Empty, Not Hollow: And Other Stories, by A.C. Adams (2014)

It’s not long–92 pages on the Kindle–but it’s ideal for sitting back with a big glass of red wine (The book is dedicated to red wine, so that should tip you off), and reading.

In a normal book review, I’d give a long summary of the plot, then my personal reactions and analysis, blah-cubed.

With this book, this is impossible, as there are so many different short stories–some are very short–that the review would be longer than the book.

Suffice to say that A.C. Adams is a very talented, eccentric soul. These stories range from zombies, to armed robbery, to dystopian horror, to a household appliance run completely amok.

What makes “Empty, Not Hollow” so much fun to read is the author’s tone. You can sense the fun she’s having creating these stories. The stories are well crafted, too–don’t get me wrong–but most of them have a certain background joy to them.

There are also some last sentence surprise endings, perfect for the short story format.

All-in-all, this is not a Joyce Carol Oates collection–and she’s one of my favorite short story writers. It’s a quick, fun read, one that will make you double check your vacuum cleaner (read the book, and you’ll know why).

Highly Recommended