Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town - Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

A lyrical and heartfelt collection by an award-winning writer that connects the lives of young people from small towns in Alaska and the American west. Each story is unique, yet universal.
In this book, the impact of wildfire, a wayward priest, or a mysterious disappearance ricochet across communities, threading through stories. Here, ordinary actions such as ice skating or going to church reveal hidden truths. One choice threatens a lifelong friendship. Siblings save each other. Rescue and second chances are possible, and so is revenge.
On the surface, it seems that nothing ever happens in these towns. But Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock shows that underneath that surface, teenagers' lives blaze with fury, with secrets, and with love so strong it burns a path to the future.

Look, regular readers will know that I'm not much of a fan of short story collections. When I found out that's what this was, I had such a sinking feeling. Note to self, read the description before requesting ARCS. That being said, I adored this. It's my first experience with Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock and I would like more now please.
While this is a short story collection, each one is more of a snapshot of these people living in a small town and how their lives affect each other without them even really realising. It's also nice that it goes full circle starting with Poppy moving to Alaska to escape a tragedy and then that tragedy being explored more in Louise's story at the end.

Each of the stories were so well fleshed out and gorgeously written. Seriously, even I, hater of short story collections, I was hooked!

I like the blurb of this book looking at life in small towns across three states in America but I felt it did not live up to what is had promised.

Each chapter was about a different person and it felt like you were coming into the middle of a conversation, quite a few times I had to go back and reread pages or paragraphs to get a sense of what was going on.

In the end I kept looking at each chapter as a completely different story with no connection to the previous chapters, even if they referred to characters from these chapters.

I though that there should have been a heading or short paragraph to set the scene for each chapter so I knew who the character was.

I absolutely LOVED and DEVOURED this book. I loved the concept immediately after seeing someone tweet about it and just needed to read ASAP. The structure is SO INTERESTING - a bunch of interconnected short stories as we travel through some rural small American towns.

What struck me most was just the absolute depth of the characters. The insight into their lives we got from just the short chapters was just MASTERFUL. And more that that, the stories STAYED with me. Books comprised of short stories can usually be a bit hit and miss, but there were no stories in this that i did not enjoy. I did, obvs, have some favourites, and they will stay with me for a long time.

Also something i super appreciated was how easy it was to see the connection between the characters. Rather than you having to rack your mind trying to figure out how they're connected, it was easy to see. Also the way this book explored the mentality and just FEEL of small towns as an overarching theme was amazing. Something i didn't know whether i would enjoy but it was just so eye opening and drew me in.

I honestly cannot overstate how much i loved this book. People compare it to A Visit from the Goon Squad, but i think this is honestly a million times better.

Thank you SO much to the publisher for the review copy.

'Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town' is my first Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock novel and it took my breath away. Not only has Hitchcock woven an intricate array of characters but she manages to ensure the reader has quick emotional insight formed during each character's short appearance. The structure of the novel is a series of vignettes, the ending of the last character's story leading into the next one, dealing with plots as simple as working at a summer camp and playing basketball to heavy storylines such as a raging forest fire, a childhood abduction and a quest for vengeance against childhood abuse. The connections between characters are sometimes subtle but are satisfying when revealed, aptly demonstrating the complex connections from one human being to another (even when small town communities are the primary setting).

Hitchcock does not shy away from the characters experiencing some raw and brutal events. The most affecting for me was Delia's storyline. Hitchcock introduces her as a girl from privilege whose parents could buy her anything she wanted. When the true darkness in her life is revealed, it is almost casually dropped in, an absolute gut punch by how normalised such awful childhood experiences became in communities like hers. This is characteristic of each story - the horrors of human nature are laid bare, trustworthy figures' reputations torn down and others built up again.

This is a short, dark and heartbreaking read but beautifully written. There are many characters - even if you do not notice every connection instantly, each story acts as an important lesson for the reader. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was so beautiful. It feels highly literary and really fresh and contemporary at the same time - a truly intelligent book for teenagers that's so relatable at it's heart that I felt like I'd been to Alaska and Pigeon Creek without ever having set food in either. It does that wonderful thing where the connections allow the reader to feel clever when they realise how everything fits together, but none of the links feel shoehorned in. I'm so glad I read it now, because something about it feels inherently Christmassy, even with the wildfires raging on. A quiet, magic book. Just so lovely.

