Customer Reviews

Things that Fall from the Sky

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Here are some of the things that fall from the sky in Kevin BrockmeierÕs striking and unusual debut collection of short fiction: an autumn leaf, errant fireworks, a lethal bucket, an impenetrable barrier of blackness, and a characterÕs dead mother. For Brockmeier, these strange rains come to symbolize the moments of pain and grace that intrude themselves upon our lives, falling without warning onto our unsuspecting heads.

These stories move effortlessly from naturalism (a boy shares his first kiss on the same day that his Bible teacher is killed by a falling bucket) to fantasy (a manÕs marriage falls apart as the sky above his house creeps ever lower), and each is distinguished by a richness of theme and character and a formidable stylistic talent. Not every story here works, but those that do are quite impressive. Brockmeier, it seems, is a writer to watch.

In this extraordinary collection, Brockemeier effortlessly crosses borders between many different modes of writing -- realism, surrealism, fantasy, mystery, fable, fairy tale -- to create sharply insightful stories that have much to say about modern life and the surreal world we live in. Tender, funny, painful, and deeply moving, I highly, highly recommend this collection to all fans of interstitial fiction.

Rich and whimsical and beautifully written; imaginative and tender and lovely.

With Things That Fall from the Sky, Kevin Brockmeier boldy introduces himself as a writer worth reading. Every story is a joy to read, and taken as a whole the collection makes a lasting impression.

Kevin Brockmeier, obviously wise beyond his years, writes with profound insight, empathy and imagination, in equal parts.
These stories are brimming treasure chests that I simply could not put down and did not want to end!

I can not wait to read his next work.

We were assigned to read "The Ceiling" and The Truth About Celia (novel), and with those two read, I had to buy this book. Kevin Brockmeier is an extraordinary writer, and I wait anxiously for his next book.