Recommended big time on my instagram! The Un-Inquired broke my heart a million times over in the most beautiful way possible. Each of those stories was treated with such care, even love that you couldn’t help but-not just feel for the characters- feel with the characters. The full review is in my instagram highlights in the one called “literature”!

This is was a quiet and quick read, even though all or most of the stories in the collection dealt with death. I think this serves as a good palate cleanser, and it is a smart choice when you're feeling overwhelmed or in the verge of a reading slump. The stories were short, which made it so that I could read more than one a night, even when I was really tired, and I think it took me either two or three nights to go over the entire book.

A beautifully raw collection of short stories that portray all too relatable human conditions, situations, relationships and emotions.

It was okay. I appreciate the diversity and the emotions surrounding the stories and I liked some of the stories but others didn't make me feel anything. I think I'll check out the author's future work, though.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adore the main character and her exploration of grief . Probably one of my favorite reads of the year.

Thank you for the Arc .

Survival.

It doesn't always look pretty. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting through.

"I wrote the unspoken words, the ones you can't say. Things not said soon enough. Things we forget to say."

Each of these stories made me feel broken (as they should). Human beings are given so much strength, and how any of us survive is remarkable.

I definitely recommend this book. But be prepared to be brought to tears.

"Chinatsu. That's a thousand summers, right? Rebirth and permanence, yes. A name beyond human flesh."

Heart warming and page turner! The Un-Inquired is the confession of refugees, families, and lovers who have no right to love. It chronicles the stories of those who are struggling to find their voice in society and discover themselves, recollecting their trauma and memories.

A poignant collection of five short stories. Each story is a slice of life of sorts, mostly dealing with some kind of grief. The stories are reflective and emotional, some hopeful for a brighter future, and some deeper in their grief.

I did find that setting was hard to place. I didn't really think about the fact that some of these take place in America until I reread the synopsis. That does change a bit of a couple of the stories for me, but more in a way that affects my own reflections, assumptions, and societal perspective, which I guess allows for even more critical thought around these.

There were a few moments that didn't quite click - could be the writing, could be me - that required me to go back and reread some bits cause I'd feel like I missed something. Other times, I'd notice certain elements repeating that made these stories feel inexplicably connected through some thread of emotion and history.

As a whole, a solid, quick read, but it's definitely one of those collections that you feel like you need to think on for a bit after and maybe you didn't fully grasp it all.

Rep: Japanese MCs, albinism, schizophrenia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia

TW: suicide, death, gun violence, war; mentions rape, murder, pregnancy, violence

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World Building: 2/5
Writing: 4/5
Pacing: 5/5
Overall: 4/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Querencia Press in exchange for an honest review.

It was a fine read. Expected more from it but I was disappointed.

Thanks to netgalley for an opportunity to read this book.

A lovely collection of five short stories; the first and last were my favourite, an amazing way to start and finish a book.
The writing was lovely, and the stories of love and loss and grief were handled brilliantly, I think, leaving a bittersweet sensation lingering after their end!
I will definitely keep an eye on Renee Chen and her future work!

Thank you, NetGalley and Querencia Press, for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Un-Inquired is a collection of short stories of people reminiscing the past; regrets and sweet memories all mixed together to form some beautifully melancholic tales filled with sincerity, pain and sometimes hope.

This book is extremely short but it made me feel a lot. At first, I had some trouble getting into the very fast, slightly choppy rythm of the stories but it slowly started settling in and once it did, I was completely impressed by how such emotional stories could be squeezed into so few lines. Each story is written in a way that perfectly matches who it's told by and adds to the beauty of it.

I especially enjoyed "Kaguya", because of its strange non-linear writing. The last paragraph had me totally puzzled and the moment I understood it, I just couldn't hold my tears back.

The Un-Inquired is a book that feels deeply human, in how it reminds us of how we all have regrets, words we wished we could've said, people we wish could've still been by our side, moments we wished we could relive again. But it's also human in the way it shows us that there is hope for healing, grieving and a brighter future.

I recommend this book for anyone looking for a short but meaningful read, full of emotions, and for anyone who likes reading about humans being humans.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Querencia Press for this review copy.

This short stories about siblings create poetic images in your mind only to make you fall deep. They are all quite sad and melancholic.

A wonderful collection of beautifully written short stories, with a large variety of characters and experiences. I really enjoyed this!

A collection of short stories, where the outsiders are protagonists. My favorite was Neverlands. All the stories have a wonderful prose, but it's sadder than I expected. At first it took me longer than expected to fully grasp the kind of storyteller Renee is. I'm more used to short stories occuring in one time trail, the jumps at the beginning baffled me, but once I understood, and immersed myself in it, I loved it. I didn't give 5 stars because it was sadder than expected, but absolutely would recommend everyone to read it.

Thank you NetGalley and Querencia Press for the advance copy.

I enjoyed this book very much. It waved the love and the loss beautifully. Reading it in the middle of unfolding genocide these days feels like having a friend who knows and doesn’t leave you alone. Just like the people in this book, Palestinians also have stories, dreams, and loves. Ceasefire now.

'The Un-Inquired' is a succinct and striking collection of short stories, exploring love, loss and the ties that bind family - both blood and adopted. Each story explores very real human emotions, cleverly unravelling the protagonist's history as it goes. There is an efficiency to the way that Chen writes - not a word is out of place and there is no embellishment. It's not needed because the impact of each story she tells is enough. There is an art to writing in this type of shortform - there are some who consider it to be cheating the reader - but the result is a powerful short read that will sit with you for a long time after you've closed the book.

Thanks toi Querenica Press, via NetGalley for providing a review copy.

Nice set of short stories! I loved the whole vibes of it and it was super short si very much a quick rereadabke read. Thanks for the arc.

Thanks kindly to NetGalley and Querencia Press for the ARC.

The Un-Inquired is a gorgeous anthology of five short stories from Taiwanese American writer Renee Chen in their debut chapbook.

Deploying a poetic writing style, the author weaves tight stories that explore themes of grief, loss, friendship, family, trauma, mental health and war. These stories centre multicultural experiences, and resonated much more deeply than I was expecting - so much so that I had to pause to sit with what came up on a few occasions.

The stories themselves while short in length are rich in detail. Key plot points reveal themselves through a non-linear narrative structure, which was effective in delivering often shocking and heartbreaking developments.

It’s not clear if these stories are crafted based on those as told to the author or through their own imagination. Neither does the blurb make salient how much wonderful writing truly sits within these 64 pages. Particularly how deftly Chen explores such a breadth of themes through a multicultural lens.

A truly wonderful debut chapbook, and I look forward to more from this promising young writer.

Beautiful writing! I was amazed at the variation of style and characters that were revealed throughout this collection of vignettes. Each story was unique and yet connected by a shared Japanese cultural experience.

An anthology of five stories spanning 64 pages in lyrical prose, The Un-Inquired explores deep emotions: grief, bereavement, war losses, family, and mental illness.
It is a thought-provoking collection of snapshots of life. What makes these stories hauntingly beautiful is their sense of longing for things lost. The childhood displaced in war, a home with its green roof, a young love lost, and a family coping with mental illness, you wish they all had more time. The unfairness tears at you, lumping as a solid emotion choking speech.
Each story starts in a surrealistic haze from a place of soft, naive emotion, and then Baam! Reality bulldozes the charm away. They swoon you with surrealism and sting you with their matter-of-fact telling of the abrasive reality.

As my first book this year, it packed a message: you can escape reality, though not for long.
A quick read. I highly recommend everyone check it out. Worth the time.

I thank NetGalley and Querencia Press for the eARC copy of this book.