I did not know what I was about to read when I started this and did not realize that it had a fantasy element to it. The first chapter read like a really good short story. I think I would have been satisfied to just stop there. It was a fast/fairly short read that took me out of my usual types of books. Very discussable.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ecco Books and the author for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Terrace Story is a genre-bending tale that ensconced me in one sitting on my couch on a lazy Saturday. We are introduced to a young family of three, ashamed of their tiny cramped apartment, until their friend and work colleague, Stephanie, is invited over and an overflowing closet is suddenly transformed into a beautiful decorative terrace. With this new discovery comes unabashed joy - but also dark repercussions as addition begets subtraction. Through four interwoven, nonlinear short stories, we see the effects of this one extraordinary event on each character and the world around them.

This novel would make a great book club choice due to its numerous thematic elements. It tackles grief, love, and loneliness that transcend time and space. The power and value of memories is explored. There is also social commentary on extinction, as well as how the world reacts when a woman chooses to create space rather than shrink to conform to societal expectations. The prose was lovely and I felt the author had a distinct voice.

I found some of the stories more riveting than others and some parts had me scratching my head, but the ending did bring everything full circle. At the conclusion, I was left with a sense of surreal contentment. If you are a fan of speculative or dystopian fiction, I think this book will give you a lot to ponder.

3.5 stars for now but this is one that needs to marinate before I fully settle on a rating.

I am in awe of this author's imagination! This collection of interwoven stories was fascinating and forced you to suspend belief in order to really get into the themes of love, family, and identity. I was impressed with the visual elements and callbacks that tied together the stories across space and time.

I did not enjoy this book. I was not prepared for the creepy vibes that this book shot out, and after the first story TERRIFIED me, the rest of the book just felt a bit uninteresting and a tad rambling. The whole second story did not fit into the overarching plot and was just confusing at the time that I read it. I hear that this book is deep, it's an exploration, the prose is beautiful and haunting. I'm simply going to be haunted by the fact that Stephanie really looked Annie in the face and shut the terrace door. The meaning didn't feel very deep; and I'm not saying that the book was shallow, but every emotion was always right at the surface, and I just didn't like it.
Plus, the whole fourth story seems like it's supposed to be uplifting or make you think about the depths people are willing to go for those they love, but all I could think about was how that meant Stephanie wasn't the only one who had that ability?? Which kind of makes no sense. And then I thought, well maybe there's just more people like her in this parallel world, but then how could they be moving through the time tunnel to get people from the other side? I know there's supposed to be magic and mystery, but there wasn't enough suspension of disbelief for me to look past that. It was just confusing.

Had difficulty getting into the story, just wasn't for me. I think the style just didn't jibe with me, but nothing wrong with the book at all!

I had no idea what to expect when I began reading this book. It was a fun read. The ending was a great surprise!

An interesting book that gives an abstract, mystical, surrealistic view into life, love and loss. Not my typical type of book but enjoyable. Thanks #NetGalley

Thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for the ebook. This fascinating short book is about a family, husband, wife and young daughter, who live in a cramped apartment, but when the wife’s friend from work visits, the apartment suddenly has a large terrace. This is disturbing, but not disturbing enough to stop the friend from visiting more and more often, but there’s always a price to pay. The book tells the story from many angles: First through the eyes of the family, then later we see the life of this friend and these odd powers and even many years later, we see what this time has done to shape the life of the daughter. A very original tale.

What a quirky, sneaky book this is! The mysterious Terrace was delightfully done and so unexpected. I think I might choose this as my bookclub's next read! It was so good and I was hooked from the very beginning!

Didn't enjoy this one as much as Temporary, but Leichter's style is consistent through both. Enjoyable but a bit disjointed.

<i> From the author of the acclaimed novel Temporary, an intimate exploration of time, a fable
Annie, Edward, and their young daughter, Rose, live in a cramped apartment. One night, without warning, they find a beautiful terrace hidden in their closet. It wasn't there before, and it seems to only appear when their friend Stephanie visits. A city dweller's dream come true! But every extra bit of space has a hidden cost, and the terrace sets off a seismic chain of events, forever changing the shape of their tiny home, and the shape of the world. </i>

Terrace Story follows these four characters through time, space, and several interconnected stories that coalesce into one impressive whole. It’s filled with absolutely beautiful prose, delightful wordplay, references to extinction and death, and an overall engaging story that left me both moved and deeply unsettled. I can’t recommend it enough.

