I was not a big fan of this one. I read the first of Joy's books and thought that one was ok, but this one was not as strong in my opinion.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Joy Williams’ Concerning the Future of Souls is a mesmerizing collection of ninety-nine vignettes that blend the extraordinary with the mundane, offering readers a profound meditation on mortality, faith, and the human condition. This book is a testament to Williams’ unparalleled ability to capture the essence of life’s fleeting moments with both humor and poignancy.

The book is structured around the character of Azrael, the angel of death, who grapples with the immense responsibility of transporting souls. Through his eyes, we encounter a diverse array of beings—ranging from historical figures like Jung and Nietzsche to animals, mountains, and even a sixty-year-old tortoise.

Williams excels in bringing to life a wide range of characters, each with their own unique perspectives and struggles. Azrael, as the central figure, is depicted with a depth of emotion and thoughtfulness that makes his journey both relatable and profound. The inclusion of well-known historical and philosophical figures adds a layer of intellectual richness to the narrative, while the portrayal of animals and natural elements underscores the interconnectedness of all life.

The author’s writing is both lyrical and incisive, with a keen eye for detail and a talent for capturing the absurdities and beauties of existence. Williams’ use of language is masterful, creating vivid imagery and evoking deep emotions with economy and precision. The brevity of each vignette belies the depth of insight contained within, making this a book that invites multiple readings and reflections.

Concerning the Future of Souls delves into themes of mortality, redemption, and the search for meaning in a world that often seems indifferent to our existence. It challenges readers to consider the moral and philosophical implications of being mortal, and to reflect on the ways in which our actions impact the world around us. The book also explores the tension between the sacred and the profane, the eternal and the ephemeral, offering a nuanced and thought-provoking examination of the human soul.

Joy Williams has crafted a collection that is intellectually stimulating. Concerning the Future of Souls is a brilliant exploration of the human condition, offering readers a series of profound and beautifully written reflections on life, death, and everything in between.

Whether you’re a long-time fan of Williams’ work or new to her writing, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.

This is Joy Williams at her most Joy Williams-esque—dryly humorous, sharply observant and endlessly creative. It’s genuinely poetic, too, which is maybe what micro fiction reminds me most of, and requires the kind of in the line by line concentration that great writing/poetry requires. Of course, for me, Williams is a true master of the short story, and reading these stories made me long for her longer pieces.

Full review: https://kristenhallgeisler.com/blog/2024/review-concerning-the-future-of-souls/

Concerning the Future of Souls is a follow-up of sorts to Joy Williams’s 99 Stories of God. Both contain ninety-nine very short stories—in one case that I can think of, a single word—that might be called prose poems or (very) short stories or microfictions or, as Maggie Nelson called them in her Bluets, propositions. The new book centers around Azrael, the angel who transports souls to the afterlife. (An entity that performs this work is called a psychopomp, by the way, which is an excellent word.)

This book, like much of Williams’s work, defies neat boxes, which means there are many more ways to read it than the usual front-to-back way. This is the way that I read it, and probably the way it should be read at least the first time. But the experimental form lends itself to experimental reading.

As a worshipper of Joy Williams’s novels and her more traditional short stories I was expecting to love it, but no.

Hot Take: A philosophical book of hours for acolytes of existence.

Concerning the Future of Souls is a collection of micro-stories layered between a narrative of Azrael and Lucifer—angelic colleagues in the Great Beyond. Through the stories we learn that Azrael is a mover of souls responsible for “transmigration from one body to another,” and Lucifer is the hand of “the Unmoved Mover.”

The descriptions of the two angels are some of my favorite moments in the novel. Instead of a goat-footed doer of evil, Lucifer is portrayed as vain, clever, and worldly: “The Devil had an infinite supply of sneakers and never wore the same pair twice as far as Azrael could tell.”

In contrast, Azrael is innocent and earnest—the rookie who still believes his job is worth doing. The reader can’t help but identify with befuddled Azrael, who is teased by Lucifer for never being truly part of Heaven or Hell, but cursed to exist between.

For a theme beyond the tragicomic duo, Williams gives us a framework in the beginning of the novel: “Kitsch,” his mother explained, “isn’t in itself beautiful but instead elicits its emotion from the beauty it depicts.” Each of the 99 stories and essays could be understood as kitsch, or complicated ideas reduced to simplistic forms.

The 99 do not begin with titles. Instead, epilogic titles are revealed at the end of each passage, keys to unlocking the abstraction. Unlike some reviewers, I don’t see this book as a philosophy primer, but as a gateway of inquiry. In the spirit of kitsch, the reader can take the lessons at face value or hunt for their deeper, nuanced origins. In short, the novel is a puzzle whose boundary and shape is limited only by the reader.

Although Azrael isn’t the angel of death, we are subject to the visceral violence of dying. Two stories in particular made me physically ill while reading, and I would caution sensitive readers to tread carefully. Trigger warnings for this book should include violence toward animals and infant death. A lack of forewarning of these issues knocked the book down from 4 to 3 stars for me.

Despite the horrors, I found myself drawn through the darkness by Azrael’s light. He is responsible for the souls of our world who have begun to mysteriously disappear. Like the Devil, I love and fret over Azrael: “He couldn’t recall liking anything so much. Such affection could cause nothing but worry of course. The whole apparatus that Azrael embodied, enabled actually, was rickety, not built to last. Deferred maintenance.”

Who I think would enjoy this book: Williams’s prose is minimal, conversational, and clean, so I think most people would find it easy to read. However, those willing to learn beyond the book would benefit the most, otherwise it would remain an opaque abstraction. In academic terms, I could imagine it as a required course reading or perhaps the brilliant catalyst to an interdisciplinary thesis.

Pros: Fast read, playful, layered, clever metafiction
Cons: Scattered, spare to the edge of ambivalence, at times misanthropic and dark

Similar Works: It reminded me of Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman—it reveals non-fiction concepts through the action of fiction, maneuvering astronomically large ideas to fit in the palm of your hand.
Thank you to Tin House for selecting me as an Advanced Reader!

Unique, almost bizarre structure of mini-stories that somehow build into a really beautiful idea. It's not what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it. It's hard to say exactly to whom I might recommend it, but it occupies a special place for someone looking for something a bit different but masterfully written.

Joy Williams follows up her Ninety-Nine Stories of God with another enchanting bunch of short stories that toggles between the bizarre and the beatific. Here we meet Azrael―transporter of souls and the most troubled and thoughtful of the angels―as he confronts the holy and wholly impossibility of his task, his uneasy relationship with Death, and his friendship with the Devil. Very highly recommended.

Very good stories. Williams knows how to create good narratives and characters. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the free copy for review!!

Joy is up there with my favorite female authors. I will read anything the lady writes. She's very good with her short stories and I loved this collection. I will be buying the book.

Similar like 99 stories of god, this book collects 99 miniatures talking about, animals, souls, death and so so much more by the fabulous Joy Williams.

I had my head spinning by the language and the amount of information contained in one single miniature. I think, if I had more background knowledge (for example on Azrael, which I started researching half way through the book) I would have loved it more!

That being said, I marked many miniatures for myself to go back and reread and reflect upon.
Joy has her way with words and it totally immersed me at some point.