| Title | : | Sweet Home |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1844719065 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781844719068 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 156 |
| Publication | : | First published November 9, 2012 |
With psychological insight and a lightness of touch frequently found in fairy tales, Bray delves under the surface of ordinary lives to explore loss, disappointment, frustrated expectations and regret. Described as ‘not just excellent, but significant,’ by poet and critic Robert Sheppard, these dark and lyrical stories illuminate extraordinary and everyday occurrences with humanity and humour.
Sweet Home Reviews
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4.5
While I enjoyed all of these short stories, I didn't particularly love all of them. My least favorite being "Sweet Home".
Two of my favorites were "My Burglar" and "Dancing in the Kitchen", the later one reminding me of my own daughter.
As a heads up, these were depressing stories; however, at the same time, showed the truth about what really goes on behind closed doors.
"Just in Case" and "The Baby Aisle" were just completely bonkers. -
This is a wonderful short story collection. It won Salt Publishing's Scott Prize, and it really doesn't disappoint. The stories will haunt you, and trouble you; they'll also tug on your heart strings and make you tear up. One of the stories (The Rescue) made me cry. The theme of family runs through all of the tales; Carys writes about the things people don't talk about, the hidden emotions of family life, the things that go on behind closed doors and inside the minds of children and parents. She tells the story of Hansel and Gretel from the point of view of an old woman who angers a town by building a house made of of ginger bread. There's a wonderful story called 'Ice Baby,' where a father creates a child from an ice block and tries to keep her alive when the weather gets warmer. My favourite story is 'Baby Aisle' where, in Tesco, you can buy babies, already named and listed with hair colour, eye colour, weight and performance guarantee. Each baby says how long it is likely to live; twins are two for the price of one, and if a baby isn't bought straight away then it becomes discounted, near its best-before date, shoved towards the end of the aisle. You are not allowed to return babies if they cry too much. It's a wonderfully twisted story, and I loved it. In fact, I loved the whole collection!
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*This book is one I was sent for review from the publisher at my request, but this does not affect my opinions*
I ADORED this book. My friend had recommended this to me before, and I had seen it generally on other people's videos and recommendations list, but I never knew what I was missing out on. This is an incredibly emotional, intense and deep look at family dynamics, grief, happiness, loss, personality, disease, mental health and so much more. The stories within this deal with a whole range of different topics, and yet each is only a couple pages long. The way Carys Bray manages to completely convey the raw emotions of a particular moment or scene is excellent, and honestly I loved all but one of the stories within this collection (the one I didn't was the shortest at only one page and I think that;s why I didn't connect as much).
There are 17 stories within this book and of those I would give at least 11 a 5* rating and 5 of them a 4* rating (with the one I didn't like getting a 2*s) and so overall this is a very, very solid collection in my eyes. Some of the stories which particularly resonated with me and had a great impact were;
Everything a Parent Needs to Know - a story about just how difficult parenting can be and the various troubles you face day to day
Just in Case - about a woman who lost a baby
The Rescue - about a young boy who falls into a life of drug addiction and how this affects his family
Wooden Mum - about a family who have a child with special needs
Scaling Never - about the loss of a family member and the after effects on a religious family
The Baby Aisle - about how easy it is to fall into family life, whether you mean to or not, and also a commentary on class divides
The Countdown - a story from the point of view of the man when a baby is involved
My Burglar - a story about a lady suffering from memory loss
Bed Rest - a story about a mother with pre-eclampsia and how her family handles this
Love: terms and conditions - a story about the ideas we put around our expectations and behaviours in order to feel loved and do so correctly
The Ice Baby - A story about a baby made from ice
As you can see the focus of this collection is certainly family and the various troubles, conflicts and moments which may threaten or endanger or test a family unit. I loved all of these stories and they all felt utterly genuine and beautifully written when I read them, to the point that I just fell in love with this collection from after the first two stories.
I would highly, highly recommend that you check this collection out. It's wonderful! 5*s :) -
2.5 stars, interesting but not ground-breaking
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Review to follow.