Thank you Hilary Leichter, Ecco, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Terrace Story
Author: Hilary Leichter
Source: NetGalley/Harper Collins
Publish Date: August 29, 2023

Terrace Story will be a favorite with readers who want to broaden their minds because, in this book, the author, Hilary Leichter, raises expectations with a book about time warps, where time can be expanded or condensed. The question becomes, when you take away from something, does it add or detract from something else? So that might be a little deep, but in this novel, there is a fine line between loss and gain, love and hate, lost and found, and time and space. It’s a unique reflection about how our actions today affect a world that occurs long after we are gone. I will not be able to explain this story entirely, but I will be thinking about this book for a VERY long time. I would highly recommend you read it. An amazing novella that ponders deep topics like love and death, and yet, in the end, love wins. Love always wins. #magical #time #space #memory #love #family #enchanting #mindbending #TerraceStory @hilsaphina @harpercollins
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Harper Collins, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: August 29, 2023.
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader

Terrace story is.a collection of several loosely connected stories. Interesting, a little surreal and abstract.

Terrace Story was a really interesting mix of stories that are interconnected. At times I felt uneasy reading this, but overall I appreciated the themes and the surreal nature.

Terrace Story was an interesting, abstract collection of three stories that interconnect in unexpected ways.

What a delightfully quirky premise! While the story wobbled a bit in its execution, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading about the mysterious terrace, the wholly unexpected reasons behind its appearance, and the gift and curse of creating space. This would make an excellent book club selection!

This was completely unexpected. Four different stories that all come together in the strangest ways. It sent my mind for a loop and I had to go back and reread some parts to understand the chronology of the events. The book as a whole read a bit like a Picasso painting; all nonlinear and misaligned, but oddly enjoyable and satisfying. I think I’ll need a reread at some point, but I’ll give it a 3.5/5 stars for now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This was a weird collection that worked. Everything is connected and the science fiction/magic realism bent worked. I will say some of the stories dragged a bit. That’s the main reason for the 4 stars.

Full Review: Hilary Leichter follows four different people/places/periods, but you are going to see some names appearing here and there and realize the connections between the stories. I honestly went back and re-read the stories in a chronological order after the fact.

"Terrace" follows married couple Annie, Edward, and their newborn daughter Rose. The three of them are in another tight cramped apartment, but one night Annie's coworker Stephanie comes over, and the door which usually opens into a closet, opens into a beautiful terrace. Annie does tests and realizes that the terrace is never there unless Stephanie comes over and opens the door. Quickly she starts having Stephanie over all of the time, but there seems to be something dark regarding Stephanie that Annie feels, but can't articulate. And then....

"Folly" follows married couple George and Lydia. They seem happy, but there is an underlying tension between them about who wins and who loses. And Lydia who is pregnant with their first child starts thinking about death and feeling as if she's trapped between dying first or dying after George. The whole storyline is a little bonkers and drags a bit. It takes to "Cantilever" for you to find out what happens there. You can guess though.

"Fortress" follows a young girl named Stephanie who has an amazing ability that seems to invite tragedy.

"Cantilever" follows an adult woman named Rosie who works at a space station called Gravity One. An older woman appears who Rosie can't help feel a need to talk to while also thinking about her girlfriend Kyle who is far away at the moment.

Here is a novel that I think breaks a lot of molds. This is literary fiction, but it isn’t your ordinary literary fiction. This piece is semi-non-linear, but also ties together pretty completely. It is futuristic but still of today in many ways. All in all, Terrace Story is a very interesting work and I enjoyed reading it, regardless of its almost indefinable nature.

This did start a bit slowly for me, but in nature true to this novel, it wasn’t because nothing was happening. In actuality things start happening right away, but I almost hadn’t connected with the characters enough to care. As we make our way through Terrace Story, though, we are able to see the other layers of this story and as they come back together, it is really a cool tale that is woven for us. This story is cerebral, and contains much commentary on our society, while also giving us creative craftsmanship in simple language. The ending is satisfying and it is a unique journey throughout.

I would estimate that this book isn’t for everyone, as it reads as intellectual literary fiction but those that enjoyed Nothing to See Here, Ms. Demeanor, or even, I Have Some Questions For You (some of those creative, kooky, symbolic tales) should try this book out. A fun find!

Thank you so much to Ecco Publishing and Netgalley for this advanced review copy.

Yaaaassss! Loved this novel of four interconnected stories. This novel is poignant and very trippy. Almost any plot info would spoil the ride, but highly recommended.