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Soaking in Strange Hours: A Tristan Grieves Fragment
Tristan Grieves is an unwashed soul, in a city the colour of gargoyles. Liene, a girl with eyes that drank from every ocean asks for help to find Boomerang-a boy she throws away but who always returns. Until he vanishes. They search together, but where is she leading him?
- GenresHorror
26 pages, Paperback
Published November 5, 2021
About the author
Erik Hofstatter
40 books46 followersErik Hofstatter is a prose poet of brutality and elegance. He explores the darkest depths of what we're capable of without flinching. Born in the wild lands of the Czech Republic, he roamed Europe before subsequently settling on English shores, studying creative writing at the London School of Journalism. His work appeared in various magazines and podcasts around the world such as HWA Poetry Showcase XII, The Literary Hatchet, Wicked Library, Manor House Show, and The Black Room Manuscripts Volume IV. Other works include The Hurricane Caged Inside of Her, Stone Martyrs, Bankrupting Sky Banks, and Pain Is a Chain. Move, and I’ll Hear You.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 12, 2021
Overloaded in metaphors and poetic language you are introduced to a strange cast of characters. Tristan, Liene, a sister. Boomerang is missing. Will Tristan find him? Who's finding who? If you cut all those allusions away you see a small framework of a story. Nothing to get me hooked. Playing with words and creating a pseudo literary atmosphere doesn't do it for me. Sorry folks. Not my cup of tea.
May 7, 2023
A quick, poetic crime noir read that absorbs you into the belly of its story. Generally, poetic prose is not my favourite. I find I get lost in the flowery word-play but this was not the case with this read. Instead I found myself encapsulated in the story as I read on. I could smell the streets and the characters and felt as though I was there. I went in blind and was pleasantly surprised.
Hofstatter’s writing style is incredibly unique. Excited to jump into the next, which I have sitting right next to me waiting for me to crack open. I would definitely recommend this enchanting read.
Hofstatter’s writing style is incredibly unique. Excited to jump into the next, which I have sitting right next to me waiting for me to crack open. I would definitely recommend this enchanting read.
March 12, 2022
Erik Hofstatter was kind enough to send me a copy of this short story for an honest review.
Soaking in Strange Hours is a very short story that’s packed full of lyrical and poetic prose. Right off the bat it’s metaphorical, it’s riddled with stylised prose that some readers may not enjoy or appreciate. I happen to be one of the readers that soaks up stories that are hidden beneath grandiloquent and bardic styles. It’s a rich form of writing that I think isn’t appreciated as it should be, and what I found endearing is that what Hofstatter was telling, in my head, having such poetic prose, normally doesn’t work with that type of story, these stories tend to be gritty and violent with their words, where Erik made it beguiling.
My only grip with the story was that I wished it was longer, and that we didn’t get to fully get to know the characters within the story, but overall, I really enjoyed reading this. It’s short, made my brain work in overdrive, deciphering the meanings and has left me craving more of Hofstatter’s writing,
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Soaking in Strange Hours is a very short story that’s packed full of lyrical and poetic prose. Right off the bat it’s metaphorical, it’s riddled with stylised prose that some readers may not enjoy or appreciate. I happen to be one of the readers that soaks up stories that are hidden beneath grandiloquent and bardic styles. It’s a rich form of writing that I think isn’t appreciated as it should be, and what I found endearing is that what Hofstatter was telling, in my head, having such poetic prose, normally doesn’t work with that type of story, these stories tend to be gritty and violent with their words, where Erik made it beguiling.
My only grip with the story was that I wished it was longer, and that we didn’t get to fully get to know the characters within the story, but overall, I really enjoyed reading this. It’s short, made my brain work in overdrive, deciphering the meanings and has left me craving more of Hofstatter’s writing,
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November 12, 2021
As always, I need time to articulate the grotesque beauty Hofstatter brings to the page, but WOW this was an excellent read! Full review to come.
October 25, 2021
I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of this story and I also purchased one because I wanted to read it again. First off, there is no other author who writes like Erik Hofstatter. I cannot think of a single one. His style is extremely unique and you really do have to take your time reading any of his books. I can never decide if I'm reading a story, a poem, or reading a piece of art.
I ended up deciding this story was all three. Every sentence has one meaning and connects to the full story, but then at the same time, the words are metaphors that also connect to the story. Layer after layer. I mean, there's rich prose out there and then there is art in words like this.
