. Are these stories connected? Link’s characters never say yes, but they also never say no. Part of what makes this collection intriguing is trying to figure out that puzzle for yourself.
My review: I liked this book a lot, but also found it delightfully frustrating. It *is* a puzzle, and I haven’t yet figured out how all the pieces fit together. Even though Link never expressly says that the stories in this anthology are connected, I think it’s important that they are all in this one collection together. They’re like tracks on a CD – separate entities yet also a cohesive whole. At times, I wished that each story was an entire novel so that I could explore Link’s world building. At other times, I thought each story was perfect just the way it was. At any rate, I loved the weirdness of this collection. I loved that the worlds Link introduces us to are just enough like ours to make you think twice about what you’re reading. This is a really great collection.
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!