| Title | : | Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1250292972 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781250292971 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 181 |
| Publication | : | First published June 18, 2024 |
Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil Reviews
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4.0 Stars
This is such a unique short story collection. It's impressive to make a slice-of-life “deal with the devil” kinda story. It's such a strange juxtaposition but it completely works.
I liked the subtle unsettling feeling of these stories. I tend to prefer these collections where all the stories are interlinked.
I would recommend this one to readers who enjoy an out of the box horror experiences.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher. -
Star review in the April 2024 issue of Library Journal
This is a VERY COOL reading experience, one that stays with you and echoes, knocking around in your brain days after finishing it. I actually went back and re-read a bit because I wanted to, even though I was under deadline to finish other books. I literally felt like I had to go back.
Three Words That Describe This Book: alluring, stories within stories, unforgettable
4th word: stylistically complex
Draft Review:
Lima’s debut is exactly what the title tells the reader it is going to be, a novel in stories, which “the writer” creates for the Devil throughout her life after sleeping with him at a party in her 20s. The “stories” are interrupted by unnamed chapters, told by a 3rd person narrator, who draw readers into the writer’s “real” life outside of her fiction, enhancing their connection to the writer's work as well as her struggles as a Brazilian immigrant, distant daughter, and eventual wife. The speculative stories themselves range from weird and chilling like “Antropófaga” where the main character eats “tiny Americans” from a work vending machine to emotionally devastating like “Ghost Story” where on a visit back to family in Brazil, the protagonist finds that the ghost of her older self is haunting her mother. However, it is the writer and her interactions with the Devil (rendered with both sympathy and healthy fear) throughout her life which adds a surreal hue uniting the entire volume into one of the most original and unforgettable reads of the year.
Verdict: A captivating, alluring, and at times, illicit book that is conscious of the craft of the storytelling process without sacrificing an extraordinary reading experience similar to Fever Dream by Samanta Schwebilin, Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward and Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias.
This book is exactly what it tells you it is going to be in the title and yet so much more. The frame of the stories included here are that the main character writes them for the Devil, yes, but there are also "Alt Chapters" between the stories where the narrator is showing her "true" self. Some of those steal the show, or at least clearly make the official "stories" better. And they all-- stories and alt chapters-- overlap more as the book goes one. One part of the narrative cannot stand without the other.
It is a meta journey. A story about writing stories, told through those stories, where the main characters reality and the fiction she writes overlap. As a reader you question what is real and what is fiction and even forget the kicker-- that all of it is a novel that is fictitious.
It is also the story of a young woman, a Brazilian immigrant, who is becoming herself. Finding her voice as a writer, falling in love, struggling with the family she left behind.
The detached 3rd person omniscient narration adds to the creepy vibe that lies at the foundation of the entire book.
The Devil as a character is compelling, alluring, illicit, fascinating, and complex. Lima, uses the Devil as a character in new ways. I enjoyed that as a Horror reader.
The most memorable and heart breaking story is "Antropófaga" but I would not call it "the best." I don't think you can pick a best because of the narrative structure. "Ghost Story" is the story that is most resonant. But again, the point here is that this is a novel in stories. As a novel it is much stronger than its parts, but its parts make it a novel.
The meta, story within a story within a story etc... is extremely well done.
Readalikes: Looking Glass Sound by Ward-- a book about writing stories with satires within stories and not sure what is true and yet it is all fiction. Samanta Schweblin-- surreal, illicit, alluring, lyrical, a book that is compelling but doesn't;t really have a traditional plot. A little but of Night of the Living Rez by Talty-- showing life for a character over time through linked stories. Oh, and Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias. This is the best readlaike.
More soon -
Ananda Lima what a great group of short stories that kept my attention. Such great story telling. The story starts when the writer meets the Devil at a Halloween party. I will remember these stories for awhile. Highly recommend.
