susanvoss18

I am hard put to say which was my favorite. I Am What I Am drew me in right away with the mystery of who this dead woman was. Not being familiar with Christian tales, I nevertheless enjoyed the rock and hard place Job’s wife found herself between. She did a lot of sighing, but if I were her, I would probably do so too….or cuss. I, Woman was sensual and full of creativity, just as I imagine sculpting with clay would be. Even though this was short, the main character grew over the space of the tale, at first thinking little of her clay companion, then coming to appreciate any communication with him, and finally, afraid of what lay before her, missing his constant presence. Perhaps this was my favorite.

The Hollow went by a little too quickly for me, leaving a rather ghostly impression on me. Perhaps it was meant to do so as the woman was in free fall. The book ended with an unlooked for surprise in the last story, The One Who Never Leaves. It is all told from a cat’s perspective, tamed, trapped in domesticity. Being the servant to several cats, I completely connected with this story, recognizing that predatory glint in my cat’s eyes, as captured by the disgruntled feline of this story.

In short, this is an excellent collection of short tales. Each was unique, standing on it’s own merits. I also loved that each was told through female eyes, allowing one more layer of connection.

The Narration: Heather Jane Hogan provided clear, distinct voices, and even went extra lengths to give Satan in the first tale an unearthly tone. My only minor criticism was that the pacing was slow; however this may have been by request of the author.