The Women - Sommer Schafer - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Sommer Schafer

GENRE: Short Story Collection

PUBLICATION DATE: November 14, 2023

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A short story collection about ordinary women caught in extraordinary circumstances. A nice range of plots and genres, going from grounded to speculative. Intriguing and unusual storylines. Some were a bit too metaphorical for my brain. But overall, a clever character-driven collection.

As the title suggests, this debut collection of seventeen stories focusses on women. Women from varied backgrounds, varied familial situations, and varied age groups. What’s common to them all is that they face a challenge, not necessarily a routine one. How they tackle it forms the crux of each tale.

As we know, each person handles difficulties differently. The women in these book fall in the same boat. Some accept their fate, some rebel, some introspect, some opt for wild coping mechanisms. The resultant display covers an eclectic array of human behaviour, all of which provides ample food for a psychological study.

Though the titles of the stories seem quite typical and ordinary, the stories are anything but. Many of the tales begin with a normal scenario but soon venture into the speculative. However, even in these cases, there is a strong sense of realism to the narrative and to the women’s reactions.

Every story except one comes from the perspective of women characters. Whether written in first person or third person, we get to know the central characters intimately, to the extent that even when they take decisions that might seem shocking, we see their point of view clearly, whether we agree with it or not. The writing never feels like a debut author’s work, with its clear command over language as well as plot development.

With women at the helm of each tale, many readers might assume that the book focusses on women who are victims of their circumstances and are striving against their fate. However, not all of the lead characters are goody-goody. Many are so annoying that I just wanted to see them fall on their face. It is a credit to the author that she kept me involved in the narrative even with such entitled characters. I also appreciate how there’s no glorification of women or any jingoistic feminism in this collection just because it is focussed on women. It is refreshing to see women portrayed in all shades.

The endings are one reason why my rating got a little affected. They aren't bad, but quite a few of them left me feeling, “Don't stop here! Gimme more!” While not abrupt or open, they didn’t offer a sense of closure as well.

Another reason is that some stories *seem to be* metaphorical. I say “seem to be” because this is my kryptonite: I am pathetic at figuring out literary metaphors without external assistance. For a couple of the stories, I *think* I got the underlying intention, but a few others left me scratching my confused head. I am sure those who have a head for figurative/allegorical writing will like this book even better.

As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the seventeen stories, eight stories reached or crossed the 4 stars mark. Six stories earned 3.5 stars, with their endings being the main reason I couldn’t go higher. So it’s quite a good performance average overall. These are my top favourites:

🎀 My Little Pet: I'm not sure if this was a metaphor for an abusive relationship, but boy o boy, it was a crazy story! The kind of story that would uncover layers upon discussion. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🎀 Mary and the Machine: Took me a while to get what's happening but the execution made total sense by the end. A clever little tale! - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🎀 The Witch of Pleasant Valley: Didn't expect this kind of witch. Enjoyed this unexpectedly funny story that still reflects our times so well. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🎀 The Youngest Son: Despite the innocuous-sounding title, this story is a mix of sad and scary. The most horrifying part of this tale is that I actually know women like these. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎀 The Women: An impressive array of women in this one, beginning with an ordinary book club and soon turning macabre. The most unusual and deserving title story. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎀 Against the Ground: Funny without meaning to be so, true to life without feeling exaggerated. Enjoyed this amusing take on new friendships. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎀 The Great Unraveling: A story about the transformation of a woman after motherhood. Gave me Kafka vibes, but in a much better way. For once, I understood and even loved the metaphor! I too feel like an animal at times, so I could relate to this weird story. 🤭 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

🎀 An Independent Woman: Started off one way, ended another way. Enjoyed the dual narrative in contrasting style. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

All in all, this was quite an entertaining and enriching speculative collection with a diverse range of stories, characters, and situations. I dare say, it is even better than Kristin Hannah’s book of the same title, as this one actually has multiple women in true-to-life shades, proper character development, intriguing narratives, and barely any melodrama.

Definitely recommended to short story lovers who enjoy speculative fiction. As the stories are all character-driven, they would work better for readers with a literary bent of mind.

3.75 stars, based on the average of my ratings for each tale.

My thanks to Unsolicited Press for a complimentary copy of “The Women” at my request. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.