Harare Review of Books

336 pages.

First published Oct 24, 2023 (Erewhon Books)

Fiction anthology.

E. Lily Yu presents to us this jewel box: a close-to-perfect collection of twenty-two (such riches!) stories. Yu’s writing is magical, and the execution of all of these wildly varying ideas is perfect. From a flying prayer mat, to the musician who retrieves his beloved from a hellish place (but perhaps hell is everywhere), on the Apocalypse through the lives of the New York rich, a magician and maker of eyes, aliens (the refugee kind), unicorns, a space traveller, a knight and a witch, and so much more, the worlds Yu builds are enchanted and enchanting.

Some among my favourite stories: The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees, about conceited, coloniser, and yes, cartographer wasps, vs humble bees. (Did you know that bees dance directions?) The Lion God and the Two Gates, about a judge who maybe isn’t is fair as he likes to think, and the perfect justice he meets. The Wretched and the Beautiful, about those refugee/aliens. The Witch of Orion Waste and the Boy Knight, an on-the-nose and feminist fable. The Courtship Displays of the American Birder, which I found delightful as a budding birder myself. The Time Invariance of Snow, for its structure and truth. The Cat’s Tale, because it’s also a feminist fable. The View From the Top of the Stair, which is so melancholy and moving and quirky and sad, and because I know humans who collect things, and this made me think about why. And Small Monsters, a complete triumph, the perfect, perfect story, and the perfect way to end the book.

I cannot recommend this collection enough. E. Lily Yu’s stories are the kind you want to cite and to re-read over and over again. They recapture the magic of fairytales for humans who have theoretically outgrown them. Like the best fables, they capture and teach eternal truths in simple, accessible, and memorable ways. But most of all, these stories are huge fun, and I loved them! I suspect you might, too.

Thank you very much to Erewhon and to NetGalley for access.

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