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This was such a good a collection. A couple of stories weren't for me, which I've come to expect in short story collections. But the rest were fantastic. Some just normal every day kind of stories, and some were very strange indeed.
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Sweet Home is a collection of seventeen stories that talk about parenthood, loss, grief and vulnerability of adults. The language is sparse yet punches you with unexpected twists and turns. It is a mix of both realistic tales and well as stories with magical elements in them (eg: The Ice Baby reminds one of Pinocchio and Gepeto and Sweet Home is a modern take on the story of the witch with the gingerbread house.
Full review and highlights of different stories on
http://www.thebooksatchel.com/sweet-h... -
In all honesty this felt like a 4 but I'm giving it a 5 because I think I did the old 'put it on a pedestal and then when you finally read it it's not as good as you'd hoped forward slash it's not you it's me' trick. Perhaps I savoured it too long and should've read them in a week rather than a month. Perhaps they will sink in over time. I hope they do. I hope these stories stay with me forever. They are beautiful and eerily mesmerizing leaving you with a sweet chill hovering over your spine. Some of my favourites were: 'Just in Case', 'Bed Rest', 'The ice baby' & 'On the way home'.
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I ordered this after hearing
Jen Campbell speak about it on her youtube channel. I am so pleased that I did! This is by far the best short story collection I have read all year. I am very excited to read more from
Carys Bray and to re-read this collection over and over again in the future. So wonderful. -
Seeing that Carys has a new book coming soon prompted me to look up her others. I’ve loved them all but this book of short stories is particularly special.
Carys Bray is a delight to read and these stories show a unique perspective.
In fact I might just read them again. -
Impressive collection of stories. There were some that stood out more than others, but over all very enjoyable. The only downside is the voices of the characters are not always age appropriate, but the voice is beautiful so I didn't mind so much. I think this will be an interesting book to read before and after having children.
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2 stars
Most of the stories were rather forgettable and unfulfilling to me.
I liked:
- Sweet Home
- The ice baby
- The rescue
- Wooden mum
- My burglar
- Just in case
Bray's writing is lovely, though, and I would definitely reach for her other works. -
'Then I read that the decomposition of the human body is a cascade process. There are four stages: fresh, bloat, decay and dry. I don't like the word cascade. It makes me think of skin and tissue streaming off in a pulpy torrent. I'd rather imagine the flesh wisping away like dandelion seeds, leaving tender bone stems behind. '
From 'Just In Case.'
This short story collection deals with themes of families, child loss and longing. It exposes the every day struggles parents have in trying to do right by their children. It explores child loss from both the parent's and sibling' perspective. Also, the aging parent and breaking free of parental expectations in adulthood. One short story 'Scaling Never ', echoes the same characters and themes as in Carys Bray's novel, 'A song for Issy Bradley.' In it Issy's brother is practising his resurrection powers on dug-up bird bones. Some stories edge on the dark ('Just In Case ' still has be gasping) and fairy tale themes.
If these topics interest you, than I highly recommend.
'There was no interest in the small parcel of woodland until the old woman bought it. The wood grew at the edge of the village, at the brink of awareness. For most people its existence was an abstract or fleetingly pleasant local detail. After the old woman's visit to the estate agent, everyone suddenly began to talk about conservation. '
From 'Sweet Home.' -
I’m a HUGE fan of short story collections, and this one by Bray is another new favorite. Weird to say, but I loved how sad and bleak Bray made these stories. I love it when authors write stories in a way where I can feel how the characters feel and can identify with their needs and desires in a way where I can’t in my real life. I’d recommend this book to people who:
🏡 Love to read magical realism.
🏡 Love reading about the secret sadnesses surrounding “typical” suburban life.
🏡 Love sad stories 🤷🏻♀️ -
This was actually the first collection of short stories that I have read...it was definitely a good one to start with. Some of the stories hit home moreso than others obviously, but there wasn't a story that didn't resonate with me in some way. I will definitely be reading more short story collections in the future!
