Lia (_Lia_Reads_)'s Reviews > Walter Benjamin Stares at the Sea

I was sold on this story collection by the quirky title and the description of the stories held within. Ultimately, I was a bit disappointed, though there were some highlights.

I'd divide the stories up into two groups: some are modern-day fairy tales, with quirky scenarios and characters; the other take real-life people (primarily scientists) and look at a glimpse of their (real or imagined life). These are not hard and fast categories. For example, many of the real-life stories have more fantastical elements; think St. Augustine browsing a Twitter feed. These are the stories that ultimately lost me. They were simply too odd for me.

However, there were some highlights. I enjoyed the story "The Disappearer", of a man who invented cinema but then disappeared. I also really liked "Arkady who couldn't see and Artem who couldn't hear", a story of two twins, one blind and one deaf, who are building a matchstick model of their childhood town. Our narrator describes their different ways of remembering their past. Their process of building replicates the process of building history or a memory, which I found fascinating.

In general, I struggle a bit with shorter short stories that just tackle a single idea and then end. Many of the stories in this collection fall into that category. I wanted fewer stories that dove more into the characters and scenario. But that is more a personal preference.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy!