Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Darshani Panchia’s collection of short stories, “Don’t Sleep Under the Midnight Sun,” invites readers into a world where human connections—whether fleeting or enduring—are explored with rare insight.

Within these pages, characters grapple with their own isolation. From a Norwegian foreign officer haunted by memories in an African country to a lonely woman watching her neighbor’s house after tragedy strikes, each story delves into the universal longing for connection. Whether as strangers in foreign lands, within marriages, or among family members who simultaneously know the most and the least about each other, these characters navigate the delicate threads that bind us all.

Panchia’s prose is eloquent and thought-provoking. She captures the feeling of being an outsider in one’s own life, weaving emotions into every sentence. The stories resonate, leaving an indelible mark. As readers, we witness the fragility of human bonds—the moments when reaching out becomes both essential and terrifying.

For those who appreciate richly drawn characters and poignant exploration of the human condition, “Don’t Sleep Under the Midnight Sun” is a gem. Panchia’s rare insight reminds us that even in our solitude, we are connected by shared longings and hidden vulnerabilities.

Remember, sometimes the quietest moments hold the most profound truths. 🌙✨

Reading this felt like reading a set of assignments or just short character work studies that were never meant to be published. The bones were good, and some of the stories definitely had potential (with Dandelion being a favorite of mine), but they felt so stilted and off-putting that I could never connect with anything on the pages. Maybe it’s a cultural thing that I’m just not picking up on, but the dialogue was choppy and the narrative itself was just so basic in its approach.

I think the writing for these stories is fluid, eloquent and the stories are generally well constructed. However, for me, the stories lacked a little something and were therefore unsatisfying. Perhaps there is a depth and nuance in the stories that I am unable to detect. Maybe I simply yearned to be entertained or enlightened by the stories, or even surprised by a twist in the stories, and found I wasn’t. The book has a cover and a title that made me want to like the stories, however, while I don’t dislike any of them, there are none that I would want to read again. I look forward to what the author produces in their next book.

In the end I've decided to finish it and give feedback on this.
Under the midnight sun is a very short anthology, and mind that I love short stories but this time I feel like the message is not really there.
Some stories are better than others, but I really feel like the dry writing would have benefitted from more pages to be able to empathize with the characters.

I am always on the hunt for more collections of short stories - my favourite genre. There was definite potential here - the theme, title and cover all catchy - but in most stories, there was just a little something missing. A fleshing out, a hook, a lesson or arc.

As a child of diplomats, a constantly lonely soul - always a guest in someone else's country, never quite at home or understanding those around you - I was happy to read about diplomatic posts that felt familiar, as well as reading the stories of fellow immigrants and expats. Don't Sleep Under the Midnight Sun is well written and intriguing, but didn't quite hit the mark.

One story stood out to me for all the right reasons. Airport. It reminded me of my childhood, and my favourite detective series - The Number One Ladies Detective Agency. It packed the kind of punch that makes me love short stories as a genre. I will be thinking about Kemetso for days to come - her daily walk, her world, her voice and opinions. It describes a sense of community too, that proudness, that makes this a profound and nuanced story.

In some - The Plate, Phalaenopsis - there seemed to be something inferred that I couldn't quite catch. Others, like Dandelion, described so beautifully a relationship between two siblings - longing for love that you hope would be freely given. That story resonated with me - I had hoped it might have a happy ending, some arc or development. Instead, it just feel disappointing. Like the relationship, I suppose.

I will be looking forward to see what Darshani Panchia comes out with next - there is so much potential here.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I strongly believe that readers shouldn't have to struggle while reading. They should be able to immerse themselves in the story effortlessly. If the author can make the reader feel the depth of the story, even better. Coming to the book in question, "Don't Sleep Under the Midnight Sun," I was initially drawn to it by the intriguing title and the captivating cover art, which suggested a sense of mystery and peculiarity.

However, upon starting the reading process, I struggled to connect with the characters and found it difficult to grasp what was happening.

Despite the book containing ten short stories, some only a page long, only two of them really resonated with me. "The Cat" intrigued me because I found myself pondering the behavior of the cat, and "Don't Sleep Under the Midnight Sun" intrigued me due to its exploration of sexuality.

Ultimately, I felt disappointed with the overall experience of the book.

That said, I'd like to thank NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read the book.

I did read all of the short stories in this short book but felt disconnected from some of them, especially the first tale in the book which was kind of strange and unsettling. I was pleased that this was a short book as I really did not want to read more in the same vein. Maybe just not so much for me.

Look long and hard at the beautiful front cover illustration of this book. . .it tells you so much about the odd collection of short (seriously SHORT) stories between the front and back covers. These are stories about strangers in a strange land: how, why and if there should be any reconciliations attempted, or does one just accept the grace of time and space to answer those questions? Or should one assimilate - blend in, or no! accentuate conspicuities!, or better yet - run hell-bent for leather? So the African Cheetah inquires of the Nordic Caribou. . .

