PORTALMANIA
Debbie Urbanski
Thank you @simonbooks for gifting me this early copy! Out in May.

PORTALMANIA (PM) opens up feeling like a spooky twist on Black Mirror, then, just like the “monster” you meet early in its pages, the narrative of the collection slowly, deliberately materializes into a much more haunting sort of realism.

Urbanski, much like in her debut novel AFTER WORLD, is interested in the dark uncomfortable places. TWs are appropriate here for intimate partner violence/sexual coercion and assault in a marriage.

Her feminine characters tend to be complex, layered asexual women set to contrast with heterosexual (even hypersexual) men, flat in a way that is reflective of reality. She is interested in marriages between those of differing sexual orientations.

PM offers escape to people stuck in impossible situations—with portals. Sprinkled throughout these myth-adjacent stories are literal offworld portals—all different sizes of bizarre shimmering shapes and distortions allowing characters an opportunity to glimpse into and perhaps even leave the current horrors and hop into another life.

PM is heavy, yes, as it details struggles of women stuck in violent homes. Don’t get me wrong though, this collection has a bit of everything: there are monsters and witches, and a lovely, dry sense of humor, too.

(Y’all, the witch story is GOOD GOOD.)

These stories don’t “interconnect” as much as they form a sort of asterisk of intersections and repetitions. We are asked to feel uncomfortable. I did. I gained so much insight into how masculinity is perceived, how marriages change. I have seen my marriage differently since reading this work. I feel like I’ve gained a bit of wisdom I didn’t have.

Do not approach Urbanski’s work with presuppositions or expectations. They will be challenged. It’s made my reviewing of her work feel impossible, because it is one of the few bodies of work that I think really demands you as a reader just sit down, shut up, and listen. Interact, don’t compare. Come here to buckle in and learn something and leave your pride at the front cover. Peer into the portal. Then jump in.

Debbie Urbanski is a singular voice in speculative fiction. Portalmania is her newest short story collection, and it has some stories that affected me more deeply than I thought possible for an SFF story collection like this. In particular, LK-32-C was one of the most moving portrayals of neurodivergence and parenting that I've ever read and How to Kiss a Hojacki was horrifying and so real. I thought that the theme of portal fantasy would get old quickly, but every single story in here was so fresh. A few worked significantly better than others, but overall each story was a fascinating read. I love Urbanski's direct, almost Vonnegut-like tone as she describes fantastical elements. On a personal note, I also love that so many of her stories take place in Western NY! I am very excited to see what this author comes up with next because there is truly no one else like her. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The thing that I really enjoy about this book is how confident it is. The themes are presented in such a bold way, even though they are taboo and usually avoided. The writing is also really good, the mixing of different perspectives in the same story creates a surreal and almost ominous effect. Each story is interconnected with the rest, so much so that it is difficult to say that I preferred one over the rest. I also appreciate how the author shares some of the creative process. I think it’s really cool to be able to revisit a story and rewrite it into something new. This does dive into some difficult topics, so I would definitely look for trigger warnings if you feel the need.

This story collection was dark and disturbing, but it gave me lots to think about. Some of the stories are about what happens in an ordinary town when portals to other worlds open up, personal portals that only that person can go through. Other stories are versions of a family where the wife comes out as asexual, what that might do to the relationship and how it moves forward when the husband isn't understanding. These stories feature discussion of marital rape and coercion, as well as marital obligation. I particularly enjoyed reading different versions of how this might play out. One story, "Long may the Land be Bright", started out political, and honestly, reading it in the first few days of the second Trump presidency, I had to stop reading. It hit too close to home and just hurt to read. I wanted to be honest about this one, but skipping it didn't detract from the value of the rest of the stories. I think "LK-32-C" was actually mentioned in her previous novel "After World", and explores autism. I really enjoyed "The Dirty Yellow Golden House" for it's style and voice. It, along with a few other in the collection were very meta in their reflection on writing, which I enjoyed.

Overall, an interesting odd collection. A little weird, a little heart-wrenching. A lot of thinking "What would I do if I was in this character's shoes".

Usually short stories aren't my thing but this set was pretty interesting. Some stories were slower than others but I enjoyed the overall theme.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!

What a good book! I really enjoyed this book and had such a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the writing style. The characters worked so well together and the plot was great.

Exceedingly dark, with unflinching portrayals of intimate partner violence and the isolating weight of otherness, Urbanski’s prose nonetheless shines as a compulsively readable beacon, propelling us from one uncanny world to the next.

The ever-present portals symbolize opportunities, threats, or escapes, their importance shifting depending on the characters’ perspective and circumstances.

The stories themselves are interlinked, featuring recurring motifs and situations. The characters even feel like carbon copies of the same person, with only subtle differences, as they navigate their respective worlds. These similarities lead to a sense of sameness across many of the stories, yet there is enough thematic variety to make this a bold and satisfying collection.

Favorite stories: “LK-32-C,” “The Dirty Golden Yellow House”

I really really enjoyed this book! It was an amazing collection of stories, it felt like a black mirror season. It was so entertaining and if you liked that show I would recommend reading this book!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!