Review: Squinting Over Water by Mary Kennedy Eastham

Title: Squinting Over Water
Author: Mary Kennedy Eastham
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Robertson Publishing
Publish Date: September 12, 2012
Source: I received a copy from the author; however, this did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're a short story fan.
• You don't mind tough subjects.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "Short Stories by Mary Kennedy Eastham There are no perfect people here. The characters in "Squinting over Water" are you and me trying to make sense of things - good and bad - coming up with a Plan B when life gets messy. One early reader said she would walk across continents to get to this book. These whimsical stories transformed her, made her believe once again in the true beauty and playfulness of life."

My Two Cents:

It's books like "Squinting Over Water" that are really continuing to open me up to reading more short stories. In the past, I haven't really liked to read too many short stories because I sometimes have the fear that a short story, which can only cover so much ground, is going to leave me unfulfilled and wanting more. This book most definitely does not fall into that category! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author, Ms. Eastham has a the art of packing a punch in a short amount of time down to a most perfect science.

Some of the stories in this book deal with some pretty serious subject matter. I really enjoyed all of the stories but there were a handful that were real standouts to me (What He Left was my absolute favorite out of all of the stories). The subjects are completely different but they were so good and so well written. What He Left is only a couple pages long but totally blew my usual fears about short stories and being unsatisfied far, far away. I really don't want to give anything away so I'm not even going to give you a synopsis of what the story is actually about but know that it is a really, really hard subject that would be difficult for anyone to write or talk about. I was thoroughly impressed the way that Eastham is able to tell a full, really well detailed story in such a short amount of space. There were some turns of phrase that were really fantastic. I know they are going to stick to me for a really The story definitely made me a little teary.

This book would be a fantastic pick for anyone who is looking for a serious well written read. After seeing and falling in love with the magic that Eastham wove in this book, I would love to read more by her in the future!