Monday Reviews - hinting at Shadows by Sarah Brentyn

I honestly believe that what differentiates a 4 and 5-star rating for this collection is the mindset with which someone picks up the book. Here’s the thing, the title tells you exactly what to expect: short fictions. The writing is spot on and at least 85% of all the stories make you wish for more info on what’s happening. Instead, you get brilliant snapshots that work like poetry, but in prose, even if it’s not poetic prose.

Throughout the collection, the approach is like a really good joke, in the sense of premise, build up, surprise, except that instead of laughter, you run a variety of emotions that range from sadness, to wonder, to shock.

The fact is clear though, Sarah Brentyn can write and Hinting at Shadows is almost a sort of literary preview reel of great stories. There are some solid entries here that could easily be made into a fully fleshed short story or even a book. But that’s not the purpose of this collection, instead it’s meant to tantalize, to inspire, to serve as a snapshot or a glimpse within a much larger story that invites the reader to unleash their imagination. It definitely makes me wonder what she could bring forth with a long form work.

As for the rating, it’s a 5 because the quality of writing, ideas, concepts, and dialogue is there. The only 4 star thing is that feeling of wanting more… and as a writer, I don’t think there’s a better reaction one could hope for.