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The Universe in Miniature in Miniature
In this genre-busting book from award-winning novelist Patrick Somerville characters, stories, and stray thoughts revolve around the “The Machine of Understanding Other People,” the story of a Chicago man who is bequeathed a supernatural helmet that allows him to experience the inner worlds of those around him. Through his lonely lens we peer into the mind of an art student grappling with ennui, ethics and empathy as she comes to terms with her own beliefs in a godless world. We telescope out to the story of idiot extraterrestrials struggling to pilot a complicated spaceship. We follow a retired mercenary as he tries to save his marriage and questions his life abroad. Mind-bending and cracklingly new, Somerville’s broadly appealing and uniquely imaginative constructions probe the outer reaches of sympathy, death, and love in a world seen from the inside out.
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2010
About the author
Patrick Somerville
14 books110 followersI'm a fiction writer from Wisconsin, living in Chicago.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
February 29, 2012
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
(IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: I am a personal friend of Jonathan Messinger, a co-owner of the small press that put this book out. It should be kept in mind while reading this review.) There's a good chance that I'll be meeting Chicago author Patrick Somerville for the first time later this week, during the tsunami known as the AWP literary convention starting tomorrow, essentially America's second largest gathering of industry professionals after the ABA's annual BookExpo; and I wanted to make sure I had read this latest by him before that moment, in that I found his debut novel The Cradle to be only so-so, despite this author being passionately loved among most of my friends here in the local scene. And indeed, it's easy to see why after reading this newest story collection by him, put out by our pals over at Featherproof Press (agh, so many local connections today, it make me brain hurt), because it's everything that The Cradle is not -- strange, dark, magical, written in a distinctive and mature voice, and free from the need for a 200-page three-act plot, which to be honest is looking more and more like the main thing that tripped Somerville up with his last book. Regular readers know that I'm not a big fan of unthemed story collections, but I have to confess that I would be if more of them were like this, full of pieces just long enough and strange enough to be memorable unto themselves, instead of the mishmash of similar characters and blurry plots that most story collections feel like in my head after I've finished them; and in fact about the biggest criticism I have is simply that Featherproof really misjudged what the cover image should've been, going with a cutesy, quirky design that tries to invoke the spirit of Miranda July when in fact most of the stories in this book range from obtuse to out-and-out pitch-black. A must-read for both McSweeney's fans and those who appreciate the short-story format, it comes strongly recommended to those specific readers.
Out of 10: 8.9, or 9.4 for short-story fans
(IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: I am a personal friend of Jonathan Messinger, a co-owner of the small press that put this book out. It should be kept in mind while reading this review.) There's a good chance that I'll be meeting Chicago author Patrick Somerville for the first time later this week, during the tsunami known as the AWP literary convention starting tomorrow, essentially America's second largest gathering of industry professionals after the ABA's annual BookExpo; and I wanted to make sure I had read this latest by him before that moment, in that I found his debut novel The Cradle to be only so-so, despite this author being passionately loved among most of my friends here in the local scene. And indeed, it's easy to see why after reading this newest story collection by him, put out by our pals over at Featherproof Press (agh, so many local connections today, it make me brain hurt), because it's everything that The Cradle is not -- strange, dark, magical, written in a distinctive and mature voice, and free from the need for a 200-page three-act plot, which to be honest is looking more and more like the main thing that tripped Somerville up with his last book. Regular readers know that I'm not a big fan of unthemed story collections, but I have to confess that I would be if more of them were like this, full of pieces just long enough and strange enough to be memorable unto themselves, instead of the mishmash of similar characters and blurry plots that most story collections feel like in my head after I've finished them; and in fact about the biggest criticism I have is simply that Featherproof really misjudged what the cover image should've been, going with a cutesy, quirky design that tries to invoke the spirit of Miranda July when in fact most of the stories in this book range from obtuse to out-and-out pitch-black. A must-read for both McSweeney's fans and those who appreciate the short-story format, it comes strongly recommended to those specific readers.
Out of 10: 8.9, or 9.4 for short-story fans
June 28, 2011
The Universe in Miniature in Miniature
A uniquely covered book with a large print of the word "universe" on its cover has caught my attention in Fully Booked. It was in the pile of the new releases, covered in plastic. Tricky, I can’t smell the book hence I have to rely on: 1) the cover design; 2) the blurb; and 3) gut feelings.
I waited for a month before I finally decided to remove the book from its packaging. The inspection was a fascinating experience. For starters, the book has a unique shape, for a paper back, it was more of a square than a rectangle. Its cover opens like a dust jacket, except it is not detachable and this feature is because, lastly, the book can turn into a planetarium . Well, its design had different planets with dotted edges to make it easier for the book owner to cut it out and hang the book along with its cut-out planets in the ceiling. Well, it's not my idea to do so, it was a deal the author wrote (along with the enumerated directions) on the inside back cover. If I did not like the book, I could turn it into a hanging fixture. Brilliant. I wonder if Somerville is utilitarian or a fan of Captain Planet. Maybe he was confident with this book or just plainly wacky and insane to come out ways to have his book any use other than a reading material. I could be weird (in some occasions) but not weird enough to hang a book in my ceiling. But like I normally do, I smell the book. Lo and behold, not a thousand streams of ink/hands/pressed paper/glue came across my olfactory nerve. The book's smell reminded me of embalmed cadavers I dissected back in medschool. For a time, I though Somerville was pressing small creatures (aliens maybe) in between the pages of the book that would serve as bookmarks. Well, it was not the case although, a part of me is wishing it was. I can't help imagining myself owning an unlimited edition bookmark. A far cry from the usual silverfish that lives in between the pages of my old(er) books. But embalming fluid stings my sense of smell, I have to wait for a few more weeks before I totally air out the smell so that I could enjoy the words. And when I did get to read it, again, I said brilliant, just the right sci-fi boost I need.
The machine of understanding another being. What would you do if someone invented something like this and entrusted it to you? Would wars actually be stopped by such a machine (knowing that wars root from misunderstandings)? And if I understood the mind of a psychopath, a killer, does that make his crimes lesser? What if you were given enough riches but you have to make a thesis on creating world peace but on the process have some big organization out there to kill you, would you accept it? Would you also enroll if you knew there is a university built solely to back such a theory of world peace. It meant no classrooms, no exams, just projects deemed relevant by the advisers to the theory. What if one of the projects involved watching your family on hidden CCTV, documenting everything for the sake of the theory, would you still agree? What if I told you it does exist and is happening right now, would you believe me? And , what if a group of scientists claimed to have a cure for baldness but are on an experimental phase, the off set may lead you turning into a monster. Would you risk your life just to restore your once proud crowning glory? What if there is really an Agent 007 but has his share of domestic problems, one that involves marital issues on top of his boss's persuasion for him to do a mission that could stop the world from changing, which do you think would he prioritize?
Somerville thought about this and wants his readers to think about it. It is a collection of short stories connected not obviously but implied magnificently. Like the story that tackled the boy's perspective on dying, another story that speaks of a mother's grief over her son's death by stabbing. And there's one that told the story from the point of a bystander. Each embedded in a stand alone short story. This book is not mainstream. It talked about the inner space. The realms beyond the senses, beyond the conscious and the conscience. It tasted American, the jokes and antics were Semi Fringe, half Frasier. There were influences of Kubrick somewhere. The stories in this collection were new to me, a delight for my senses. For whatever its worth, this book deserves to be more than a cut out hanging fixture but a book commendable for those willing to try something new.
A uniquely covered book with a large print of the word "universe" on its cover has caught my attention in Fully Booked. It was in the pile of the new releases, covered in plastic. Tricky, I can’t smell the book hence I have to rely on: 1) the cover design; 2) the blurb; and 3) gut feelings.
I waited for a month before I finally decided to remove the book from its packaging. The inspection was a fascinating experience. For starters, the book has a unique shape, for a paper back, it was more of a square than a rectangle. Its cover opens like a dust jacket, except it is not detachable and this feature is because, lastly, the book can turn into a planetarium . Well, its design had different planets with dotted edges to make it easier for the book owner to cut it out and hang the book along with its cut-out planets in the ceiling. Well, it's not my idea to do so, it was a deal the author wrote (along with the enumerated directions) on the inside back cover. If I did not like the book, I could turn it into a hanging fixture. Brilliant. I wonder if Somerville is utilitarian or a fan of Captain Planet. Maybe he was confident with this book or just plainly wacky and insane to come out ways to have his book any use other than a reading material. I could be weird (in some occasions) but not weird enough to hang a book in my ceiling. But like I normally do, I smell the book. Lo and behold, not a thousand streams of ink/hands/pressed paper/glue came across my olfactory nerve. The book's smell reminded me of embalmed cadavers I dissected back in medschool. For a time, I though Somerville was pressing small creatures (aliens maybe) in between the pages of the book that would serve as bookmarks. Well, it was not the case although, a part of me is wishing it was. I can't help imagining myself owning an unlimited edition bookmark. A far cry from the usual silverfish that lives in between the pages of my old(er) books. But embalming fluid stings my sense of smell, I have to wait for a few more weeks before I totally air out the smell so that I could enjoy the words. And when I did get to read it, again, I said brilliant, just the right sci-fi boost I need.
