Carrie's Reviews > Tiny Shoes Dancing and Other Stories

This beautiful collection of short stories takes the reader into the minds of characters who could, in reality, be any one of us. Through their introspection and self-reflection, we re-experience our own lives as parents, siblings, and children, and—in a remarkably relatable and emotional piece—even a pet.

Kalman has a knack for weaving sentences you want to read and then reread to absorb not only their beauty, but their depth: “Frank is a grain of sand that causes Ingrid to accrete layer upon layer of resentment.”

Many of the stories are dark, just as life itself can be dark. Many of them are haunting, the kind of story that lingers with you long after you’ve read it. And all of them are visceral, their emotional prose reaching not only your eyes and brain, but your heart as well.

A bonus? Readers who have read Kalman’s book “What Remains Unsaid” will enjoy an excerpt of the novel told from a different character’s point of view.

I want to thank the author and publisher for an ARC of this short story collection. I highly recommend readers add it to their to-read list.