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This was a unique book I was not expecting. I listened to the audiobook and while I liked the narrator I wish I had read this book because there were some pieces I felt would have worked better if I could look at them, especially the part where the writer is getting feedback. This book did a great job showing the immigrant experience mostly because I wasn’t expecting it so it was able to hit even harder. I will say this book didn’t always make logical sense, but it was somehow still beautiful and created amazing imagery. But that amazing imagery was bizarre there is no doubt about that. I wasn’t expecting there to be bits about the pandemic, but it made sense and fit and was probably the most fluid and natural feeling representation I have seen. This is the kind of book that I will keep digesting for a while which I definitely like.
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Stories can save our souls.
An unnamed woman writer meets the devil in a bar. If that sounds like the start to a bad joke, I assure you it’s not. The devil convinces the woman that they are “kindred spirits” because of their cravings for stories. Drunk and a little heartbroken, she lets the devil in.
As the cover art suggests, this is stories within a story. The main storyline follows the unnamed writer’s personal life and her subsequent encounters with the devil, weaved with short stories that she is writing. This book is labeled as horror here on Goodreads but I didn’t notice many horror elements present; it read more like literary/ speculative fiction so be sure to adjust any expectations before diving in.
The author, Ananda Lima, is primarily a poet and it cuts through clear in this work as the prose is, well, poetic; ebbing and flowing beautifully. In these stories Lima addresses the Brazilian immigrant experience in Trump’s America and the fear that goes along with it. Strong themes also include womanhood and the art of writing. In addition, many of the characters in this book seem as if they are idling in some kind of in-between land, struggling with identity.
With such a fascinating premise, I was hoping for more scenes with the devil’s presence but I think that is because of my expectations; that I assumed the role the devil would play in this story. However, this book completely defied my expectations and still, it worked. This is a savory literary piece that plays with form in an incredibly fun and dreamlike way and it is worthy of dissection and praise. It’s one that will sit with me for some time.
The narration by Taylor Harvey was well executed. Harvey adequately displayed the narrative voice and tone and it was a joy to listen to.
Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Available now wherever you find your books! -
This short story collection suffers from an imprecise synopsis and marketing. The summary states Craft as a “intoxicating and unsettling linked collection” with the genre of horror. This is most definitely a litfic collection with the underlying themes of immigration and government at the forefront.
The inclusion of the devil seems disjointed from the other stories, and it was all a bit too abstract to create a coherent narrative. I did find Lima’s writing to be compelling, but I kept thinking “where is this going? Where is the horror?”
⭐⭐.5
Available June 18, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. -
2.5 ⭐ It started off great and then I just didn't get it anymore.
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My only complaint about this book is that I wanted a little more devil. Other than that I absolutely loved it and was both completely horrified and fascinated by the vending machine story! I’ll be thinking about that one for quite awhile.
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![laurel [the suspected bibliophile]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1645808644i/7494844._UX200_CR0,6,200,200_.jpg)
I liked the concept far more than the execution, unfortunately.
The writing is gorgeous. The concept is breathtaking. Several of the stories were really, really good. And some were just, meh. This is a novella to savor and languish in, and damn it to hell I was just not in a savoring mood.
I received an ARC for an honest review -
I think this would be good for a younger audience! I won this in a goodreads giveaway! huzzah!
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An interesting collection of somewhat connected stories where a woman meets the devil at a party and then encounters the devil randomly throughout her life. As others have said, most stories are slice of life stories. Some stories were more interesting and had more fantastical elements. Some stories, though, were simple to the point where I wondered what the point of the story was. I listened to this on audiobook and wonder if I had read this physically or as an ebook if I would’ve understood it more. I do think I’d get more out of it upon re-read. This reminded me of Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett where the stories are sort of nestled into one another. 2.5, rounded up
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. -
Craft was a solid novella. The main thing you need to know going in is: “At a Halloween party in 1999, a writer slept with the devil. She sees him again and again throughout her life and she writes stories for him about things that are both impossible and true.”
That concept is the main connecting factor between the stories. This novella is set up where you have main stories that serve as short stories and then basically interludes where we follow the writer and her life. Just like with any short story collection I enjoyed some more than others. There were two in particular, to save you from spoilers (I think you should go in as blind as possible) I won’t tell you the themes but they were really good. There were two others that I felt were okay.