The machine of understanding another being. What would you do if someone invented something like this and entrusted it to you? Would wars actually be stopped by such a machine (knowing that wars root from misunderstandings)? And if I understood the mind of a psychopath, a killer, does that make his crimes lesser? What if you were given enough riches but you have to make a thesis on creating world peace but on the process have some big organization out there to kill you, would you accept it? Would you also enroll if you knew there is a university built solely to back such a theory of world peace. It meant no classrooms, no exams, just projects deemed relevant by the advisers to the theory. What if one of the projects involved watching your family on hidden CCTV, documenting everything for the sake of the theory, would you still agree? What if I told you it does exist and is happening right now, would you believe me? And , what if a group of scientists claimed to have a cure for baldness but are on an experimental phase, the off set may lead you turning into a monster. Would you risk your life just to restore your once proud crowning glory? What if there is really an Agent 007 but has his share of domestic problems, one that involves marital issues on top of his boss's persuasion for him to do a mission that could stop the world from changing, which do you think would he prioritize?
Somerville thought about this and wants his readers to think about it. It is a collection of short stories connected not obviously but implied magnificently. Like the story that tackled the boy's perspective on dying, another story that speaks of a mother's grief over her son's death by stabbing. And there's one that told the story from the point of a bystander. Each embedded in a stand alone short story. This book is not mainstream. It talked about the inner space. The realms beyond the senses, beyond the conscious and the conscience. It tasted American, the jokes and antics were Semi Fringe, half Frasier. There were influences of Kubrick somewhere. The stories in this collection were new to me, a delight for my senses. For whatever its worth, this book deserves to be more than a cut out hanging fixture but a book commendable for those willing to try something new.
April 23, 2010
In this genre-busting book characters, stories, and stray thoughts revolve around the “The Machine of Understanding Other People,” the story of a Chicago man who is bequeathed a supernatural helmet that allows him to experience the inner worlds of those around him. Through his lonely lens we peer into the mind of an art student grappling with ennui, ethics and empathy as she comes to terms with her own beliefs in a godless world. We telescope out to the story of idiot extraterrestrials struggling to pilot a complicated spaceship. We follow a retired mercenary as he tries to save his marriage and questions his life abroad. Mind-bending and cracklingly new, Patrick Somerville’s broadly appealing and uniquely imaginative constructions probe the outer reaches of sympathy, death, and love in a world seen from the inside out.
May 12, 2011
I bought this book at a Borders sale, when everything was 60% off. It was there, sitting innocuously on a shelf, minding its own business, and I decided to buy it on a whim.
The stories in here are beautiful and varied. Some are short, some are long, some are funny, many are sad, all are thoughtful and thought-provoking. Each story has a unique and well-crafted narrator. They're wonderful to read aloud, to yourself, to your lover in bed. This collection of short stories and I were made for each other. I plan on reading Somerville's other works.
As an added bonus, the book actually turns into a mobile. Go figure.
The stories in here are beautiful and varied. Some are short, some are long, some are funny, many are sad, all are thoughtful and thought-provoking. Each story has a unique and well-crafted narrator. They're wonderful to read aloud, to yourself, to your lover in bed. This collection of short stories and I were made for each other. I plan on reading Somerville's other works.
As an added bonus, the book actually turns into a mobile. Go figure.
January 10, 2011
Fantastic book of loosely connected short stories, some steeped in sci-fi and fantasy, others Munro-like slices of life with characters facing crises - some tiny and some enormous. Set in Chicago and written by a Chicago-based writer, geography is accurate and specific which, as a longtime Chicago resident, makes for delightful moments. If you like supporting small-press, somewhat off-the-radar authors check it out!
July 25, 2013
Delightful collection, and terrific design that takes it over the top. A terrific quiet sense of humor. Dark hope. Really proud to have blurbed this one.
A favored bit:
"Ululation. We got animals inside of us, man. We've got all this power."
- “The Son”
A favored bit:
"Ululation. We got animals inside of us, man. We've got all this power."
- “The Son”
October 31, 2010
Book publicity frequently is an exercise in the art (or artifice) of puffery. So, when a book is described as a "genre-busting" work, I tend to approach it with a bit of caution. Generally, though that term is a fair description of
The Universe in Miniature in Miniature
, Patrick Somerville's collection of short stories. Some of the stories could be described as science fiction while others defy categorization. Granted, genre-spanning could also be used to describe the stories. Despite their variety and at times unusual subjects, common elements and themes connect most of the stories.
