Thursday, February 27, 2014

Blog Tour: The Sense of Touch by Ron Parsons

Collection of short stories
252p.
Publisher: Aqueous Books
Available Now
Source: From TLC Book Tours for Review
Sprung from the variously lush, rugged, and frozen emotional landscapes of the north country, this luminous collection of stories captures the progress of a diverse ensemble of souls as they struggle to uncover themselves and negotiate a meaningful communion, of any kind, with the world around them. A brilliant but troubled Bangladeshi physics student searches for balance, acceptance, and his own extraordinary destiny after his father disappears. When a Halloween blizzard immobilizes Minneapolis, a young woman is forced to confront the snow-bound nature of her own relationships and emotions. During an excursion to an idyllic swimming hole hidden in the Black Hills, two old friends unexpectedly compete for the affections of an irresistible, though married, Lakota woman. Like a mythical expedition to reach the horizon or the quest to distill truth from the beauty around us, the revelation confirmed by these imaginative stories - elegant, sometimes jarring, always wonderfully absurd - is that the very act of reaching is itself a form of touch.
My thoughts:
I wanted to review this one mostly because of the diversity of people within these pages. When so many stories seem homogenous, I wanted to read something a bit different. This one did have what I was looking for and like all good short stories, some won me over and some didn't quite make it. However, I still enjoyed myself within these pages.

I have to admit that the first tale I did dnf. The story was going good until there was a bit about harming a pigeon. I have gotten to the point where I will automatically dnf anything where an animal is abused to death. I just can't do it no matter the reason. I did think that it was just that story, so I had no problems reading the rest of the book.

The other stories are more like character explorations. Exploring a small part of their life and sometimes to making a decision. We don't get to know how it turns out, but then that wasn't the point of the story. There is also the story that has the same title as the book. It becomes more philosophical and then seems to meander on different themes. While this may bug some people, others will see it for what it is.. a creative exploration.

I recommend this book to anyone wanting something different. The short stories in itself can be used as a good palate cleanser while you are in between books. It can also just be something to let your mind explore.

18 comments:

  1. I wish more books were as diverse as the world we live in. Collections of short stories are pretty hit or miss with me (as with a lot of people, I think) but, yeah, they're also good palate cleansers.

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  2. I've never heard of this one before! I agree that a lot of the stories can be homogeneous and I'm glad this one offers diversity. I don't mind the philosophy part but the abused animal makes me a bit hesitant. Maybe I'll just skip that story too. I'll have to check this one out at my library if I can find it. Thanks for putting it on my radar, Melissa.

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    1. Yea, you might want to skip that one. :) The others are quite diverse.

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  3. Aside from the first story with the pigeon, this sounds like a really interesting read! Sometimes I'm just in the mood for short stories, something quick that captures my attention and then allows me to move on to something else. Thanks for putting it on my radar Melissa!

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    1. They were different. It would probably bring you out of a rut. :)

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  4. It does not sound like something for me

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  5. I really don't do short stories that much unless they are Stephen King. I wouldn't have finished the first either about the pigeon. I feel the same way!

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  6. Sometimes you just need to clear that palate! :)

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  7. I do really enjoy short stories and I'm trying to pick them up more often, so hopefully I'll get around to this one too. Great review, Melissa!

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  8. Interesting, and I don't blame you for skipping the one with animals being harmed. It makes me squirm and I can read through it..if it makes sense for the book, character etc but otherwise it turns me off too. Great review!

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  9. it's nice to read something different from time to tome but I don't think it is for me though...

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  10. I'm thrilled to hear this collection has diverse characters, but I also don't think I could make it through the pigeon harming story. *shivers* Glad to hear the rest of the stories were interesting character explorations. Wonderful review!

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  11. I'm glad your experience with the first story didn't keep you from reading and enjoying the rest of the book!

    Thanks for being on the tour.

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  12. I'm not sure if I'd like this one or not. But I'm glad that you enjoyed most of the stories!

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  13. Don't think this book is for me but thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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