
"And a fear, she knew, a fear must be a secret kind of wish, a seed from which some fruit must follow.
from "Architect of Flowers"
Each sentence in this searing collection of short stories is full of new ideas. Each word is beautiful, lyrical, and carefully planned. The resulting stories help us make sense of the space where hopes and dreams meet the reality of life. The snapshots of the towns and worlds portrayed by Lychack speak volumes between the lines and left me thinking through exactly what had happened in each story, long after I'd turned to page. Peoria, Illinois where one of the stories takes place entered my dreams and I found myself wondering what had happened to the pregnant woman who wants to raise chickens after her child was born. The stories serve as beautiful snapshots of moments in everyday lives. Moments that are portrayed vividly enough that you wonder if they are your memories or moments that you are reading in a book.
The irony of this book is that one of my work colleagues kept talking about a book called The Language of Flowers and I mistook her recommendation of that book for this book. So glad that I mis-remembered the title because this short book is delightful.
from "Architect of Flowers"
Each sentence in this searing collection of short stories is full of new ideas. Each word is beautiful, lyrical, and carefully planned. The resulting stories help us make sense of the space where hopes and dreams meet the reality of life. The snapshots of the towns and worlds portrayed by Lychack speak volumes between the lines and left me thinking through exactly what had happened in each story, long after I'd turned to page. Peoria, Illinois where one of the stories takes place entered my dreams and I found myself wondering what had happened to the pregnant woman who wants to raise chickens after her child was born. The stories serve as beautiful snapshots of moments in everyday lives. Moments that are portrayed vividly enough that you wonder if they are your memories or moments that you are reading in a book.
The irony of this book is that one of my work colleagues kept talking about a book called The Language of Flowers and I mistook her recommendation of that book for this book. So glad that I mis-remembered the title because this short book is delightful.