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Exceptional collection that deeply examines family relationships, specifically from a mother’s perspective. Funny and moving, nearly every single story connected with me in some way.
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I adored this collection of 17 short stories.
Every now and again, usually when I am thinking about having a go at writing myself, I come across a book which shames me into screwing up every sheet of scribbled plot ideas I have as I stand humbled and in awe of the utter and complete skill of a seriously talented writer, realising I should never attempt to compete and just stick to reading! This book did just that.
This collection of short stories is only 180 pages long; each story ranges from very brief -almost flash fiction style- to three or four pages long, to six or seven pages maximum, so it can very easily be picked up and enjoyed whenever you have a spare minute. It's perfect for dipping in and out of -although you will not want to, as this is a book that needs to be truly savoured.
If like me, you try to read these tales without allowing for that ten minute period of stunned reflection after the last sentence has run like cold water down your spine, then you will end up burning dinner, letting your hundredth cup of tea go cold and come back to earth to find your children have quietly destroyed the house and eaten the entire secret supply of chocolate biscuits.
These stories are intense, powerful, emotionally and at times, heartbreaking. Above all, they are very original and show Bray to be an accomplished storyteller. They explore grief, motherhood, families and "home". It is a rich collection of dark, perceptively chilling tales.
Often in a collection of stories there are those that are stronger and weaker, but I did not find that here. I could quote endlessly from all of them. From the opening paragraph of the first story I knew I had discovered a real gem of a book of which I was going to love every sentence:
"She felt like an actress who has learned the wrong lines. She has rehearsed Mary Poppins only to find herself appearing in Night Mother."
The opening story, "Everything a parent needs to know", sees a mother battling her way through a child's swimming lesson as words from her "hard-backed, hard-faced, hard-to-follow" parenting manuals haunt and taunt her. I loved the fictitious quotes which resonated deeply, as did their inappropriateness and smugness as the mother struggles through a trying situation. "Just in Case" left me with a shudder but also a sadness and "My burglar" was equally poignant.
"Sweet Home" is a fantastic retelling of "Hansel and Gretel" and also subtly shows the reader how these short stories could also be fables and fairy tales for a contemporary audience as they echo many of the traits and lure the reader into the same kind of hypnotic, mediative state.
Short stories are a real art form and I think, deceptively hard to write. This collection gives Bray a chance to flaunt the full range of her talent and her intelligent - and brave- insight into aspects of "home" which are sometimes considered taboo or highly emotive and sensitive. She handles them expertly. This is a very dark collection of tales but I did not find it depressing or oppressive. Bray's lyrical writing is captivating and a treads a well judged balance between heartbreak, shock and humour. Bray seems to have a wealth of experience and understanding of human nature beyond her years and I am impressed with her ability to write about a range of issues and themes with such conviction, acuteness and awareness. As The Times said, "Bray writes with clarity, intelligence and authenticity."
Bray is a talented writer - read everything she's written and cross your fingers for more. -
After reading the splendid A Song for Issy Bradley and being thoroughly impressed with Carys Bray's ability to tackle the emotional landslide of a child's death and how a religious family are able to move forward I was keen to sample more of her work. Sweet Home is a collection of seventeen short stories principally surrounding the idea of home, parenting and family life and I was once again struck by Carys Bray's ability to put words to the myriad of emotions which fill every home and this collection shows that she has lost none of that skill.