For example, the opening tale, which gives the collection its name, introduces us to the School of Surreal Thought and Design. SSTD makes an appearance in other stories that do not involve the characters of the first. Similarly, the random stabbing of a young man on the street plays a role in at least three of the stories. Characters, meanwhile, make an appearance in seemingly unrelated stories, serving to provide a common thread. More important, virtually all of the stories are at heart about their characters, characters often broken in one way or another. Those who are damaged often are, as one says, "stuck in time" or, in the words of another, represent "the human mind trapped by itself in a vacuum but there's a very small window somehow within this empty and airless prison."
Thus, "People Like Me" is about a mercenary trying to return to normal family life but who is being recruited for another job (one which will play a crucial role in a later story). How far he's been removed from normal life is reflected by the fact that after returning home from an anger management class he sleeps in a closet holding an assault rifle. "Pangea," meanwhile, consists of the supposedly therapeutic journal ponderings of a man in a mental health facility. For Tom Sanderson, the central character in the novella "The Machine of Understanding Other People," self-hatred and a descent into alcoholism aren't as recent as his second divorce and losing his job as a corporate attorney.
On the surface, the book is somewhat reminiscent of Steven Millhauser's Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories . Somerville's characters, however, provide an edge that gives his work its own character keeps the stories from becoming perhaps too precocious.
Although the book contains 30 stories (including a closing novella), a couple are vignettes of moments or events in two pages or less. That includes "Mother," on a per word basis perhaps the book's strongest piece. In it, a mother recalls the day her son was killed in that random stabbing. Not quite a stream of consciousness, the story traces her thought process from shock and dread to anguish and pain. (Later brief stories give the perspective of the son, a police officer who walks past the assailant shortly before the stabbing and the killer himself.) Immediately following "Mother" and nearly as strong is "The Wildlife Biologist," in which a high school girl learns through her parents' separation and her biology teacher of the failed dreams and compromises that can accumulate over the course of a life. In fact, Somerville's frequent reliance on generally strong female narrators helps give the collection a breadth of perspective one might not expect a male author to carry off quite so well (or well from the perspective of a male reader).
As with any collection, not everything in The Universe in Miniature in Miniature will not resonate with every reader. In fact, this is the type of work where a group of readers can quite legitimately differ on which are their favorites and which stories are stronger than others. The closing novella, though, will likely provoke every reader into considering which stories tie together and in what fashion. Some may also wonder about the significance to be attached to any perceived connection between or among any two or more stories. Combining a light touch of science fiction with greater emphasis on the characters, "The Machine of Understanding Other People" also helps epitomize Somerville's "genre-busting." Yet it also reminds us that the work as a whole may be its own machine of understanding other people, one that tends to give insight into not only the empty prison but, more important, the window.
(Originally posted at A Progressive on the Prairie.)
For example, the opening tale, which gives the collection its name, introduces us to the School of Surreal Thought and Design. SSTD makes an appearance in other stories that do not involve the characters of the first. Similarly, the random stabbing of a young man on the street plays a role in at least three of the stories. Characters, meanwhile, make an appearance in seemingly unrelated stories, serving to provide a common thread. More important, virtually all of the stories are at heart about their characters, characters often broken in one way or another. Those who are damaged often are, as one says, "stuck in time" or, in the words of another, represent "the human mind trapped by itself in a vacuum but there's a very small window somehow within this empty and airless prison."
Thus, "People Like Me" is about a mercenary trying to return to normal family life but who is being recruited for another job (one which will play a crucial role in a later story). How far he's been removed from normal life is reflected by the fact that after returning home from an anger management class he sleeps in a closet holding an assault rifle. "Pangea," meanwhile, consists of the supposedly therapeutic journal ponderings of a man in a mental health facility. For Tom Sanderson, the central character in the novella "The Machine of Understanding Other People," self-hatred and a descent into alcoholism aren't as recent as his second divorce and losing his job as a corporate attorney.
On the surface, the book is somewhat reminiscent of Steven Millhauser's Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories . Somerville's characters, however, provide an edge that gives his work its own character keeps the stories from becoming perhaps too precocious.
Although the book contains 30 stories (including a closing novella), a couple are vignettes of moments or events in two pages or less. That includes "Mother," on a per word basis perhaps the book's strongest piece. In it, a mother recalls the day her son was killed in that random stabbing. Not quite a stream of consciousness, the story traces her thought process from shock and dread to anguish and pain. (Later brief stories give the perspective of the son, a police officer who walks past the assailant shortly before the stabbing and the killer himself.) Immediately following "Mother" and nearly as strong is "The Wildlife Biologist," in which a high school girl learns through her parents' separation and her biology teacher of the failed dreams and compromises that can accumulate over the course of a life. In fact, Somerville's frequent reliance on generally strong female narrators helps give the collection a breadth of perspective one might not expect a male author to carry off quite so well (or well from the perspective of a male reader).
