3.5 stars

A compact book of short stories full of tiny surprises. ( )

It’s almost impossible to categorize these very brief episodes, vignettes, amuse bouches. I suppose someone would call them flash fictions, though there is rarely a perceived overt narrative drive. They range across a sea of topics, typically approached obliquely, even diffidently. Sometimes the sequence of sentences read like non sequiturs. And yet… I liked them. And I liked the overall effect. Sort of like Lydia Davis only moreso.

If you read too many of these in one sitting (you could easily read the whole book in one sitting), you will begin to experience vertigo. It might be safer to read one and then set the book aside for a day or two. Perhaps a subscription service would be the perfect method of delivery.

And now, having read the whole of Imaginary Museums, I feel like I would like to read it again. Even slower this time.

Gently recommended. Or robustly, if this is the sort of thing you like. ( )