Book Review: "You Are My Sunshine and Other Stories"

"You Are My Sunshine and Other Stories" is a captivating collection of short stories that explores the intricate process of change and its profound impact on individuals and society as a whole. The author, Cade, weaves a tapestry of emotions and experiences, guiding readers through the bittersweet journey of transformation.

The book opens with a poignant portrayal of the death throes of our familiar way of life, setting the stage for the transformative narrative that unfolds. With each story, Cade delves into the depths of human emotions, inviting readers to explore the challenges and growth that accompany change. Through their words, the author paints a vivid picture of a world reshaped by the forces of science, technology, grief, hope, love, and humanity's indomitable will to adapt.

One of the remarkable aspects of this collection is how it interweaves scientific elements with the emotional fabric of the characters. Cade skillfully connects the biological and emotional threads that bind us, transcending the boundaries between human and non-human entities. This fusion of science and empathy adds a unique layer of depth and realism to the stories, making them both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant.

The strength of "You Are My Sunshine and Other Stories" lies in its ability to elicit a myriad of emotions from its readers. The tales within these pages will wrench your heart, yet they also possess a remarkable ability to heal. Cade's writing style is evocative and lyrical, capable of conveying the rawness of human experience in a way that is both devastating and therapeutic. The stories offer solace and provoke contemplation, leaving readers with a sense of catharsis and a renewed perspective on the power of change.

Ultimately, "You Are My Sunshine and Other Stories" serves as a powerful reminder of the infinite possibilities that exist if we are willing to embrace transformation. It beckons readers to explore new worlds and challenge their preconceptions. Through the pages of this collection, Cade paints a vivid tapestry of hope, reminding us of the resilience of the human spirit and the potential for growth that lies within each of us.

Cade's storytelling prowess and ability to navigate the complexities of change make this book a must-read for those seeking stories that both break and mend the heart.

As usual, I’ll be reviewing each short story in this collection separately, and I’ll be updating this review as I go.

<b>WE FEED THE BEARS OF FIRE AND ICE</b>

☆☆☆☆☆

This was a masterpiece. The symbolism of the bears and how they die due to climate change used to represent how we will eventually succumb to the consequences of human actions. The bear analogy makes one feel sympathy, feel pity for the bears, without realizing that <i>we</i> ourselves are the bears too. It’s more than just an analogy, it’s an incredibly smart way to get people to feel bad without realizing what they’re really feeling bad for in the first place.

<b>EIGHT THINGS WE FOUND UNDER THE ICE, AFTER THE ARCTIC MELTED</b>

☆☆☆

Less impact than the first story, because the stories are so similar. Before I get flack for this, I know that short story collections are meant to have stories that have some relation to each other, but that’s not the issue. This story blends in too much with the first one, lessening its impact as a whole in my eyes. Perhaps if it were placed after a different story, the impact would have returned. Unfortunately, I’m not as impressed with this one. Though, I did like the layering in the archaeological discoveries and what that represented. It was an interesting concept, just not enough to stand out to me.

<b>YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE</b>

☆☆☆☆☆

Firstly, the imagery in this story is on a different level. I’ve been slowly warming up to Cade’s writing style as I read through this anthology, but this was some of the best imagery I’ve read in a while. Especially when describing Cyrus’ childhood and the relation between real sunflowers and the sunflower sea star, it was like a burst of color before my eyes. Secondly, the big switch between the colorful life of the sea stars and the zombie disease that took them out was a shocker, and progressed the story in a easy way. This reminds me a lot of how swept up some people get in the state of the world—this isn’t a bad thing nor a criticism, just something that I’m pointing out, and also something that I’m a victim of too—especially when it comes to the debate between sea stars and coral. Which is to blame? Should the sea star have been eradicated even though all it did was its natural actions, and humans were to blame for making it an invasive species?

There’s so much meaning here that I don’t think I’d be able to understand it all no matter how many times I read through this book. Though, this isn’t a bad thing. Rather, the opposite.

<b>OUR FLESH WAS BRED FOR THIS</b>

☆☆☆☆

At first I didn’t like the length of this story; I thought it was much too short to establish anything lasting or promising. However, after completing it, I realized the sheer amount of talent that one needs to be able to say so much in so few words. This is definitely one of the better stories so far, even though it was shorter by quite a lot. The repetition really made me focus on every last words that was written, and I loved the dark foreshadowing right before the ending. Really, really good.

<b>TIDEMARKS</b>

☆☆☆☆

I really like all of the different perspectives that Cade is showing us. There’s a great variety, and I really liked reading this story, from the perspective of a scientist who’s giving up hope. The language, though familiar as it was echoed in the previous stories, was still so different simultaneously. It’s a gift to be able to switch so eloquently between styles, and this was a treat. It really felt like a different voice than the previous few stories.

As for the story itself, I liked this one a little bit less than my other favorites. It was still very good, and I loved how ghosts and death were tied into marine life and the aquarium that the main characters worked at. It reminds me a lot of old folktales about death surrounding the ocean.

<b>GONE TO EARTH</b>

☆☆☆☆☆

I really enjoyed this one; this diversity is what I like to see in a collection of short stories. This was just different enough to set it apart from the others, but there’s still a connection there. The message that I got here was how people can lose some of their humanity when they go to the extremes of our world; such as going to Mars (in this story), or exploring the depths of the ocean. Pushing those limits of human existence is bound to take away some of one’s humanity.

I can’t bring myself to feel bad for these characters. I know that it’s the results of their own choices, of their own privileged minds. It’s like how I lack empathy for billionaires who make stupid decisions or vapid and cocky influencers. Regardless, this was an enjoyable short.

