Lisa Eckstein’s Reviews > What I Didn't See, and Other Stories > Status Update

"What I Didn't See" is narrated by a woman a gorilla-hunting expedition in the 1920s, with a lot of fascinating stuff about what various characters do and do not see around them.

"King Rat" is a short tale about a little girl who meets a colleague of her father's, and his pet rat.

"Private Grave 9" - At an archaeological dig in the 1920s, a mystery writer and a mysterious photograph stirs things up. I *think* I understood the ending.

"The Marianas Islands" - Mostly a story about a grandmother. Also a submarine.

"Always" - A young woman joins an immortality cult in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I enjoyed the voice, subdued humor, and arc of this story.

"Familiar Birds" - Two girls who don't really like each other are forced into being friends every summer. Good characters, but the ending was abrupt (or I didn't get it).

"The Dark" - Fascinating story that kept turning into a different kind of story. It started with Yosemite disappearances, moved on to the history of pandemics, and then looked at a particular aspect of the Vietnam War. I'm impressed thinking of how much research Fowler must have done to write these 20-ish pages!

"The Last Worders" involves twin American sisters taking a trip to an odd European city, on an odd quest. Every detail of the story builds up the life of the sisters and the city into a full world, and it all comes to a strange and satisfying ending.

Fowler is such an enthralling writer, within or between any genre.

"Booth's Ghost" is historical fiction, mildly ghostly, about the Booth family of actors, focusing on one of the brothers of the infamous John Wilkes. I'm curious to investigate how much is historically accurate -- it reads as though it's all true, except the ghost.

After reading several of Fowler's very different novels, I'm eager to give some of her short fiction a try. The first story, "The Pelican Bar", describes the chilling experience of a rebellious teenager whose parents send her away. Effective story, but comes to a strange conclusion that opens up many more questions.