As with any collection, not everything in The Universe in Miniature in Miniature will not resonate with every reader. In fact, this is the type of work where a group of readers can quite legitimately differ on which are their favorites and which stories are stronger than others. The closing novella, though, will likely provoke every reader into considering which stories tie together and in what fashion. Some may also wonder about the significance to be attached to any perceived connection between or among any two or more stories. Combining a light touch of science fiction with greater emphasis on the characters, "The Machine of Understanding Other People" also helps epitomize Somerville's "genre-busting." Yet it also reminds us that the work as a whole may be its own machine of understanding other people, one that tends to give insight into not only the empty prison but, more important, the window.
(Originally posted at A Progressive on the Prairie.)
June 26, 2013
As I have gotten older and my academic schooling has come to its seeming end, I have been asked on several occasions by my peers: Why do you still read? There are no more grades, or assessments, or papers to write... so why bother to spend your leisure time doing an activity that requires an active brain? The answer to that question will inevitably vary given time of season and mood, but this book confirmed for me in many ways why I still love the adventure of the written word... I read to get away. To get away not just from personal dilemmas, but to get away from the world and all its rules. I read because books take you to a place where anything is possible, and The Universe in Miniature in Miniature was remarkably successful in crafting a world of such subtle impossibilities.
What I loved most about the collection of stories by Somerville was that although a majority were purely science fiction, they did not detour too far from our black and white world. It added just a splash of color to our known reality, almost making me feel that the creation of a machine to understand people or of an apocalypse caused by the earth no longer rotating on its axis, were not so far fetched after all. Magical realism might not appropriately apply here, but somehow that is what these stories remind me of.
Also, the collection had an interconnection that made them feel separate, but somehow related. Images or theories from an earlier story had a way of reappearing in another, and I was left to positively try to put pieces together to make sure the beauty of not one recurrence was missed.
Honestly, as a lover of novels, this was my first foray into a short story collection; and if this is any indicator, then it won't be my last.
What I loved most about the collection of stories by Somerville was that although a majority were purely science fiction, they did not detour too far from our black and white world. It added just a splash of color to our known reality, almost making me feel that the creation of a machine to understand people or of an apocalypse caused by the earth no longer rotating on its axis, were not so far fetched after all. Magical realism might not appropriately apply here, but somehow that is what these stories remind me of.
Also, the collection had an interconnection that made them feel separate, but somehow related. Images or theories from an earlier story had a way of reappearing in another, and I was left to positively try to put pieces together to make sure the beauty of not one recurrence was missed.
Honestly, as a lover of novels, this was my first foray into a short story collection; and if this is any indicator, then it won't be my last.
March 19, 2012
The Universe in Miniature in Miniature is a collection of short novellas by award-winning author Patrick Somerville. I had to read it for my creative writing class because Somerville is coming to my college on Thursday to talk. After reading the book, I’m really excited to hear him talk.
Somerville has a fantastic grasp on how humans think and act. Every character is interesting and realistic, and Somerville add bits of fantasy to many of the stories that adds an extra level to the story. The stories are really fascinating. I liked all of them, and Somerville plays around with a lot of different elements.
The last story is the one that really stuck out for me. It ties together all the other stories and shows how humans can empathize with and understand one another. It was seriously awesome.
There’s also a really interesting story about a girl having an affair with her teacher. It’s written from the girl’s point of view and it’s very authentic.
I really recommend this book. The stories are engaging and well-written, and it’s really fascinating to read. Also, the book cover itself turns into a mobile. How awesome is that?
Somerville has a fantastic grasp on how humans think and act. Every character is interesting and realistic, and Somerville add bits of fantasy to many of the stories that adds an extra level to the story. The stories are really fascinating. I liked all of them, and Somerville plays around with a lot of different elements.
The last story is the one that really stuck out for me. It ties together all the other stories and shows how humans can empathize with and understand one another. It was seriously awesome.
There’s also a really interesting story about a girl having an affair with her teacher. It’s written from the girl’s point of view and it’s very authentic.
I really recommend this book. The stories are engaging and well-written, and it’s really fascinating to read. Also, the book cover itself turns into a mobile. How awesome is that?
May 9, 2011
This book is A-ma-zing.
The best book I've read in a couple years.
Technically it's a collection of short stories (and a novella), but most or all of them are lightly linked.
I found it worked best to read it all in a row, as you would a novel; it's really kind of a "novel in stories." The stories all work alone, but work even better together.
Very inventive stuff. And he writes well as female and male characters of a variety of ages, which impressed me.
There's bits of sci fi and surrealism, but not enough to turn you off if you don't like those things.
Heavy stuff is explored throughout, but the book's not a downer.
Almost immediately after finishing it, I wanted to read the whole book again. NOW, not someday. That pretty much never happens to me.
I would recommend this book to almost anyone, and I will buy copies as gifts.
Thanks Patrick Somerville! I had a very satisfying relationship with your book!
The best book I've read in a couple years.
Technically it's a collection of short stories (and a novella), but most or all of them are lightly linked.
I found it worked best to read it all in a row, as you would a novel; it's really kind of a "novel in stories." The stories all work alone, but work even better together.
Very inventive stuff. And he writes well as female and male characters of a variety of ages, which impressed me.
There's bits of sci fi and surrealism, but not enough to turn you off if you don't like those things.
Heavy stuff is explored throughout, but the book's not a downer.
Almost immediately after finishing it, I wanted to read the whole book again. NOW, not someday. That pretty much never happens to me.
I would recommend this book to almost anyone, and I will buy copies as gifts.
Thanks Patrick Somerville! I had a very satisfying relationship with your book!
January 6, 2011
I've never read anything else like this. It's a collection of short stories, separate and interwoven, with eloquent and ridiculously fun storytelling. Any of my friends interested in reading this book, I will buy you a copy. Seriously. You HAVE to read this. I can't lend you my copy because I have to read too many parts of it again.
March 7, 2011
Really fascinating collection of stories. I stopped reading after the second story, The Sun, because the apocalyptic vision therein was a little too frighteningly vivid, but it was so well written that after a couple days I had to keep going, and was well rewarded for doing so. Then I went on to read Somerville's two earlier books. Good stuff.
April 7, 2016
Out of this world!
April 22, 2022
There were some clunkers here. I almost put the book down after the first story, saying to myself, what the hell was that, but was glad that I didn't give up as there were many interesting, worthwhile stories here. I admired many of them as Somerville expanded the scope of his prior fiction writing and went a little out on a limb, with these pieces. As a result, some worked for me, some just didn't. But those that did, definitely made this a book worth reading. Best of the lot, in my view, was the final piece, a novella entitled "The Machine of Understanding Other People," which puts a helmet (the machine) in the hand of a cynical, self-indulgent, narcissist...and away we go, to a perfect ending. It was definitely worth the wait.
June 24, 2020
The stories focused on Pangea were wonderfully whimsical, engaging and fully worthy of 5 stars. Unfortunately, this only accounts for about a quarter of this collection. The first and last stories are by far my favorite, but the rest sort of fall flat. I found them forgettable and almost didn't finish the book. I'm very glad I did as the last chapter ties everything together beautifully, but a bulk of the middle of this collection lacked a lot of the offbeat humor that I loved in the Pangea stories.
November 25, 2018
"... never had she imagined there could be such swift and focused hatred for the absurd." (pg. 289) The limits of empathy: why they exist, how to get past them, and when to accept them. Totally unpredictable fun cut through with deeply moving scenes of sadness and madness. You know what? I'm putting this on the Generation Bitch Required Reading list. This was great. There are a smattering of typos, but not enough to wreck a sentence.
April 27, 2019
Such a fun read, and really incredible how it all ties together in the end. I'm definitely much more used to having a coherent storyline, and this took a more avant-garde approach. Either that, or it could be that style of writing that I'm not used to. Either way, it was a very good exposure and while I did not enjoy it enough to give it 3 stars, it gave me exposure to a different writing style, and perhaps one that I may grow to appreciate.
July 13, 2017
Just no fun at all. I'd picked this up because I'd heard one of these stories inspired the writers of "The Leftovers." Didn't like that one, nor a couple others I pushed through. Some promising premises but nothing much else. Got the feeling that the author's a self-satisfied asshole. BUT HEY THAT'S JUST ME.
November 26, 2017
I liked the stories at the start and I really liked the last one, but I was not so taken by the ones in the middle. I would have liked the last story to have been longer. Being as I always have so many books vying for my attention I'm not sure that I'd neccessarily read another short story collection by this author.
January 23, 2018
Some stories were difficult to get through, but several had the right punch for short stories to make me feel happy and sad and all kinds of other things in a short space. I would definitely read something else by this author.
