Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive DEALS
Alison Gadsby’s short story anthology Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive takes readers on a wild, twisty, harrowing, and agonizing trip into the minds of some of the loneliest characters I have ever read.
The deep-dive into their trauma-filled psyches was not one I was prepared for, and I was left wondering where the fine line between horror and reality lies in the world around us. This anthology is comprehensive of almost every genre, exploring the most difficult underbelly of what it means to be human, but it feels more like a twisted version of Chicken Soup For The Soul.
Thank you, River Street Writing, for sending us this ARC copy for review!
Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive: Summary
Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive is a collection of short stories by Alison Gadsby. Because the same author wrote all the stories, the writing style and tone are similar in each story, creating a link between them, as does the unexplained presence of swimming pools in every story.
The tone is a somewhat factual and neutral description of each character’s life and POV, which leaves the reader wondering if it is meant to be horror, sci-fi, or just a social commentary on how relationships can be difficult and leave behind permanent psychological damage.
The first story, The Deal with Rodger is the horrifying story of a woman whose father deemed her too fat and ugly to ever attract a man, so he bought her a robot husband to look after her. Over time, the robot that was originally designed to be a cop begins to malfunction and slowly plans ways of hurting her. Trigger warnings in this one.
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Another story, Everything Was Fine Before Lisa Got Here gives a painful bird’s eye view into the mind of a child who is having confusing thoughts about her teacher. It becomes clear that something even more sinister is going on as the cause for her inner monologue.
This is not a book of short stories that can be consumed in one sitting. It requires contemplation and reflection after every chapter, which demands that the reader take the time to digest the stories one by one.
Strengths
One of the book’s greatest strengths is the immediate ability to jump straight into each story, given each is only a few pages long with surprisingly elaborate contextualization. Each chapter is an immersive experience for the reader as Gadsby paints a vivid picture of the setting, providing just enough detail to save time but also to depict the extreme level of difficulty the character is experiencing.
The main character, Niki, in A Better Parent is thrown into a hyperbolically difficult scenario that represents every day of her life as she struggles to connect with her son.
The empathy I felt for this character by the end of the chaotic chapter had me wondering if the title Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive was a nudge to the fact that each chapter in the book represents an inhale and the next an exhale?
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Weaknesses
While at times I felt truly amazed at the writing style and ability to seamlessly weave between genres without pausing, I was not always pleased with the ride I was taken on in the chapter.
There was no way of knowing whether I was on a roller coaster until it was too late, and the darkness embedded in the stories was disturbing. The narration was factual, almost clinical to the point of being cold, and it gave me goosebumps at moments.
I would argue that each story is its own horror subgenre, more out of my usual preference, but I did still thoroughly enjoy the book.
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Key Themes and Takeaways
At its core, Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive explores some of the ugliest sides of being human and the horrors that can come of human emotions.
Gadsby uses sci-fi elements like robots to create a contrast with objects, and how even they would become terrifying if the robots started to feel and behave the way a human would.
Verdict
Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive is the type of book that stays with you for a long time. It sits in the back of your mind and trickles into your thoughts during quiet moments. You wonder what happened to the characters during the “after” part of the story.
It is not a quick and easy read, but it is gripping enough to keep readers coming back to finish it.
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The Review
Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive
Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive is the type of book that stays with you for a long time.
PROS
- Vivid and elaborate
- Unique blend of genres
- Stays with you long after reading
CONS
- Tone is cold and clinical
- Not a light or easy read
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