Get in Trouble by Kelly Link

A beautifully crafted collection of short stories, Get in Trouble contained some of the weirdest stories I’ve ever read. Each one had a gorgeously portrayed mood that made them come to life one by one. The writing was unique, unlike anything I’ve read before. Though short (hence the short story part) each tale was magically woven as if Link herself lived in each one of the worlds she created.

The writing was the shinning star of this book. Although it was sometimes hard to get used to, once I got into it, I realized how natural it sounded. Most of the stories were written in a stream-of-conscious sort of writing, making it sound disjointed at times. However, I found that that kind of writing made it easier to connect with the characters, as it felt like I was in each one’s head.

The plots were sometimes straightforward, and sometimes subtle, all leading to one main point. It was the simplicity of the plots that allowed Link to go crazy with the world-building and setting. Each one sounded almost like it could be a part of the others, yet they also sounded entirely different. You dive right into the strange worlds without any kind of warning or explanations. They feel natural and real, despite the way they warped reality. Most of the stories were magical realism or sci-fi, but sometimes it was hard to separate the two. I think that’s an amazing thing for an author to be able to do, combine genres in a way that makes it stand out into its own genre.

With beautiful descriptions, the settings brought out such strange and wonderful tones to each story. They were heavy and solid, each one overwhelming the story. Some of them were creepy and haunting, while others were raw and emotional. Each one made me feel something, regardless of how much I enjoyed. Naturally, I liked some more than others, but none of these stories can I give a rating under four stars.

There was something about the mix of characters and the meanings of the stories, that truly shows how talented Kelly Link is. She could grasp things and put them into writing that most of us overlook. There is a strange kind of wisdom to this weird and beautiful book. It holds an endless amount of inspiration for me, and I wholeheartedly enjoyed and recommend it.