Normal Rules Don't Apply

Reviews

A deftly interconnected short-story collection [that is] varied and inventive Dazzling ... Most striking of all is the abiding sense of infectious, slightly bonkers fun. Funny and poignant in equal measure, you’ll want to read this captivating collection in one mystical sitting. What really binds these stories is their underlying theme, which has perhaps always been Atkinson’s true subject: the nature of storytelling itself. She can be very funny, but she is highly serious about the idea that human existence is bound up with words… If you’re thinking about what fiction means, no invocation could be more thought-provoking or ironically complex Hilarious, breathtaking, horrific, irresistible ... [Atkinson is] always in command ... Heart in mouth, I never wanted this book to end Funny, erudite and profound What joy! A loosely connected collection of short stories from Kate Atkinson. Life in all of its surreal, tragic and comic glory is perfectly captured within these pages. Atkinson has the happy knack of capturing the nature of her characters with arch aplomb Sublime … showcases her superb storytelling and the wit of her writing Intriguing Here you will find lots of tricks, lots of playfulness, clever narrative engineering. Clever... a crossword-like exercise in which the reader is always left guessing which element of each story will carry into the next. Much of the delight in Normal Rules Don't Apply comes from being surprised by who lands where. Atkinson's sly humour percolates all the way through, but there's also humanity, hope and forgiveness... As soon as you get to the end, you'll be tempted to just start at the beginning again. Fans of Atkinson will find all of her trademark qualities in these eleven loosely connected stories... rather brilliant Scintillating, surrealistic and wise-cracking short stories from the wildly inventive Atkinson brain The short form has always liberated Atkinson to meddle in myth and magic, and here she melds the fabular and the mundane as the universe blinks, the sun winks out, and those in the open are levelled in a “new Pompeii”... Atkinson has the control and charm to do with fiction whatever she fancies. Mashes up the mythical and mundane with zest and mischief All kinds of stories are inside these tales – fairy stories, creation myths, fantasy, Bible stories, tabloid headlines, soaps, movies and crime. Atkinson’s sly humour percolates all the way through, but there’s also humanity, hope and forgiveness... The simplicity of the short story form belies the book’s multi-layered approach. As soon as you get to the end, you’ll be tempted to just start at the beginning again to see the nuances you missed first time round, and tease out the threads that run between each tale. Expand reviews