Hitchcock's prose is really delightful and the stories in this unusual and delicate book intertwine with each other in a gentle and satisfying way. It's unusual to read a book that consists of short stories in this way but each one could be taken on its own merit. A really beautiful book.

Everyone Dies Famous In Small Town is an intimate multi faceted portrait piece, a series of interconnected stories and characters where the mundane actions of day to day life unveils deeper and darker personalities and actions.

The author is an insightful writer with an eye for building a story within a story, all of the people you meet within this novel will stay with you for different reasons and in different ways. Their commonality is within their differences and the backdrop of small town life everywhere is cleverly abx beautifully described.

I'm a fan. Recommended.

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town was not like anything I've ever read before. Set in 1995, Hitchcock introduces us to a collection of different characters who all live in small towns in America. Having lived in a big city all my life, I wasn't sure what to expect, but found this book was a great introduction small town lives.

Most books I read (and most fiction books out there) usually focus on a few characters - at most - and one plot which made this set of stories was extremely refreshing. Though there was not a distinct plot, there was a range of characters (all of whom were from small towns) whose stories linked together really well and made for an really lovely book.

Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock's writing was lovely and easy to read - not anything overwhelmingly different to other writer's styles but still unique in it's own way. I absolutely loved the way all the characters were seamlessly woven together. Hitchcock achieved something really special in this book that I'm sure other writer's could find quite difficult. Additionally, she handled difficult topics like sexual assault and murder very well and without making the reader uncomfortable.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town and was really satisfied with the ending, which, until reaching the last character, I had no clue where it would lead to! I cannot wait to recommend this book to friends and family when it comes out.

Big thanks to the NetGalley for providing an eARC this book in exchange for an honest review

Having read the author's last book, 'The Smell of Other People's Houses', I knew what to expect with this one: essentially it's a collection of short stories, woven together by common characters and locations.

And it's beautifully done. Hitchcock has conjured so many intricate lives and places, so that with each ending, I felt a tinge of sadness that I wouldn't get to spend more time with that character.

It was a few years ago that I read the last book, but I think the themes in this one are darker. There is nothing graphic, but there are mentions of child molestation/sexual assault, and murder. This isn't a criticism at all - just something to be aware of. I applaud YA authors like Hitchcock for not shying away from these issues.

If I had to criticise the book in any way, it would be that I wished there was some circularity to it - that the final story might arc back around to the beginning place or person again. Still, it's a small issue as they go. I devoured my way through 'Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town', and I loved wrapping myself up briefly in each character's life.

(With thanks to Faber and Faber and NetGalley for an advance ebook, in exchange for an honest review)

I really loved this book. I loved the way it was done, lots of little stories all linked up. There was an immense amount of emotion and I was brought to almost tears countless times. I shivered reading it. It was so beautiful and so horrid but so calm. It was a very calm read and had a surprisingly calm ending. I liked how it all pieced together, although it was rather morbid. Everyone had their story, it kind of taught me that lesson. I loved these characters, they were all different but rather similar. And I liked how each story didn’t really finish but concluded, there wasn’t so much of a happy ending but hope. It was very raw and real and I think that’s a part of the reason why I loved it so much. It was a quite short and easy read and there wasn’t much action really. The description was incredibly though, of emotion. I could feel the absolute voids from the characters I have grown to love, is there a planned sequel?? I’d love it. I loved it so much. It was really sad but I still loved it. Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock is incredible. I’ve never heard of her before but saw instant praise on goodreads. I can now tell why. I especially loved the theme of lost in the novel. Everyone was lost but all found each other? Perfect. I just wish there was more of it. The ending was conclusive but more like a epilogue? It wasn’t so much of the best most exciting ending but it was still haunting and satisfactory.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town has the unique ability to feel small and intimate and larger than life at the same time. Following a plethora of interlocking characters through love, loss, coming of ages, grief, abuse, and friendships, it's such a uniquely well done story. Normally with interlocking anthologies at least one of the stories feels at least slightly out of place, but every word here felt necessary.