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Not Anyone's Anything
Ian Williams’s Not Anyone’s Anything is a trio of trios: three sets of three stories, with three of those stories further divided into thirds. Mathematical, musical, and meticulously crafted, these stories play profoundly with form, featuring flash cards and musical notations embedded in texts, literal basements, and dual narratives, semi-detached. Roaming through Toronto and its surrounding suburbia, Williams’s characters wittily and wryly draw attention to the angst and anxieties associated with being somewhere between adolescence and more-than-that. They are disastrously ambitious, cutting the flaps of skin between their fingers to play Chopin; they are restless and bored, breaking into units of new subdivisions hoping for a score; they continually test the ones they love, and, though every time feels like the last time, they might be up for one more game.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2010
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About the author
Ian Williams
8 books122 followersIan Williams is the author of Personals, shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize and the Robert Kroetsch Poetry Book Award; Not Anyone’s Anything, winner of the Danuta Gleed Literary Award for the best first collection of short fiction in Canada; and You Know Who You Are, a finalist for the ReLit Prize for poetry. He was named as one of ten Canadian writers to watch by CBC.
Williams completed his Ph.D. in English at the University of Toronto and works as an English professor.
In 2014-2015, Williams was the Canadian Writer-in-Residence for the Calgary Distinguished Writers Program at the University of Calgary. He has also held residencies or fellowships at the Leighton Artists’ Colony at the Banff Centre, Vermont Studio Center, Cave Canem, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, and Palazzo Rinaldi in Italy. He was a scholar at the National Humanities Center Summer Institute for Literary Study. His writing has appeared in several North American journals and anthologies.
He is currently working on his first novel.
Williams completed his Ph.D. in English at the University of Toronto and works as an English professor.
In 2014-2015, Williams was the Canadian Writer-in-Residence for the Calgary Distinguished Writers Program at the University of Calgary. He has also held residencies or fellowships at the Leighton Artists’ Colony at the Banff Centre, Vermont Studio Center, Cave Canem, Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, and Palazzo Rinaldi in Italy. He was a scholar at the National Humanities Center Summer Institute for Literary Study. His writing has appeared in several North American journals and anthologies.
He is currently working on his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 5, 2012
4.5
Before reading Not Anyone's Anything I was told it was experimental writing. I know a good book nerd has no biases but that word –experimental– made me let out a big, long sarcastic oooooohh. Cringing lip and all. I picked it up thinking ‘It’s pretty light, it won’t take me too long to get through it no matter how much it makes my eyes want to roll back in my head to save themselves and my brain.’ However, I was pleasantly surprised! Not only were the characters incredibly well honed, interesting, and unique but the different demographics and stories included were engrossing. I was actually sad when I read the last word on the last page and turned to the next and saw ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. I couldn’t believe it was over. I wanted more.
I would recommend this to everyone, even those who aren’t usually fans of short stories. There’s enough going on narrative and character-wise that it doesn’t feel like you’re stopping and starting over with every story (my least favourite part of reading a short story collection). Plus this is the ideal book for math and music lovers everywhere. Overall a major hit and I would read anything other prose piece Williams has to offer.
Before reading Not Anyone's Anything I was told it was experimental writing. I know a good book nerd has no biases but that word –experimental– made me let out a big, long sarcastic oooooohh. Cringing lip and all. I picked it up thinking ‘It’s pretty light, it won’t take me too long to get through it no matter how much it makes my eyes want to roll back in my head to save themselves and my brain.’ However, I was pleasantly surprised! Not only were the characters incredibly well honed, interesting, and unique but the different demographics and stories included were engrossing. I was actually sad when I read the last word on the last page and turned to the next and saw ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. I couldn’t believe it was over. I wanted more.
I would recommend this to everyone, even those who aren’t usually fans of short stories. There’s enough going on narrative and character-wise that it doesn’t feel like you’re stopping and starting over with every story (my least favourite part of reading a short story collection). Plus this is the ideal book for math and music lovers everywhere. Overall a major hit and I would read anything other prose piece Williams has to offer.
March 2, 2019
I really like this. I love how Williams plays with formats, inserting interesting reading patterns or images into his work. As well, even though it was a series sof vignettes, I felt most characters were fleshed out.
March 10, 2019
Loved it.
Intelligent writing, unique style. After reading 'Reproduction' I had to be back and read this one. Certainly not disappointed! I will read ANY fiction Ian Williams writes. He is creating quite a name for himself!
Intelligent writing, unique style. After reading 'Reproduction' I had to be back and read this one. Certainly not disappointed! I will read ANY fiction Ian Williams writes. He is creating quite a name for himself!
September 22, 2020
a collection of short stories - which felt varied in terms of character, style of writing and setting. although that was not enough to make me love it.
November 1, 2020
Interesting concept, 3 stories of 3. Well-written with some surprising images and twists and turns.
December 22, 2013
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. Over and over again, Williams's characters stepped off the page for me, enlivened by spot-on dialogue and keenly-observed physical gesture. This collection is inventive and lyrical. The stories, which are mainly set in Toronto, include several structural or conceptual 'gimmicks': pages split in half, musical scores, Korean flashcards etc. What's impressive is that these unusual formatting tricks actually work; they lift the stories to a higher poignancy, adding value for the reader without pretense. Several stories from the collection have left after-images which I suspect will linger for longer than usual due to Williams's unique pairing of form and content.
August 4, 2015
I absolutely devoured this book- each story is innovative and compelling. All of the characters are well-formed and the writing is absolutely impeccable.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews