Ling Ma: Bliss Montage (2022, Text Publishing Company)
English language
Published July 10, 2022 by Text Publishing Company.
If Murakami met Munro.
Weird and entertaining, but I was often frustrated by the lack of any real ending to the pieces. These all seem to the written in the most modern of lit styling - surreality coupled with a false depth that feels humorous or profound depending on your mood and temperament. Just as I would accept the premise and become engrossed in the character or plot, the story would just...stop. It feels a bit lazy, honestly. Having said that, what is written here is fascinating in its weirdness. I like it the same way I like Sabrina Orah Mark's work - these stories are less melancholic and fairy tale-ish than hers, but retain that same wtf-ery. I think it's good to stretch our expectations of reality through stories this way, esp in a time when it's hard to be surprised by things.
Got to about 50% so will consider this read.
I was just really bored. This isn’t nearly as weird as I thought it would be, which is a big part of why I picked it up. It ends up being largely slice of life, which is exactly the kind of short story I avoid. I enjoyed Severance, so I had high hopes for this one.
As others have noted, the narrator of each story reads as the same, flat person. That works in a novel from one POV, but in a short story collection you expect some distinction.
Severance is one of my favorite books, so I was very, very excited to receive this ARC! Bliss Montage is a collection of short stories that follows in the same vein as Severance, in that they are dark, sometimes grim, and definitely surreal. I would compare it to the feel of Black Mirror, specifically the episodes that focus on social issues (like the video game lovers or social media one).
Most of the stories were really intriguing. I loved G, Returning, Office Hours, and Tomorrow for how bizarre and sometimes dark they were, and I think that's where her writing shines the most. Peking Duck was another favorite for the double perspective we got about the same scenario, which completely changes how the reader views the mother. Love that kinda thing.
My only complaint with the book was that it felt like the stories ended just a few pages too …
Severance is one of my favorite books, so I was very, very excited to receive this ARC! Bliss Montage is a collection of short stories that follows in the same vein as Severance, in that they are dark, sometimes grim, and definitely surreal. I would compare it to the feel of Black Mirror, specifically the episodes that focus on social issues (like the video game lovers or social media one).
Most of the stories were really intriguing. I loved G, Returning, Office Hours, and Tomorrow for how bizarre and sometimes dark they were, and I think that's where her writing shines the most. Peking Duck was another favorite for the double perspective we got about the same scenario, which completely changes how the reader views the mother. Love that kinda thing.
My only complaint with the book was that it felt like the stories ended just a few pages too soon! I love a good abrupt ending, but for me, I feel like I didn't get enough details from the story to piece together an ending of my own. I felt this the most with Returning and Office Hours, and a little bit with Tomorrow.
Favorite quotes:
"It is in the most surreal situations that a person feels the most present, the closest to reality."
"An ideology defined only by what it opposes is doomed to be defined by that exact thing."
Overall, a really excellent read and one I would recommend to others. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy!
