I never read short stories. It’s not that they aren’t good, it’s just that I like to really get into a novel and have it pull at me for a few days. While I have read short stories before, I hate how quickly they end; it almost makes the experience bittersweet for me. Either way, I decided to sign up for this program called Season of Stories, where each week, a short story is sent to my inbox in installments (starts on Tuesday and finishes on Friday). I thought this would be an interesting way to read, and I also wanted to give short stories another go. So every Friday, I am going to post a review of the story I received! Hopefully, this will be an awesome experience for both me and for you!
In a library, nothing escapes the eyes of the librarians. They know everyone who frequents the library, and everything that happens both inside and outside of it. So it comes as no surprise that when a stranger, a pretty and young woman, comes in on a Monday, everyone pays attention. Kindly dubbing her “Juliet”, they watch her comings and goings with curiosity. But when she is discovered to be murdered and a local boy is suspected of killing her, the peace and calm of the library is thrown asunder, as patrons and librarians alike must come to terms with the violent crime that took place in their little town.
I really liked the way this story was written. The murder itself was unexpected but I liked how the author explored the aftermath of it. This was not a story looking to solve the case, it was a story that observed the human emotions that rise from a crime of this magnitude. It looked at all characters involved, and even those that weren’t. I thought using a library as the central hub was absolutely fantastic; I love libraries and the way in which the author used it made it more than just a prop, it made it an intrinsic feature of the story. While at first I wished there was more to the ending, in hindsight I now realize that the open-ended nature of it all fits the story perfectly. All in all, I’m very impressed with this author’s work and I will be sure to check up on more of her writing soon!
Happy reading