Review: Artefacts and Other Stories by Rebecca Burns

Artefacts and Other Stories

by Rebecca Burns

Publisher: Odyssey Books

Pages: 156

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  That dandelion. A flash of stubborn yellow in a dark box of space. It had promised sunshine but had tasted sour.

Artefacts.

A dandelion. A mayfly. A family, bereft.

Items and mementos of a life, lived hard and with love, or long, empty, bitter.

In these sharply drawn and unflinching short stories, Rebecca Burns unpicks the connection between the lives we live and what we leave behind.


Kritters Thoughts:  I have read only a few short story collections, so I don't have a ton to base these off of, but every time I read a new one it makes me want to challenge myself to read more and more!

This collection didn't seem to have a central theme.  After reading the collection I realized that I like collections more when they have a central theme that the stories circle around, they felt disjointed and happenstance.  

Don't get me wrong - I loved the stories.  Some more than others, but I just like it when they all feel influenced by the other.  The key for me is I know I love a collection when there are stories where I wish they had been full novels instead of just short stories.  I could have picked out a few that I wouldn't mind if they were expanded to be completely full novels.

This was my first experience with Rebecca Burns and I would love to read more of her.  Have any of you read anything from her backlist?  I am eyeing The Bishop's Girl, I just may have to pick that one up and read her in "long form."


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2017 Challenge: 70 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.