I found myself reading a page and then needing to stop so I could think about it all. The other thing is pain. You can feel the pain from the words, real deep emotion.
I think everyone needs to read at least one of this author's books, and if the book doesn't belong on your bookshelf, I half think the pages should hang on display in an art gallery.
There is so much going on in this book and the plot still manages to captivate the reader.
It's so different and I adore different. Its beauty and pain combined.
I ended up deciding this story was all three. Every sentence has one meaning and connects to the full story, but then at the same time, the words are metaphors that also connect to the story. Layer after layer. I mean, there's rich prose out there and then there is art in words like this.
I found myself reading a page and then needing to stop so I could think about it all. The other thing is pain. You can feel the pain from the words, real deep emotion.
I think everyone needs to read at least one of this author's books, and if the book doesn't belong on your bookshelf, I half think the pages should hang on display in an art gallery.
There is so much going on in this book and the plot still manages to captivate the reader.
It's so different and I adore different. Its beauty and pain combined.
October 27, 2021
I have now had the pleasure to have read more than a couple of Mr. Hofstatter’s stories and I must say his writing style is unique. For me this was a hard read for two reasons. The first was I needed to read and reread, then reread it thus coming up with different interpretations of many parts of the story with each reading! Which was an interesting thing. Second reason was that to me at times it reads like poetry. I don’t do well with poetry, never have probably never will. By no means this is a good thing as there are many readers out there that will have no problems with this as the author makes it work in this story.
I loved the imagery that opened in my mind while reading certain passages. “I stumbled through the door, hearing familiar shadows.” And “Charity-bought clothes and discarded dreams lived on the floor.” These are all throughout the story. This challenged me a little, making me think as I read it but that’s a good thing every now and then!
I loved the imagery that opened in my mind while reading certain passages. “I stumbled through the door, hearing familiar shadows.” And “Charity-bought clothes and discarded dreams lived on the floor.” These are all throughout the story. This challenged me a little, making me think as I read it but that’s a good thing every now and then!
December 2, 2021
Hofstatter’s writing is crammed full of imagery. When it works, it’s genius, imparting rich meaning and description in a few words. However, I thought some of the metaphors fell flat near the end of story, creating unnecessary confusion.
The story itself is dark and dirty. With such a short, tightly woven tale I can’t say too much lest I give away spoilers, but I loved how the last line echoed something that had been set up earlier in the narrative.
The standout here is Hofstatter’s writing style, and I imagine it might divide readers into love it or hate it territory. You’ll either want to sink into the stylized prose, happy to reread it to glean further meaning, or it’ll turn you away with a sea of language you’re unwilling to navigate.
The story itself is dark and dirty. With such a short, tightly woven tale I can’t say too much lest I give away spoilers, but I loved how the last line echoed something that had been set up earlier in the narrative.
The standout here is Hofstatter’s writing style, and I imagine it might divide readers into love it or hate it territory. You’ll either want to sink into the stylized prose, happy to reread it to glean further meaning, or it’ll turn you away with a sea of language you’re unwilling to navigate.
March 26, 2022
Holy poetic and metaphoric prose!
It took me quite a while to get used to his style of writing and once I did, I was at the final scene. It was pretty "flowery" and wordy but the story was interesting. This style isn't one I like the most because I feel stuff goes over my head and is distracting BUT I thought it was beautiful writing as a whole.
The mini twists were decent and the story is an interesting quick read.
3.5/5
It took me quite a while to get used to his style of writing and once I did, I was at the final scene. It was pretty "flowery" and wordy but the story was interesting. This style isn't one I like the most because I feel stuff goes over my head and is distracting BUT I thought it was beautiful writing as a whole.
The mini twists were decent and the story is an interesting quick read.
3.5/5
July 1, 2022
I like how I was thrown in the deep end with this story. Particularly with the language, but also with the storyline and characters. The metaphors and the imagery painted with words makes it very visual once you have desiphered them. As an ESL reader I had to reread a couple of lines, but it was definitely worth it. Love the thoughtfullness put into the names of the characters. The only thing I am a dissapointed about is that it is so short. I want to know what happens next. :)
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August 18, 2022This read like what I would imagine a dark, cold paint palette would taste like, and the language reminded me of a poetic take on those old detective movies where a girl approaches a PI in his office and asks for help, but just mixed with the grit and smoke that is Marla Singer from Fight Club.