September 19, 2021
I don’t even know how to review this book. It was interesting and at times a good read, but it also made me feel like I was missing the point a lot of times. Probably wouldn’t recommend it, but I’m also not mad I read it.
Shelved as 'dnf-with-no-shame'
October 11, 2022DNF @ 25 pages
So here’s what happened:
I read the first titular story and just didn’t vibe with it.
I then tried the last story and realized how long it was and abandoned ship.
I am in a DNF mood. So that says a lot about my mental state, but not really much about this book.
So here’s what happened:
I read the first titular story and just didn’t vibe with it.
I then tried the last story and realized how long it was and abandoned ship.
I am in a DNF mood. So that says a lot about my mental state, but not really much about this book.
March 2, 2024
I really wanted to like this more. I wish the stories in the middle all actually tied into the final chapter. Some did but I don’t see how the others did. Some chapters were really hard to read—stream of consciousness from the narrator.
September 23, 2022
It reminded me of a weirder, funnier A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD, and honestly I’m not sure if I can think of higher praise than that.
February 25, 2011
Patrick Somerville grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin and earned his MFA from Cornell University. His books include two collections of stories -- TROUBLE (2006) and THE UNIVERSE IN MINIATURE IN MINIATURE (Featherproof Books 2010) -- and a novel, THE CRADLE (2009), which was named one of the Ten Best Books of 2009 by Janet Maslin of the New York Times. His writing has appeared in One Story, Epoch, GQ, and Esquire. His latest story collection has been long listed for The Story Prize.
Sommerville had this to say about his story: I wrote “The Universe in Miniature in Miniature” as a way to leap from the world of one book into the world of another -- into the world of the next. I wrote it soon after I’d finished THE CRADLE, my first novel, which sticks to realism and doesn’t bend the rules of our shared reality too much in order to tell its story. With “The Universe in Miniature in Miniature,” I wanted something different, I wanted to stretch out and indulge in whim and the imagination. But I still wanted to tell a story with relatable emotional stakes. That’s a tough gambit, that in-between place where strangeness is allowed to thrive, but the everyday human heart still makes sense. So I looked for a sad story -- the story of a son whose life is essentially ruined because of an accident -- and tried to layer the whim, the fancy, and the unusual institutions over the top. In the end, I hope I found the right combination: real sadness in the center, but a sadness borne along by the humor and color of the fantastic.
Sommerville had this to say about his story: I wrote “The Universe in Miniature in Miniature” as a way to leap from the world of one book into the world of another -- into the world of the next. I wrote it soon after I’d finished THE CRADLE, my first novel, which sticks to realism and doesn’t bend the rules of our shared reality too much in order to tell its story. With “The Universe in Miniature in Miniature,” I wanted something different, I wanted to stretch out and indulge in whim and the imagination. But I still wanted to tell a story with relatable emotional stakes. That’s a tough gambit, that in-between place where strangeness is allowed to thrive, but the everyday human heart still makes sense. So I looked for a sad story -- the story of a son whose life is essentially ruined because of an accident -- and tried to layer the whim, the fancy, and the unusual institutions over the top. In the end, I hope I found the right combination: real sadness in the center, but a sadness borne along by the humor and color of the fantastic.
December 5, 2015
Wow. This book would have been a solid 5 if it wasn't for the short stories. Let me explain this a little bit. The book is 65% short stories and 35% 2 mini novels which together end the book. The 2 mini novels are - by far - the best texts I have read this year, the problem is that to reach them you have to go through some really crappy short stories. Maybe crappy it's too strong of a word, as some are really good but have terrible endings. There was one case in which I couldn't believe what of a good story I was reading and when I turned the page...the story had finished and a new one was starting. Literally. It ended out of nowhere. Other stories, are just simply boring.
Most (if not all) of these stories are connected (including the mini novels) but when I reached the end of the book I couldn't really recall what the connection was as I had started and stopped reading the book so many times.
Overall, the author has some great ideas and I loved (really loved) the writing. The mini novels are great and it seems as the short stories were just thrown into the book for the sake of adding pages and call it a book. Would I read another book from this author? Definitely, if it's just a novel.
This one gets 2.75 stars from my side.
Most (if not all) of these stories are connected (including the mini novels) but when I reached the end of the book I couldn't really recall what the connection was as I had started and stopped reading the book so many times.
Overall, the author has some great ideas and I loved (really loved) the writing. The mini novels are great and it seems as the short stories were just thrown into the book for the sake of adding pages and call it a book. Would I read another book from this author? Definitely, if it's just a novel.
This one gets 2.75 stars from my side.