Admittedly some stories made more of a lasting impression than others, the first of which was Everything a Parent Needs to Know as a mother considers the futility of the many parenting manuals and the saccharine lessons that fill them and compares herself to "an actress that has learned the wrong lines" as she battles with the catalogue of failings which pour out of her daughters mouth. The Rescue deals with the emotions of a father and emphasises never giving up on loved ones as he copes with an apathetic and disillusioned adult son with a checkered past and compares the rescue of the thirty-three Chilean miners with the long wait for his son to turn the corner and begin to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Wooden Mum focuses on a mother caught in the conflicting battles of family life as she copes with her son's Aspergers Syndrome. From fighting his corner at school, placating the younger child who cannot understand the special treatment dispensed to her older brother, through to the Daily Mail reading mother-in-law who looks for reasons and seeks to attribute blame for her grandsons problems. My Burglar is a poignant portrait of a frazzled daughter hard pushed to manage a mother addled with dementia and offers a glimpse into how old age can reduce everyone to the insecurities of childhood and require the offspring to adopt the caring role for their aged parents. In contrast The Baby Aisle lightened the tone comparing shopping for babies with grocery shopping, with the buy one get one free deal on twins and the "Archies, Sebastians and Theodores" who fill the shelves of Waitrose as opposed to what you might find at Tesco and the bittersweet Reduced to Clear section.
Of the seventeen stories which comprise Sweet Home I was impressed by just over half and found this a sensitive and at times profound read. Carys Bray captures some of the intricacies and unspoken thoughts and feelings which hold a family unit together through so many highs and lows. Short stories are a notoriously difficult format to master for any author and often leave readers feeling a little short changed and I confess to reading very few collections for this reason. On balance Sweet Home is a enjoyable collection which has thoroughly whetted my appetite for future full length novels from Carys Bray and made for a very pleasing diversion from my usual staple of crime fiction and my rating reflects the fact that short stories make little lasting impression upon me. -
Originally posted here
I haven't read many short story collections but I really enjoyed Sweet Home. There are seventeen different stories, all linked by themes relating to familial relationships and family life behind closed doors. Some of the stories include magical realism to wonderful effect, such as buying babies in the baby aisle at Tesco or making a living baby out of an ice ball in winter and then struggling to keep the baby alive as the weather starts to warm up. My favourite stories in particular were:
Just in case - a woman who has recently lost a baby and the consequences of her grief. A surprisingly dark tale that explores the bizarre places that grief can lead to.
Sweet home - an elderly female foreigner builds a house out of gingerbread and sweets and gets pestered by the locals who dislike her. The gingerbread house is symbolic of the home as something temporary that can be consumed by people or can consume them.
The baby aisle - babies are sold at the supermarket in the baby aisle; returns only accepted on faulty babies and not because they happen to cry too much. Explores the idea of babies being brought into the world with expectations and fulfilling a specific role in a family.
Under covers - teen girls mock an older lady who is pegging her washing outside as she thinks back on her marriage. Ironic that the teen girls should scoff at something that is essentially their future, an older lady pegging washing out on the line.
Love: terms and conditions - a couple takes their children to visit the maternal grandparents. Humorously examines the differences in parenting styles of the parents vs the grandparents.
I would recommend this short story collection as it is an interesting exploration of often dysfunctional family dynamics. Every story touched a nerve within me and I felt so many different emotions as no two stories were alike. Every story highlights the struggles of family life in seventeen quite distinct stories. A brilliant examination of many interpretations of what home means to people, and it's not always bliss. -
Published by Salt Publishing in October last year, Sweet Home is a collection of short stories by Carys Bray, and was the winner of the Scott Prize.
In Sweet Home we find a collection of 17 stories, all of them explore some dark issues in suburbia. Themes of loss, motherhood, regret and hope are woven through this exceptional collection of tales. Carys Bray has the ability to draw the reader in from the first sentence, not letting go until the end. I often find short stories unsatisfactory, almost as if the author wants to write a full-length novel but just runs out of steam, this really didn't happen once in this collection. Each story is the perfect parcel - sometimes funny, always on the dark side and all so very truthful. Whether it is the bereaved mother, the alleged witch or the baby supermarket, each story is crafted so well, almost fairy-tale like - but definitely on the Grimm side!
Family based stories can often be sentimental or overly sweet, but not these. Carys Bray captures the stark realities of ordinary everyday life, but with grace and a touch of beauty.
