Malfi has such a pleasant way of writing stories. He goes into great detail about the characters and setting the scene. To me, that is a special gift. To be able to pull a reader in and send them into a dream land while they read the story. Everything I have read by Malfi, has done this for me. But, alas, this book of short stories fell flat for me. What I think happened is that for Malfi, he is a novelist. He can write long stories that are beautiful because he pays attention to the details. With novellas, you can’t really do that too much. And so I feel that is his downfall, his kryptonite, so to speak. Don’t get me wrong, these are awesome stories! They are just not enough to pull me in and keep me in the moment. I found myself bored, more often than not. I think each of these stories could have been a book within itself.
All four of these stories happen in the same universe. There are crossover characters in each story linking all of these characters into the same universe with different experiences.
The first story The Skin of Her Teeth is about a son who needs to finish a book for his mother. She really wants to know how the story ends. So every day for a year he would write during the day and read to her every night. A special bond is formed between the son, mother, and the book. I was bored with this one, unfortunately.
The second story The Dark Brother’s Last Ride is about two brothers, who are couriers for a mafia boss, find that what they need to deliver is more than they bargained for. This one has a strong sci-fi feel to it and has an excellent ending.
The third story This Story Belongs to Olo is a fantastic short story. A soon to be 9 year old has invited some neighborhood kids to his house for his tenth birthday. He really loves the game of hide and seek and can’t wait to play this game with his guests. This one is my favorite out of all four.
The fourth story, aptly called The Story, is a choose your own journey story that has literal consequences. This one is my second favorite of the four.
I’m not giving up on Ronald Malfi’s books. He is an excellent storyteller and this book of short stories shows his skills.
Thank you #NetGalley and Titan Books for sending me this ebook for an honest review. #Ghostwritten
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