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Title: Man v. Nature
Subtitle: Stories
Author: Diane Cook
Narrator: Hillary Huber, Bronson Pinchot
Format: Unabridged
Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
Language: English
Release date: 10-30-15
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 7 votes
Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies
Publisher's Summary:
A refreshingly imaginative, daring debut collection of stories that illuminates with audacious wit the complexity of human behavior, as seen through the lens of the natural world. Told with perfect rhythm and unyielding brutality, these stories expose unsuspecting men and women to the realities of nature, the primal instincts of man, and the dark humor and heartbreak of our struggle not only to thrive but to survive.
In "Girl on Girl", a high school freshman goes to disturbing lengths to help an old friend. An insatiable temptress pursues the one man she can't have in "Meteorologist Dave Santana". And in the title story, a long-fraught friendship comes undone when three buddies get impossibly lost on a lake. In Diane Cook's perilous worlds, the quotidian surface conceals an unexpected surreality that illuminates different facets of our curious, troubling, and bewildering behavior.
Other stories explore situations pulled directly from the wild, imposing on human lives the danger, tension, and precariousness of the natural world: a pack of not-needed boys take refuge in a murky forest and compete against each other for their next meal; an alpha male is pursued through city streets by murderous rivals and desirous women; helpless newborns are snatched by a man who stalks them from their suburban yards. Through these characters Cook asks: What is at the root of our most heartless, selfish impulses? Why are people drawn together in such messy, complicated, needful ways? When the unexpected intrudes upon the routine, what do we discover about ourselves?
As entertaining as it is dangerous, this accomplished collection explores the boundary between the wild and the civilized, where nature acts as a catalyst for human drama and lays bare our vulnerabilities, fears, and desires.
Members Reviews:
Dystopian short stories
Surprising, quirky stories set in alternative realities or grim futures that reminded me of "The Handmaid's Tale."
Interesting short stories that make you think long and hard
Was not expecting this type of story telling. I bought it on a whim and was pleasantly surprised at how I wanted to read more. I feel as though many of the early stories (4 stories in as of writing) are geared towards the female perspective, but I find myself very interested in the message that is conveyed. Again, very interesting and happy to share it with friends.
I loved this book
I loved this book. Each story is different, but together, it feels like a cohesive collection. It was a fast read but not to the point of asking why I had bought it in the first place. Some of the stories really stay with you, and the descriptions in this book are just beautiful. Can't wait to read more from this author.
Disturbing and wonderful and engaging- the sort of book you just want ...
Disturbing and wonderful and engaging- the sort of book you just want to go on and on reading. By way of reference, my other fiction favorite top five would be (in no particular order); Vonnegut, Murakami, Tolstoy, Melville, and Fitzgerald, with an extra mention of Hunter S. Thompson who is non-fiction (mostly? :) )
Familiar V. Far Fetched
I enjoyed these original stories that moved at a brisk pace. The balance of the familiar and the far fetched made the stories at once instantly relatable and totally unimaginable.
