things you should know by a m homes

About the Book

Title: things you should know
Author: a.m. homes
Publication: Granta, 2002
Summary: A collection of short stories. 

What I Think 

I picked this book up off my bookshelf by mistake (I thought it was if nobody speaks of remarkable things by jon mcgregor) and my friend who had left it in my house by accident said "it was okay." I therefore had very low expectations. However, I really enjoyed it. 

This collection of eleven short stories is extremely varied; in length, subject matter, style and genre. I didn't read them in order, but that's one of the joys of a collection of short stories. The story THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW, about a so-called mysterious and magical list, is only three pages long, but one of my favourites. Another favourite is ROCKETS AROUND THE MOON which is about a boy who stays with his father in the summers but actually spends more time with the family next door. He is equally devastated when disaster strikes for the family. THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS SUNNY AND BRIGHT reminded me a little of Black Swan, the 2010 Oscar winning film starring Natalie Portman.  

If you enjoy reading short stories, some a little on the bizarre side, some more about the mundanities of life, you should try this collection. 

About the Author

A.M.Homes is the author of the novels May We Be Forgiven, This Book Will Save Your Life, Music for Torching, The End of Alice, In a Country of Mothers and Jack, a previous collection of short stories, The Safety of Objects, and the highly acclaimed memoir The Mistress's Daughter, as well as the travel memoir Los Angeles: People, Places and the Castle on the Hill. She is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and writes frequently on arts and culture for numerous magazines and newspapers. She lives in New York City.