<b>INSIDE THE BODY OF RELATIVES</b>

☆☆☆

I liked the difference in this story; it was a nice break from the previous ones. It’s also interesting to see the personification of the house, symbolizing the decline of an aging, lonely elder. But there really wasn’t anything special about this one, so unfortunately it wasn’t one of my favorites.

<b>POLLEN AND SALT</b>

☆☆☆☆

Everything about this story was beautiful, from the title to the descriptions to the comparisons of pollen to death. There’s so much grief stuffed into just a few pages, and it made my heart ache for these unnamed characters.

<b>THE STREAMS ARE PAVED WITH FISH TRAPS</b>

☆☆☆☆

This was a gorgeous short one; I really liked how the characters were able to find small bits of happiness in a post-apocalyptic world. It wasn’t my favorite, but I did enjoy it.

<b>RESILIENCE</b>

☆☆☆☆

I really liked the time that this story was set in. The romanticization of oceans (and more specifically coral) by parents was really interesting to see. To me, it was very reminiscent of how people in the modern day romanticize certain periods of time in history. Much like the parents here, people today seem to neglect the problematic aspects of the past and instead focus on the “good” and “aesthetic” parts of history. This was a really interesting one, different than the last few.

<b>TRANQUILITY</b>

☆☆☆☆☆

Oh, I really loved this one! The idea of assisted suicide isn’t illegal in a few places outside of the USA, so I feel like this isn’t completely ruled out for the future. At least, the morality isn’t. The harsh but true descriptions of caring for an ailing loved one was also heartbreaking; it was very reminiscent of seeing my own older relatives decline in their later years. One can only hope that in the future, something as peaceful as this could be a real thing instead of suffering well past your intended expiration date.

<b>THE BODY POLITIC</b>

☆☆☆

I can see what this one was going for, but it just didn’t really resonate with me. I wasn’t a fan of this one, but it wasn’t inherently bad either.

<b>THE STONE WĒTĀ</b>

☆☆☆

I was a little bit confused about what this story was supposed to mean, and therefore this must just not be for me. I tried to look for a deeper meaning but I just couldn’t resonate with it. The only two plausible meanings for this in my mind were the idea of a friend group splintering apart because of differences, or the different pulls that one individual feels throughout their life. I doubt that either of my “theories” are correct, but that’s what I was able to glean from this.

<b>COME WATER, BE ONE OF US</b>

☆☆☆☆☆

This was an incredible short. The satire and exaggeration of the personification of inanimate objects was obviously a critique on the ever-changing acceptable societal changes one can make. More so, I saw this as slap in the face to close-minded individuals who refuse to accept changes in the modern world, whether it’s about politics, race, sexuality, etc.

The continuous rise of the rivers and their increasingly “human” personalities was also interesting. It was like the more the general public accepted the rivers as people, the more real it became; the more human-like the rivers actually became.

<b>INDICATOR SPECIES</b>

☆☆☆

Just very meh and unmemorable compared to the other stories in this collection. Not bad by any means, but “less good” by comparison.

<b>YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY ONE</b>

☆☆☆

This one was quite sad, but again it didn’t stand out much to me. I liked the parallel between Hannah and Marcus and their involvement in the main character’s life. As Hannah grows closer, Marcus grows more distant. Only when Hannah is dead does Marcus come back to his partner, both physically and mentally checked in once again. Interesting, but not the best story in this collection by far.

<b>METAMORPHOSIS</b>

☆☆☆☆☆

I feel like this has a really interesting message behind it. What deems something socially acceptable in comparison to something that’s awkward and wrong? Why do conventionally beautiful and or attractive beings get away with more, when their insides are the same as anyone else’s? Here, the line is drawn between beetles and cockroaches—with pretty beetles like jewel beetles being much more widely accepted than cockroaches, even though the two insects are not really all that different. The hate for ugly creatures is so intense that the main character has to dress up as one to convince children to stop killing them just for being unpleasant to look at.

Also, loved the Kafka references here.

<b>THE HISTORY OF A CORAL FUTURE</b>

☆☆☆

This was very average for a simple story. But for a closing story, it was good. All in one, it was able to summarize the entire collection without being too long or wordy.

Thank you to Netgalley, Stelliform Press, and Octavia Cade for the ARC!!

Amazingly written but it all boils down to one thing and ends up being a little one note in my opinion. I understood going in this would all be about the environment but there is a lot you can do with that subject and I feel like its not pushed fully. Still very enjoyable and worth giving a go.

This book is an amazingly written collection of short stories. The stories are very creepy and well written. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be looking for more from this author in the future. The title hooked me, how creepy is that title?! The cover is amazing. I highly recommend!!

This books is filled with powerfully-written, poetic, black-mirror-esk stories that really make you sit back and think about life. It's as heartbreaking as it is enlightening, and that's what makes it beautiful.

It features many topics, and I loved how invested each story had me. From gorey horror to dark sci-fi, this little collection is as fascinating as it is whimsical. I found myself highlighting so many quotes which took me a moment to sit and reflect before I could continue. Some of the stories get pretty dark, and I'm here for it!

This one left me with a lot to think about. Like any set of short stories, I found some much more enjoyable than others. Most of the stories have a very peculiar premise, which I absolutely loved.

I would highly recommend this beautifully haunting - yet utterly bizaar - book to anyone who finds themselves often exploring the darker sides of life, or for anyone who appreciates the artistry and craftsmanship of more emotional, thought-provoking stories.