They are in constant conflict with themselves, and the front line is the line dividing the two hemispheres of their brains. The stories are very short but each has a complex plot, provocative suggestions and a surprising end. Without in any way denying the traditional concepts of good-evil, simple-profound, they lead the reader into worlds in which paradox is a synonym of universal meaning.

Review

Fancy Shop by Valeri Stanoevich is a very unique short story collection in which the stories are written in an abstract form drawing inspirations from the mundane and turning them into a dreamlike subject. I liked this collection quite a lot because I found the author’s take on things very interesting and intriguing.

Because of the abstractness of the subject matters of the stories and the dream-like quality of the writing, this book feels surreal and may take readers more than the first read to be able to grasp the intention of the story entirely. Though, trust me, it’s worth more than one reading. The multiple layers of meaning and the metaphorical writing instantly drew me into the book and kept me hooked till I turned the last page.

I would recommend this book to readers of short story collections and also to those who like reading surreal, dream-like (borderline speculative) fiction.

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