by Aimee Bender
ISBN: 9780982525401
This is the first book in the first series put out by Madras Press (I just wrote about Sweet Tomb by Trinie Dalton, also part of the series). I really love these square little books. They clearly demonstrate a single short story can be worthy of a book all on its own. (The One Story people have been on to the idea of putting out a single short story for longer — not as a bound book, but still a delight in the mail every few weeks.) Can this this nonsense about there being “no market” for short stories end now, please?
As for this story, fans of Bender’s work will no doubt enjoy it — I did. It’s like a fairy tale, with its strange internal logic, royalty, and birds who can talk. (The unlikely pairing of a swan and a bluebird produces even more unlikely children.) Many of the characters are misfits, prone to melancholy, and unsure they’ll ever fit it anywhere. I found it enchanting.