Read
August 19, 2013There's a tab that says "THIS BOOK turns into..."
and the inside cover says "a 15 planet mini-mobile!
And sure enough you can cut out the planets on the cover, and the inside jacket and back jacket and do various other things as per the instructions on the back jacket and you have a mini universe mobile!!! The beginning of the instructions: "Tired of trying to PUZZLE together the stories in this book into a coherent, life-affirming worldview? GOOD NEWS! You can now assemble a mini-mobile of the universe from it INSTEAD!" etc...
Another author's blurb on the back jacket: "Patrick Somerville is the most devastatingly sensitive badass nerd in contemporary lit - he is as consistently inventive and surprising as anyone writing today. I love this book, with its weird art and crazy machines and secret agents and out-of-control love. It's as if Optimus Prime folded himself up into a story collection."
So far, this book is just as awesome as I could have hoped. I'm about halfway through.
8-18
DONE! This was really a great collection of stories. No weak ones. Just lots of weird, awesome characters.
and the inside cover says "a 15 planet mini-mobile!
And sure enough you can cut out the planets on the cover, and the inside jacket and back jacket and do various other things as per the instructions on the back jacket and you have a mini universe mobile!!! The beginning of the instructions: "Tired of trying to PUZZLE together the stories in this book into a coherent, life-affirming worldview? GOOD NEWS! You can now assemble a mini-mobile of the universe from it INSTEAD!" etc...
Another author's blurb on the back jacket: "Patrick Somerville is the most devastatingly sensitive badass nerd in contemporary lit - he is as consistently inventive and surprising as anyone writing today. I love this book, with its weird art and crazy machines and secret agents and out-of-control love. It's as if Optimus Prime folded himself up into a story collection."
So far, this book is just as awesome as I could have hoped. I'm about halfway through.
8-18
DONE! This was really a great collection of stories. No weak ones. Just lots of weird, awesome characters.
Read
January 13, 2017Did not finish. I read the first couple stories. Whenever it was reading time, I found I wasn't reaching for this. The conceits of the stories were thought-provoking, but there were a few big detractors that kept me from getting sucked in. The biggest one is the cleverness--the writing had a humor and wit to it that felt wholly to be the author's showing off and not necessary features of the stories. Cleverness got in the way of the heart of whatever the story was trying to get at so much so that in most cases I didn't know what that heart was. This phenomenon was more muted in at least one of the stories I got through, the one in which the world becomes fixed around the sun, but I still felt it creeping in. The characters felt like collections of tics for the author, too, rather than real people in real situations. This can be fine--I don't always want Alice Munro--but I got bored.
July 22, 2017
The title of the book hints at the quirky nature of this short story collection. As a reader you quickly get the sense that a bigger story is being told, something that ties all the smaller stories together.
This is an extremely entertaining read and I recommend it to anyone looking for an inventive narrative. I will definitely be checking out other books by Patrick Somerville now.
One comment on style: the author loves his long, run-on, never-ending sentences. I read this book out loud to my wife on a road trip and there were times a half-page parenthetical thought interrupted the main action of the sentence. I'm not complaining, though, because these longer sentences create some enjoyable pacing.
This is an extremely entertaining read and I recommend it to anyone looking for an inventive narrative. I will definitely be checking out other books by Patrick Somerville now.
One comment on style: the author loves his long, run-on, never-ending sentences. I read this book out loud to my wife on a road trip and there were times a half-page parenthetical thought interrupted the main action of the sentence. I'm not complaining, though, because these longer sentences create some enjoyable pacing.
January 15, 2016
For some reason Goodreads didn't save my overall review the first time I wrote it, so here it is for the second time.
Although I stand by my thoughts during the the update, the final story in the collection completely changed my mind about this book. It was beautiful, sad, and surreal. It was long enough to have well-developed characters and an interesting story arc, and it tied into other stories in the collection. The premise was interesting and the execution was lovely. It was the perfect short story.
Yesterday I was prepared to rate this book 3 stars, but based on the final story and the strength of some others in the collection, I'm amending that to a very solid 4.5. Recommended. Don't give up on this book before the end; it's worth sticking it out for.
Although I stand by my thoughts during the the update, the final story in the collection completely changed my mind about this book. It was beautiful, sad, and surreal. It was long enough to have well-developed characters and an interesting story arc, and it tied into other stories in the collection. The premise was interesting and the execution was lovely. It was the perfect short story.
Yesterday I was prepared to rate this book 3 stars, but based on the final story and the strength of some others in the collection, I'm amending that to a very solid 4.5. Recommended. Don't give up on this book before the end; it's worth sticking it out for.
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