Delicious.
Delicious.
July 10, 2022
The author provided a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review. I found this story very intriguing but a tad over done when it came to the various metaphors used throughout this short story. I do however believe it could make a good novella if the author proceeded with the storyline.
October 30, 2022
Erik was kind enough to send me a copy of this to read and I’m so happy he did. I really enjoyed it. It was dark and mysterious and very poetic. It flowed together beautifully. Liene is such a great character. I almost wish it was longer!
November 23, 2021
I loved this. Lyrical, brooding, and wonderfully constructed.
November 8, 2022
It took me a bit to get into this and considering it’s so short is saying something. The writing was really descriptive and flowery but the story was really fascinating! Definitely recommend this novella!
November 1, 2021
The author was kind enough to send me an ARC of this poetic short story.
What followed was a lyrical, esoteric and surprisingly dark and violent short read about a mysterious woman, Liene, who hires Tristan Grieves to find ‘Boomerang’; a man supposedly obsessed with her, a plaything & someone always returns to her although she throws him away (until he doesn’t). But things go a lot deeper than that, and Grieves will soon learn that her agenda is a different one to what she claimed.
Spoken in what resembles absinthe-fueled riddles, this is by no account a light night-time read, but it is an oddly satisfying one which might make you want to re-read it as soon as you’ve turned the last page just to see if you can pick up on more the 2nd time around.
What followed was a lyrical, esoteric and surprisingly dark and violent short read about a mysterious woman, Liene, who hires Tristan Grieves to find ‘Boomerang’; a man supposedly obsessed with her, a plaything & someone always returns to her although she throws him away (until he doesn’t). But things go a lot deeper than that, and Grieves will soon learn that her agenda is a different one to what she claimed.
Spoken in what resembles absinthe-fueled riddles, this is by no account a light night-time read, but it is an oddly satisfying one which might make you want to re-read it as soon as you’ve turned the last page just to see if you can pick up on more the 2nd time around.
November 2, 2022
This 20-page short story was sent to me by the author in return for an honest review. If you read any of the reviews on Goodreads, they quite rightly focus on the poetic lyricism of the prose, and its metaphorical quantity and quality. The fact that that is the case is because it’s the bulk of the story. Within twenty pages, not that much can happen, so the story here is pretty straightforward – a man searches for a lost person.
The WAY that that story is told is what Erik is selling here. His writing is exemplary, certainly a massively distinctive voice. I don’t know that I appreciated it fully through (and after) twenty pages – I can’t imagine reading a whole novel written in such a style – it is fascinating, but you are also aware of the weight of it all. Hofstatter plays with vocabulary and imagery, the rest falls somewhat to the side. The plot is small, and at times confusing. Character development doesn’t happen (there’s no time). The series of scenes is limited to page count and sweeping prose. Nope – this is a celebration of language. I don’t think I could say you read it for the story, you read it because you want to see where the mind that wrote it is going to take you.
At the end of the story, I admired the art of the book, but I can’t say I enjoyed the destination. It’s art, make no mistake. This is something to read and break into constituent parts, to marvel at the word play, to find contentment in the construction of sentences and paragraphs, to wonder at allegory and the mind of the man that created it. It’s something to ponder, not the story itself. It’s a glimpse at another construct of expression. I don’t think there’s a message here, it’s simply the act of breathing life into something beautiful which is being correctly celebrated in people’s reviews.
As to the story? Not so much.
It’s fascinating, though slow progress as one reads, ponders, absorbs, and contemplates, examining each sentence for meaning.
I have to give it 3 ⭐ ‘s out of 5. This wasn’t a story for me. I know there’s one there.
But it’s a pretense to showcase Erik’s magnificent prose and make no mistake, it’s literary, beautiful, genius – I suppose (always hard to judge genius because it is relative to the awareness of one’s own limitations).
To summarize:
Is it Art? – Yes.
Is there a story? – The bones of one.
Still worth buying? – Absolutely.
