Each story in Chambers of the Heart is different from the last and stands out. Yet there are certain threads tying them all together. They all have this slice of time feel. Most—if not all—of these stories don’t really have a strong plot focus. Instead they’re more about little heartbeats of time. Another thread is that these stories all evoke some sort of feeling. Tiredness, melancholy, joy, disgust, you name it. I mean, the collection is called Chambers of the Heart, so it’s fitting. One final thing that ties the stories together is they all play with your expectations. I don’t mean that in a “each story has a twist!” sense. But more in the sense that the road you’re on is a winding one.
Something I really loved is that we’re given little author notes about the origins of each story. They offered interesting insights on things like how the story came to be or what direction it could have gone in or even the inspiration behind it. And these stories really are so varied. The standouts for me were the one about a building made completely from salt (cw: body horror, described in minor detail), one about a civilization where people are revolted by natural appearances, and one about a mysterious man who comes out of the water. I think some people might not like the “plotless” feel that some of the stories have, but I thought the medium was perfect for that style. I also want to quickly add that a few stories also feature LGBTQ+ representation.
Overall, I ended up really loving this collection. It was poignant, heartfelt, and wonderfully crafted.
(I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. The book is set to release April 16, 2022.)