One thing that stood out about Craft was the writing, it is exceptional, lyrical and though provoking. The authors writes about political climates, relationships, the supernatural and so much more. If you are a fan of short stories/ anthologies you don’t want to miss this one. Also if you are a fan of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. -
4.25 stars
Imaginative and heartfelt, Craft is a solid collection of interconnected short stories touching upon themes of immigration, familial bond, and writing as a craft. While its marketing places a lot of emphasis on this Devil character, his role is often more of a prompter for broader discussion, rather than a well-rounded presence driving the plot. In addition, I would also label Craft squarely as literary fiction, with supernatural elements featured in a few stories; if you're picking this up expecting an intense horror experience — you might be taken aback by its subtlety.
Still, as a short stories collection this is one of the stronger ones that feels diverse but still maintains a cohesive core. I really enjoyed most of what I've read, and there are some truly unique standouts (the one about a vending machine selling little people is particularly memorable).
PS: Note the framing story does take place during COVID for a few chapters, in case this may potentially be a trigger for some.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!** -
I wanted to love this book. It's clever in theory but the execution left something to be desired.
It started off well enough, at a Halloween party where a woman is waiting for the man she loves who is actually in a relationship with her friend. How depressing right?
While she is waiting she meets the devil himself who offers to split up the happy couple and shows that he can do it. After spending a night together she continues to see the devil in various spots...and she writes stories.
I would have preferred it if she just told those stories in a linear fashion. Instead the stories are broken up in a disjointed way. There are pages of story critiques that serve only as an interruption.
The devil was charming and I would have liked him to play a larger role.
I did enjoy some of the stories, especially Antropofaga in which tiny humans are purchased as snacks from a vending machine among all the other junk foods.
And Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory where someone's ultimate hell is Penn Station.
This was just an ok read for me. You may enjoy it more than I did.
My thanks to Tor Books -
This was a very intriguing and very literary work of magical realism. It’s a short book, but I took my time reading it. It’s a book that benefits from a chance to think on. Though the book isn’t going to be to everyone’s tastes, I’d think this could spark as good a book club discussion as anything I’ve ever read.
The premise is that the writer, a Brazilian immigrant to America, ran into the Devil at a party and ended up hooking up with him. From that point forward, she saw him frequently, though they only interacted in the briefest of ways, and in ways that shaped her writing. Reading the blurb, I thought this was going to be a collection of short stories. And it is, sort of. It’s got a bunch of short stories *in* it, interspersed with passages about the writer’s life and about her *writing* the stories. (How much of it is autobiographical is unclear, but given that the writer within the book and the author *of* the book are both Brazilian immigrants, I’m assuming at least somewhat.) It’s hard to tell, sometimes, what’s a story and what is part of the greater frame story. Things definitely get intentionally blurry at times.
This is definitely a 2016-2020 novel. The anti-immigrant ugliness that was so prominent in America during those years is always near the surface here; as a Latin American immigrant, the writer is justifiably living in a climate of fear and uncertainty. Things get even worse as Covid rolls in; the author did a great job of capturing the anxiety of the early months when things were *really* bad. The writer lives in Manhattan; I’m hoping some of the New Yorkers I know will read it and share their thoughts with what it was like to live through that first wave.
On the political side, of course the writer is dealing with living under our former Dear Leader. But she’s also dealing with the political situation in Brazil. Her parents ranting about Donald Trump and not seeing the many, many similarities between him and Jair Bolsonaro is a particular sore point for the writer.
The stories within the book frequently deal with the immigrant experience, with a particular focus on balancing life in the United States with family back home. There was one thing in particular I loved the conceit of. The writer attended one of those writing workshops where people read their story, and everyone offers critiques. We don’t get the story the writer wrote for the workshop; we get the critiques everyone sent her, with their conflicting interpretations and contradictory advice. It’s a delight to read, though I want the actual story rather badly. Or at least I want Ananda Lima to let me know if the two guys ever found the cat.
The writing is absolutely beautiful. Lima has a gift for expressing emotion through imagery, and for painting a scene in the reader’s head. Not going to be to everyone’s tastes, but strongly recommended.
My blog -
At the start, I was into this, really. I didn't quite get what the deal was, if the Devil was a real person, etc., but I was curious, and I liked the stories, which seemed like moments of time in the main character's life through a third person narrator. Cool! I enjoyed these slices of life, and even was down for the Devil's role. But then about halfway through... Idk man, narrators/POVs changed, I got confused, not really knowing whose story we were following half the time. Where'd the "writer" go? She still the main character? I hadn't a clue. When I got to the cannibalizing of tiny vending machine people, I was just flat out lost. I feel like maybe I was supposed to understand and didn't? So now I feel kind of stupid, and no one likes that.
That said, the parts that I enjoyed were definitely worth reading. Maybe it'll make more sense to you than it did to me at the end.
Bottom Line: Was really digging it, but then got a little too confused. Still, cool premise, and I mean... tiny vending machine people-snacks are always worth saying you've encountered, so there's that.
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight -
" The Devil said what he could do himself was always very little, unlike what others could do using his name.
Book rating : 3 stars
Narration : 4 stars
Average rating : 3.5 stars
Narrated by Taylor Harvey
I want to start this review with applause for the narrator. I loved her narration and it definitely made the whole experience quite a journey.
Now coming to the book, I definitely was mesmerized by the prose and for about first 40-50 % of the book I could make sense of the storyline as well. But later on it for very confusing. I couldn't understand who was who, if this was a story within story, or a story written by the author in the story.
There was even a point where I would have stopped listening but I continued coz of narration. Not because I was bored but because it felt kind of haphazard erratic thoughts which had no start or no end.
I will recommend it for those who enjoy this kind of writing. I loved the writing style so definitely going to pick next books Ananda Lima publishes.
Thank you Netgalley and dreamscape media for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
some quotes
Sometimes you need the distance to fully appreciate the view, to see mountaintops surrounding the creek and know that if you had kept going farther to the left, you would have seen a canyon so vast, it is hard to believe you missed it. You can see it all together from afar, even though by then, the sound of the water, the mist, and the soft moss are gone.
I had American bones now. I’d thought I was the eater, but America had been eating me the whole time, from within. -
I liked what the author was doing with structure and meta narratives. I really admired the last story in the collection, “Hasselblad: Triptych”. I’m not sure the whole thing came together as strongly as it could have. I’m still mulling it over and will update if new thoughts come to me.
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It all starts with a writer meeting the Devil at a Halloween party. A deliciously dark collection of stories within stories, I think that this collection will stay with me for a while. I may not have completely understood or connected with every story, this was a perfectly unique storytelling experience. Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
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This was a different way to present a short story collection! Usually, I read the first story in a collection, put the book down, and then never pick it up again, but the connect of the writer to the Devil and how it threads throughout the different alternative chapters really kept me going.
And the stories themselves were quite different. Some were gruesome (like eating tiny people), others were intriguing (like your mother seeing a ghost of yourself from the future while you're still alive), and others were downright weird (a story of just critiques of a story and you infer what the story is about through the critiques). Then there were stories about immigration, being alone in a big city, the events surrounding 2016 election, 2020 pandemic, and the current events in Brazil.
While some of the stories flopped for me, the overall feeling you get from this book is that you're reading a writer's journal. The vignettes between stories pulled you into the writer's world while the stories in their weird presentations were the stories she was working on. While struggling with what's happening around her in real life, she's puzzling together stories that span across time and space and share the lives of humans in vastly different parts of her life.
I do wish there was more inclusion of the Devil character throughout the vignettes. It seemed like he was a figure removed a bit from her life, but somehow a constant presence for her. It would have been interesting to see a bit more of that throughout the book.
Overall, a great read with some great stories from an author I haven't read before! Excited to read what comes next. Thanks to Tor Books for the gifted copy. -
How to describe this book? Contextually it’s quite simple but structurally it’s incredibly abstract. Like the title this is a book within a book, our narrator is writing stories to the Devil, whom she encounters at a party in her twenties and sporadically throughout her life, he becomes her muse or touchstone of sorts.
The short stories within are a range of grotesque, beautiful, bizarre and introspective often highlighting the immigrant experience in America particularly during 2016-2020. The book then flips to these encounters with the Devil in her every day life , it’s a bit of a genre/style bending read it’s short stories but not quite because there is still a central plot surrounding them.
