Book Description
In these short stories, Katy Wimhurst creates off-kilter worlds that illuminate our own.
Apocalyptic rabbits invade a town.
People overwhelmed by their lives float above an urban park.
A woman turns transparent after a virus.
The playful lens of magical realism is used to explore physical and mental illness and our fragile environment. Thought-provoking fiction with a good dose of whimsy.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Let Them Float' by Katy Wimhurst.
Read and reviewed for Katy Wimhurst, Alien Buddha Press and Zooloos Book Tours.
Publication date 20th September 2023
This is the first book I have read by this author but it most definitely won't be my last!
This novel consists of 7 short stories and can be read story by story or devoured in one sitting which is what I did!!
I have never come across a book at all like this and it's uniqueness is definitely a huge bonus!! This book consists of 7 enchanting, unique, thought provoking, eclectic and definitely eccentric stories. One of the things I always enjoy about books of poems, short stories and compilations is that there is normally always something for everyone and even though you may not like some of the stories/poems there is normally several that you will enjoy and in this case I absolutely LOVED EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE!! The other bonus of books of short stories are that you can pick the book up throughout the day/s to pick and choose which story/stories you want to read that day or can read the whole book in one sitting. Each book is based on our world with real people but they all have a quirkiness, dystopian feel about them all at the same time. The majority of them also seem to have underlying messages in regards to some of the issues and illnesses that people tackle with on a daily basis such a mental health. I enjoyed each and every one of them for different reasons. My favourite of them all just had to be 'Duskers' though. This story talks about people in community fading and society ignoring them, treating them with disdain and generally as a dark side of society. However, as we read this story we understand that these 'duskers' are all just ordinary people who have the misfortune to all suffer with chronic and mental illnesses. However, because society can't see that anything is wrong with them they just attach a lazy label to them. This is sadly very true for today's modern world. I myself suffer with chronic pain but to look at me there is nothing wrong. However, on other days I cannot even move and I really connected with the duskers and seen many similarities into how I myself as well as others I know with chronic pain are treated and it really is quite sad that in a world that is so modern we are dismissed and even gaslit by doctors who are meant to be there to help. Anyway, I could talk about 'Duskers' all day but I don't want you to get too bored reading this so I will move on. My second favourite story has to be 'Let Them Float'. This story deals with a very similar concept but with people who end up floating above a park for one reason or another. These people have had alot of pressure, stress and more added to them in their realities of life but aren't getting the help they need so they break away from society by floating above them and going into a sort of limbo state where they go into themselves for a while. These people are judged just as much as the 'duskers' and even more so the 'Floaters' that have children who are deemed as bad parents. This is another story I can relate to because, as a parent myself and a mother of children with additional needs, you are made to feel like a bad person if you are struggling to cope and need a break. I was going to go into what I thought about the stories individually but I think I will have to wrap this up here due to the length of the review!!! Each of these fantastic stories will leave you thinking about them for a long time afterwards and shows the sad truth of how judgemental people can be. I have never come across a fictional book featuring chronic illness so I would like to thank Katy for including it in these stories and bringing awareness to others. The fact that Katy has either done her research or suffers with chronic illness herself absolutely shines through her words and she weaves the information into fantastical stories that are intriguing, mysterious and whimsical. Congratulations Katy on a fantastic book, for bringing awareness of chronic illnesses into the world in a fun way and for ensuring the details are factual. It is a pet hate of mine when authors don't research their topics and the book is then littered with errors that spoil the storyline unnecessarily. Katy's incredible writing talent absolutely shines through this book as she keeps the reader hooked with her absolutely fantastic imagination that I am very pleased she has chosen to share with her readers. Katy really is a truly entertaining and intelligent author with a great imagination and I'm looking forward to reading more books written by her!!!
This has GOT to be one of favourite book of short stories of all times!!! Absolutely LOVED IT!!! Well done Katy on an absolutely amazing book!!! Welcome to my favourite author club and here is to your next GUARANTEED SUCCESS 🥂!!!
Overall a unique, enchanting and absolutely brilliant book of short stories that will have you intrigued, absolutely hooked and thinking about it long after you have put it down!!!
112 pages
This book is just £9.97 in paperback at time of review via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Katy Wimhurst’s first collection of short stories was Snapshots of the Apocalypse (Fly on the Wall Press, 2022) and her second collection Let Them Float will be published in December 2023 (Alien Buddha Press).
Her fiction has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including The Guardian, Writers’ Forum, Cafe Irreal, Kaleidotrope, To Hull and Back, and ShooterLit. Her first book of visual poems, Fifty-One Trillion Bits, was published by Trickhouse Press (2023). She sometimes interviews writers for 3AM Magazine.
Her website is https://whimsylph.wordpress.com
She is housebound with the illness M.E.
Social Media Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whimsylph/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/SylphSea
Website : https://whimsylph.wordpress.com
Purchase Link
Amazing review - Thank you so much for supporting the tour x