Early Review – White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link and Shaun Tan (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Magical Realism/Anthology
Length: 272 pages
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: March 28, 2023
ASIN: B0B5CBJ313
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from Netgalley
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Finding seeds of inspiration in the Brothers Grimm, seventeenth-century French lore, and Scottish ballads, Kelly Link spins classic fairy tales into utterly original stories of seekers—characters on the hunt for love, connection, revenge, or their own sense of purpose.
In “The White Cat’s Divorce,” an aging billionaire sends his three sons on a series of absurd goose chases to decide which child will become his heir. In “The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear,” a professor with a delicate health condition becomes stranded for days in an airport hotel after a conference, desperate to get home to her wife and young daughter, and in acute danger of being late for an appointment that cannot be missed. In “Skinder’s Veil,” a young man agrees to take over a remote house-sitting gig for a friend. But what should be a chance to focus on his long-avoided dissertation instead becomes a wildly unexpected journey, as the house seems to be a portal for otherworldly travelers—or perhaps a door into his own mysterious psyche.
Twisting and turning in astonishing ways, expertly blending realism and the speculative, witty, empathetic, and never predictable—these stories remind us once again of why Kelly Link is incomparable in the realm of short fiction.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this as an ebook through Netgalley to review.
Thoughts: Like any anthology of short stories there were some hits and some misses here. In general I would say there were more hits than misses. The stories span across fantasy/sci-fi/horror genres and many are blends of these.
The stories that were my favorites were “The White Cat’s Divorce”, “The White Road”, “The Game of Smash and Recovery”, and “Skinder’s Veil”. The only story that was a miss for me was “The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear”. You can see a very brief synopsis and my thoughts on each story below.
The White Cat’s Divorce (5/5 stars)
I really loved this story about a youngest son who finds a magical cat who helps him respond to the challenges his rich father sets for him and his brothers. This is a very ironic story that I found hugely entertaining.
Prince Hat Underground (4/5 stars)
This was about a man who has to chase down his husband when he disappears with a strange woman. This was well done and a fun read but nothing super exciting.
The White Road (5/5 stars)
This one was very creative and I enjoyed it. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where a dead body must be present or the creatures of the white road will find you. We follow a group of travelers who travel up and down the coast providing various services to towns. This was eerie and intriguing and creepy, I really loved it.
The Girl Who Did Not Know Fear (3/5 stars)
I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. It’s about a woman who is trying to return home to her wife and daughter after a business trip and she keeps getting delayed. She has a mysterious and important deadline at home she can’t miss. I wasn’t completely clear on what is going on at the end of this one but I have a guess. It was just a bit rambling hard to follow and ambiguous.
The Game of Smash and Recovery (5/5 stars)
This one I really loved. It was about a girl Anat and her brother Oscar who have been left on some sort of deserted planet by their parents. Oscar tries to take care of Anat, however as Anat gets older she starts to discover things around the planet and finds that neither her nor their brother is what she was led to believe. I really loved the setting, the characters, the mystery, and the unexpected conclusion to the story.
The Lady and the Fox (4/5 stars)
This is a cute and cozy retelling of Tam-Lin. It features a young girl who is a yearly Christmas guest at a wealthy family’s house after her mother is sent to prison. Every Christmas she sees a ghostly man outside of the window and eventually she confronts him. It was a warm and cozy Christmas story of sorts (I mean with curses and ghosts but still cozy).
Skinder’s Veil (5/5 stars)
This story is about a post-doc student who is struggling with his thesis. One of his friends asks him to come out and house sit a remote cottage in the woods; he thinks this just might be what he needs to finally get his thesis written. However, his friend didn’t tell him ahead of about the strange uninvited guests he would have to accommodate and she definitely forgot to tell him about Skinder himself. As she explains all of this upon his arrival, we realize this post-doc is in for a crazy week. I loved the characters here and the mystery around Skinder. This was incredibly intriguing and ironic and I loved it.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a solid short story collection and I enjoyed it a lot. I always enjoy Link’s short stories and this collection was one of her best ones yet. The wonderful Shaun Tan drawings at the beginning of each story were a wonderful addition and made this even more enjoyable to read. Highly recommend to short story fans and fantasy/horror fans.
