29 Ways to Drown

Customer Reviews

• 29 Ways to Please  Jan 6, 2008 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

  When I read the title, I knew this would be an interesting read and it was difficult to resist turning to the back of the book and beginning with the title story which is the last tale. But after reading the first sentence ("One summer evening, in the middle of the night, my grandfather, Luis Alberto Ibarra, sent for his seven offspring and prepared to dispatch them to the hereafter with a Colt 45.") I knew that I'd begin at the beginning.
  
  "Twenty-Nine Ways to Drown" offers ten short stories. I was surprised at the range of subject matter, approach, and theme contained therein. The changing of cultures was, for me, the most striking part of the book. Niki spent years in Ecuador, the States, Spain, and Britain but she is the first author that I have read who slides so casually between those cultures in her stories. One could easily imagine that one is reading an anthology rather than the work of an individual.
  
  In these tales family is always present, sometimes the focus, but always in the background of the characters. The interaction with their family has created the character traversing each page. And the stories that those characters present are wonderful. "The Little Man", with its nuance and flavour describing a liaison between and older man and a young woman reminds me of "Lost in Translation". A lovely tale with a "Twilight Zone" -ish finale. "Solomon's Call" ends with a surprising and jubilant "Oh! Calcutta!" -esque note. "The Shed" had me spinning throughout the entire story, my own tendrils of thought trying to wrap around the ways that it was proceeding.

• The Short Review's review of 29 Ways to Drown  Dec 25, 2008 

  Reviewed by Sarah Salway
  
  Niki Aguirre doesn't need to be compared with anyone. She has her own voice, and it's a great one for a short story writer. The same tone runs through all the character's voices, and the fact she can create such different people all looking at the world from a similar slightly skewey angle is definitely to her credit. These are outsiders who, for once, are not trying to fit in. No, Aguirre's characters are too busy searching for their own brand of independence to worry what others think, and the originality that this gives the whole collection can't be underestimated. ...........
  
  
  For the rest of this reviews and reviews of many other short story collections, visit The Short Review, www.theshortreview.com

• Review of 29 ways to drown  Mar 11, 2008 

  This is an excellent read for anyone looking to discover an up and coming author. The stories may be short, but the writer provides so much detail and back-story that you, the reader, are sucked into each tale before you know it. I found that after I opened the book, the pages seemed to fly through my fingers. Each story left me wanting for me. The writer's ability to cross the spectrum of themes is prevalent throughout the book, ranging from science fiction tales(Time Immemorial)to love lost(The Little Man). I really enjoyed every story within and I can not wait to see more from this writer.