I urge readers to take their time - read one or two stories at a time and then let them simmer before diving into the next ones. They are all very different, but yet they have a few common threads, and an overarching theme of outsidedness.

Even from the names of the stories, you get the short, sharp shots:

White Kerkede
Don't Sleep Under the Midnight Sun
Butterfly
Sitar
The Cat
The Plate
Phalaenopsis
Mother Dearest
Dandelion
Airport

While the very brevity of the stories deprived me of much I wanted in the way of laying the story out and making better sense of it, I grew used to it. Language was also put together in odd ways, as if it was an English-as-a-second-language granduncle telling the story. Often the story was too short to fall in love with a character, but the shortest one of all, gave me plenty of time to fall for Stella.

Even the odd way some of the sentences sit next to each other, all of those hurts hiding in plain sight had me entranced. Too much narrative for poetry, but pretty darn close in some cases.

I look forward to more from Darshani Panchia.

*A sincere thank you to Darshani Panchia, Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #DontSleepUndertheMidnightSunandOtherShortStories #NetGalley

Publishing date:
21.06.2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: I am eating meat and potatoes in awkward silence at the dining table with my family
The book left me: Wondering if my countrymen really are that socially awkward ...

Negatives:
Felt a lot like required reading
Not always sure what was happening or where the characters were

Positives:
Fascinating scenarios to read about
Variety of perspectives

Features:
Themes of loneliness and longing to belong, 30-40 minute read, strong feeling of isolation, characters in other countries

Why did I choose this one?
Always in the search for more short-stories, and this one had a stunning cover to go. In the blurb I saw my country mentioned, which bumped it up. I also really enjoy books where people "don't belong", and this book is a good representation of that feeling.

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
Devourable. I finished it in maybe 30 minutes. Quick and catching read.

What was the vibe and mood?
I felt like an outsider, someone not quite sure of their place. Someone wanting a connection, but not really managing that connection. I felt awkward. I felt cringe. This book had a very strong sense of isolation and loneliness.

Final ranking and star rating?
C tier, 3 stars. Although I devoured the book and had strong emotions while reading, I just didn't quite connect with the characters or the stories. I might have if it was longer. Maybe even if there were more stories to pick from, but overall, a miss for me.

Favorite stories:
Phalaenopsis
The Plate
Dandelion

Thank you to NetGalley and Darshani Panchia for an ARC of this title!

Overall, I am having a hard time collecting my thoughts on this book. I think the book does a good job of addressing themes of loneliness and longing for belonging within the collected short stories, and offers a nice variety of varied perspectives on these themes (e.g. lovers, neighbors, family, community). I think the overall messaging of the stores would likely be stronger or perhaps more poignant if there were more stories, or with a little expansion on some of the sorter one. I was really surprised how short this book was - I was able to finish it in under 30 minutes, and some of the stories (really, they feel almost more like a writing prompt), and I think I was left with wanting more substance overall. However, I think this could be a nice read for those who want to explore the themes above without having to commit to an odyssey-length book or a series.

This collection of short stories showed promise, but unfortunately it left me dissatisfied. I do think the author is a talented writer, and I do think that little vignettes of a lonely life can be beautifully bittersweet. But I needed more from these stories. There just wasn't enough there to really resonate with me. I appreciate the theme of isolation that runs through each one; People trying to settle in an unfamiliar country, trying to connect with their neighbors, re-connect with their spouses. Most of them had the potential to be interesting but they just weren't fleshed out enough to really make an impact for me. I'd give it 2.5 stars.
I greatly appreciate the copy of this book from NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not sure what to expect going into this book, especially with it being so short. I wasn't sure if it was going to really resonate with me. Thankfully, it did! Each story was very different, varying in length, character, and writing style, but they all had the same tether whether it was a story about being a diplomat in a dangerous situation abroad or about taking your dog on a walk. These stories all made me feel a current of loneliness or isolation that I think runs through all of us, whether or not we want to admit it. Each story, in some way, was about humans striving for connection -- reaching and, often, inevitably failing. All of the stories, though different, were strong, and they made me viscerally feel the isolation of the narrator. Overall, I appreciated how well the author used description to convey this sense of loneliness, and that really worked for me. I also didn't necessarily mind the length, though I don't think it would have been bad, exactly, to include more short stories in the book. It doesn't get five stars from me solely because I'm not sure it is going to really stick with me in a deep way, but I really appreciated this short little book for what it was.

Don't sleep under the Midnight Sun is a great title, (and the cover a great cover) and so I was keen to start.
A small collection of mostly short short stories, some not longer than a page (basically flash fiction) it breathes the loneliness of people not quite from here nor there: a young diplomat with a traumatic past is on a date with a Finnish diplomat when riots start in the capital, forcing all embassies in immediate lockdown, a Punjabi man has moved to Europe and works in a family restaurant with hardly any contacts with anyone outside this immediate family.
Sometimes this longing for connection felt flat, sometimes it didn't.

Redeemed from one star because the cover is beautiful.

I’m sorry but these very short stories read like school homework. Just not for me.