"Nothing Short of Odd by Loredano Cafaro is an entertaining, easy to read collection of 16 short stories covering a variety of topics and themes from dreams and childhood to work, marriage, relationships and death."
Nothing Short of Odd by Loredano Cafaro is an entertaining, easy to read collection of 16 short stories covering a variety of topics and themes from dreams and childhood to work, marriage, relationships and death. From the first story I really enjoyed the writing style, the author does a really good job of drip feeding the reader small pieces of a puzzle then delivering one final echoing sentence that sheds light on the whole story and gives you pause. ‘The Lighthouse Keeper’ was a clever interpretation using a well-known figure. ‘Private Paradise’ was one of my favourites from the whole collection, it takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that doesn’t let up even in the final words. When I finished reading I had to pause as I reflected on the story and its meaning sunk in. There’s something in this collection for everyone, some of the short stories focus on building tension, others develop intrigue as you try to figure out what piece of information the author is writing around, others are more character and relationship focused. As said in ‘The Fourth Tale’ “There is no need for many words to describe certain things”, and I think the collection of stories within Nothing Short of Odd demonstrates the skill the author has in doing just that. It must also be noted that these stories were first written in Italian, so praise must also be given to the translators of each piece for managing to authentically bring the stories to life in English.
Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador
| Primary Genre | Indie Author Books |
| Recommendations: |