The WAY that that story is told is what Erik is selling here. His writing is exemplary, certainly a massively distinctive voice. I don’t know that I appreciated it fully through (and after) twenty pages – I can’t imagine reading a whole novel written in such a style – it is fascinating, but you are also aware of the weight of it all. Hofstatter plays with vocabulary and imagery, the rest falls somewhat to the side. The plot is small, and at times confusing. Character development doesn’t happen (there’s no time). The series of scenes is limited to page count and sweeping prose. Nope – this is a celebration of language. I don’t think I could say you read it for the story, you read it because you want to see where the mind that wrote it is going to take you.
At the end of the story, I admired the art of the book, but I can’t say I enjoyed the destination. It’s art, make no mistake. This is something to read and break into constituent parts, to marvel at the word play, to find contentment in the construction of sentences and paragraphs, to wonder at allegory and the mind of the man that created it. It’s something to ponder, not the story itself. It’s a glimpse at another construct of expression. I don’t think there’s a message here, it’s simply the act of breathing life into something beautiful which is being correctly celebrated in people’s reviews.
As to the story? Not so much.
It’s fascinating, though slow progress as one reads, ponders, absorbs, and contemplates, examining each sentence for meaning.
I have to give it 3 ⭐ ‘s out of 5. This wasn’t a story for me. I know there’s one there.
But it’s a pretense to showcase Erik’s magnificent prose and make no mistake, it’s literary, beautiful, genius – I suppose (always hard to judge genius because it is relative to the awareness of one’s own limitations).
To summarize:
Is it Art? – Yes.
Is there a story? – The bones of one.
Still worth buying? – Absolutely.
March 25, 2022
This extremely brief tale is dripping, or soaking, in lashings of descriptive prose and metaphor where more or less any sentence could be used as promotional material for the story. Before writing this review I read the story twice, just to try and take it all in. I’m not sure I did, though.
The imagery has stayed with me more so than the plot and, I suspect, that is the intention.
Tristan is a guy simply drinking away the hours in a depressingly dirty urban world. He’s approached by a girl who wishes him to locate someone for her. Her boyfriend? Her fuck buddy? No, not really.
Without really doing much searching he does indeed find the guy, Boomerang. But once this mysterious figure is discovered it appears the quest was not what he originally expected it to be.
This story is short, really short. Could it have been a touch longer, embellishing the dreary world and those tortured souls within it? Yeah it could, but although I finished it (both times) with more questions, I actually quite like that about it.
I can’t say much more apart from what I usually say when things really resonate with me; go and check it out!!
The imagery has stayed with me more so than the plot and, I suspect, that is the intention.
Tristan is a guy simply drinking away the hours in a depressingly dirty urban world. He’s approached by a girl who wishes him to locate someone for her. Her boyfriend? Her fuck buddy? No, not really.
Without really doing much searching he does indeed find the guy, Boomerang. But once this mysterious figure is discovered it appears the quest was not what he originally expected it to be.
This story is short, really short. Could it have been a touch longer, embellishing the dreary world and those tortured souls within it? Yeah it could, but although I finished it (both times) with more questions, I actually quite like that about it.
I can’t say much more apart from what I usually say when things really resonate with me; go and check it out!!
October 25, 2021
This felt like a movie trailer or a sample.This could really work as short novella. The story demands more room to breathe and be fully explored.
The overall message is buried in multiple figures of speech. Oddly almost feeling like a Rubik’s cube you must decipher to understand what’s going on. Hofstatter’s writing style is something you get used to as the story progresses. I was still left with looming questions about certain parts but that stemmed from my desire to find out more about Tristan Grieves. Overall a great story.
The overall message is buried in multiple figures of speech. Oddly almost feeling like a Rubik’s cube you must decipher to understand what’s going on. Hofstatter’s writing style is something you get used to as the story progresses. I was still left with looming questions about certain parts but that stemmed from my desire to find out more about Tristan Grieves. Overall a great story.
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December 24, 2021DNF - 15%
August 6, 2022
This is a short story from a promising dark noir writer.
This story grabs you straight away with its haunting language and beautifully developed characters.
Its an introduction to the character Tristan Grieves and his meeting with a woman called Liene and their search for an individual.
It is strange and it is haunting and I loved it.
Would love to read more from this author.
This story grabs you straight away with its haunting language and beautifully developed characters.
Its an introduction to the character Tristan Grieves and his meeting with a woman called Liene and their search for an individual.
It is strange and it is haunting and I loved it.
Would love to read more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews