Public Library and Other Stories (2016)
Ali Smith
What better way to conclude National Library Week than with a quick review of Ali Smith’s short story collection, an homage to public libraries?
Smith is one of England’s best novelists; this book was published in 2015, at a time when budget cuts were forcing the closure of hundreds of public libraries across the U.K.
Smith’s lovely, quirky stories are held together by gem-like little fragments on etymology. Through her stories she makes you fall in love all over again with the power of words, writing, books, and humanity. She intersperses her stories with brief testimonials from other writers on the influence of libraries in their lives.
A New York Times book reviewer said this about Smith’s style, which I think is spot on: “She seldom fashions a good story in the usual sense; instead she gives us nosegays of associations, but these flowers have burrs. They stick in the imagination.”
To request a copy, click here.
Review by Roberta Jordan, Outreach and Instruction Librarian