Lima breaks the mold and writes a thought provoking, daring book that explores the “craft” of writing by using stories themselves as the explainer, representing the power and pain of writing for the reader and for the self.
This all sounds a bit upside down, but when you read this book you begin to understand the intent while also being drawn into the beautiful and haunting prose. The central themes and glossy characters make it compelling and vivid.
Craft is one of those books you think about time and time again, as you define yourself as a reader, a consumer, an artist, you’ll love the story but stay for the philosophizing. -
Fantastic an absolute must read this year or any year you happen across this book. If you have read and liked Carmen Maria Machado, or Kelly Link I def def think you would like this. Really impactful writing and just gorgeous emotionality. I think a lot of people would read it and be like "Oh that's not scary" but it gave me a nightmare because the writing went right into the core of me. Agh I loved it so much.
The stories are reality based but it’s like these layers of gossamer over our reality these words and stories and its smothering and beautiful. -
Stories about storytelling my beloved!
This has some of the most beautiful, strange writing I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Such a unique collection! The character of the Devil is especially charming here -
I like my horror with much less lit fic. Vending machine Americans will stick in my head though (like I get what was trying to be done with this but......)
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A very fun and extremely meta collection; I had a great time reading this. I loved the moments of recognition and intertwining by the book's end.
Can't wait to read more from Lima. -
Read about half of the first story but it didn't grab me.
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review to come -
review -
https://booksteacupreviews.com/2024/0...
Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil is a unique literary collection with paranormal elements that follows the life of a Brazilian-American immigrant writer who encounters the Devil at a young age and continues to see him throughout her life.
Craft is structured in alternating chapters: Stories written by the protagonist that includes- Rapture, Ghost Story, Tropicália, Antropógaga, Idle Hands, Rent, Porcelain, Heaven Hell and Purgatory, and Hasselblad- while Alt Chapters in between these stories depict events and situations in her life at different stages when she meets/sees the Devil. The Devil is a captivating character, and I particularly enjoyed the chapters featuring him, but other stories were hard for me to grasp.
The stories in Craft explore the struggles of immigrants and political issues from an immigrant’s perspective, illustrating how the writer’s real life and the fiction she creates intertwine. Although labeled as horror, I wouldn’t categorize it as such; it’s more paranormal due to the presence of the Devil and the bizarre events in some stories.
Of all these stories, I think Rapture, Ghost Story, Antropofaga, and Hasselblad made sense to me rest of the stories were just super weird and I couldn’t figure out the real meaning behind them. The final critique in Idle Hands mirrored my own feelings about the entire book.
While many readers appreciated the writing, concept, and stories, I often found myself struggling to stay engaged and wished I had DNFed the book due to the lack of connection and emotional impact.
Overall, Craft is a unique collection of stories that fans of literary fiction might appreciate. However, it wasn’t for me. -
3.5/5 I think?
I think there are other people out there who will enjoy this more than me but it wasn’t bad by any means. I especially liked the first story with the Halloween party, the writing workshop one, and the last one with the camera, and I thought the framing narrative was really interesting and would’ve frankly read a whole story about that. I think my issue, which is entirely a personal one, is that I kept overthinking it, how names and characters between stories and the framing devices connected, were they meant to be the same person? Fictionalized versions of each other? Was the Ana dying of cancer the same one in the writing workshop? Idk, and I know some people won’t have an issue with that, I wouldn’t even call it an issue per se, just that I could feel myself overthinking and getting bogged down in details. -
ARC provided via NetGalley
I'm a bit baffled by the lukewarm reviews I've seen of this but oh well to each their own. This was subtle and clever- a series of interconnecting short stories with a framing narrative that called into question what 'real' really means. The devil is a marginal but important presence - a sort of dark muse who reflects reality as it is. Some of the stories were genuinely eeerie, others injected a notr of the absurd or of humour. Eacj story meditated on a different aspect of the human desire for belonging, emotional pain or want. Who says spec fic has to be outre? This was a fantastic collection.