I was very impressed with Sweet Home and look forward to reading more from Carys Bray in the future. -
Sweet Home is a book of dark, funny short stories.
To just mention two stories....a bereaved mother borrows her next door neighbor's baby. An outsider builds a house of at the edge of an English village...I'm not going to share any of the other stories with you because those you must experience yourself.
The author delves into the lives of ordinary people and discloses frustrated expectations, loss and disappointment.
It is a fantastic read!!
This book will go on my re-read shelf!! -
I'm not sure if short stories are for me, but I'm determined to find a collection I love. Unfortunately this was not it. While a few of the stories were lovely, most I found to be instantly forgettable. This has not put me off reading Carys Bray's full length novels, though, as I appreciated her skill in writing. I think it's just that I don't 'get' short stories ... The search continues. 2 stars because it was 'ok'.
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3.5 stars As with virtually every short story collection, there will be stories you love and stories you don't love as much. This collection focuses on domestic life, that of parents, children, and families in general. But they all are twisted in some way, whether they be fantastical or horrific. The cover of this book is a pretty spot-on representation of what these stories are like. My favorites included: "Just in case," "Wooden mum," "The countdown," and "Love: terms and conditions."
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Out of all the stories in this book I only enjoyed 4. I was hoping for so much more from this. I knew going in that the stories were tragic and not all happily ever after, home sweet home-ish, but I had hoped more would be this way. I'm glad I read the ones I liked, but I won't be keeping this book.
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Finished as part of Dewey's 24hr Readathon, April 2016
I was a little underwhelmed by this collection. It is quite maternal, with the stories very much focusing around family, motherhood, pregnancy etc. Unfortunately, I am the furthest thing from maternal and so it fell a little flat for me. -
Brilliant short stories! It's rare to find so many good short stories in one collection.
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Bray has a beautiful turn of phrase for most of her descriptions, a wit that adds depth to their emotional core.
Emotion in these stories is mostly parental in nature: the love for an unhappy child, the pain of losing so young a life, the anticipation of being a bad father or mother. As such its subjective appeal to me was rather hit or miss. However I did notice that grief struck me more than standard domestic issues.
While Bray is certainly skilled in most things she writes, I would hope that she steers clear of quaint family anecdotes in future works.
Notable Stories
• Just in case - I'm still puzzling over the ending: was it properly laid up? Is the baby in danger?
• Sweet Home - this 'sympathy for the fairytale villain' story works purely through sugary logistics.
• Dancing in the Kitchen - I admire how it plays with its layout and appreciate its wishes for memory. -
for a short story collection centred around domesticity and motherhood, i enjoyed this a whole lot more than i expected to. many of the stories in here are twisted and haunting, melancholy and thought provoking. my personal favourites were 'just in case' about a woman in desperate grief over losing her baby and what lengths she'll go to, the title story 'sweet home' which was a retelling of hansel and gretel but for the current xenophobic climate in the UK, 'the baby aisle' where you can purchase a newborn from tesco, and 'the ice baby' with mentions of fairytales and norse mythology (which is just my interests summed up).
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This book is a collection of short stories, that although may seem like are about parenting, are actually anecdotal comparisons to the world of parenting manuals. On the face of it, the stories may start out funny, but soon become disturbing as most of the stories have death in them. Babies are like dolls as they are sold on supermarket shelves and stuffed into suitcases. One story: 'Scaling never' may be familiar to those who have read The Story of Issy Bradley, as it features the same characters, but focuses entirely on Jacob. Each story was so poignant and had and unexpected twist, it's easily the best short story collection I have ever read.
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3.5 ⭐️
Everything a parent needs to know ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Just in case ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sweet home ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The rescue ⭐️⭐️
Wooden mum ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dancing in the kitchen ⭐️⭐️
Scaling never ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The baby aisle ⭐️⭐️⭐️
My burglar ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The countdown ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bed rest ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Under covers ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Love: terms and conditions ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The ice baby ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bodies ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I will never disappoint my children ⭐️⭐️⭐️
On the way home ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
