Book Review: Glass Stories by Ivy Grimes

Title: Glass Stories

Author: Ivy Grimes

When white light is passed through a glass prism, it refracts into a rainbow of colours. Similarly, the seventeen tales in Ivy Grimes’ Glass Stories are all bound together by the common theme of “glass”, but each one is a unique shade. Glass objects are at the heart of each story and range from a tiny glass pill to a glass mountain. The importance of each glass item shifts from story to story, but there is always some glass present, and I enjoyed guessing what form the glass would take in each story.

Grimes has an unusual style, and her stories do not follow typical conventions or tropes. The tales were often experimental, or as the description promises, “darkly weird” and “absurd”. Experimental does not always work for me, as I tend to enjoy tropes, but I appreciate new styles and books outside the norm, too. Some of the stories worked better for me than others. A few felt as though they ended rather abruptly, but even the ones that agreed with me less, were made enjoyable by Grimes’ easy-going and engaging prose. Finding the endings abrupt mostly meant that I wanted to read one and explore whatever strange little glass world I was in.

A majority of the stories in this collection fall under the umbrella of horror, and readers should be prepared for some dark material. My personal favourites were two that strayed outside of horror: Glass Clue and Glass Mountain.

Glass Clue starts off with a mystery. The glass item is a misshapen ball with an unclear purpose. Joe, following a cryptic statement from his mother, has to investigate its origin. The result is a sweet little story about grief and moving forward.

Glass Mountain is a fairy-tale-esque story about a princess whose father has forced her to live on top of a glass mountain. To win her hand, and by extension, the kingdom, suitors must make the impossible journey to the top to prove their worth. Grimes centres the princess at the heart of the story and instead of a typical fairy tale, Glass Mountain is an empowering journey about a young woman learning how to take control of her own destiny.

Glass Stories is a strong collection full of variety, darkness, and light. The glass theme ties the stories together in a coherent manner, but does not restrict them. Rather, it allows each tale to be its own creation and explore different ideas of life, growth, and what makes a story.