With rich historical detail, the celebrated author of Room takes us from puritan Massachusetts to revolutionary New Jersey, antebellum Louisiana to the Toronto highway, lighting up four centuries of wanderings that have profound echoes in the present. Astray offers us a surprising and moving history for restless times.
My Quick Thoughts:
Emma Donoghue strikes again! (I was absolutely smitten with Room)
Normally I don’t seek out short story collections. I might not have read this at all if I hadn’t won a copy. I’m very glad that I did. This is chock full of great tales about compelling characters.
I wholly recommend Astray. Each story is irresistible.
From as early as he can remember, the hopelessly unreliable—yet hopelessly earnest—narrator of this ambitious debut novel has wanted to become a writer.
From the jazz clubs of Manhattan to the villages of Sri Lanka, Kristopher Jansma’s irresistible narrator will be inspired and haunted by the success of his greatest friend and rival in writing, the eccentric and brilliantly talented Julian McGann, and endlessly enamored with Julian’s enchanting friend, Evelyn, the green-eyed girl who got away. After the trio has a disastrous falling out, desperate to tell the truth in his writing and to figure out who he really is, Jansma’s narrator finds himself caught in a never-ending web of lies.
As much a story about a young man and his friends trying to make their way in the world as a profoundly affecting exploration of the nature of truth and storytelling, The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards will appeal to readers of Tom Rachman’s The Imperfectionists and Jennifer Egan’s Pulitzer Prize–winning A Visit from the Goon Squad with its elegantly constructed exploration of the stories we tell to find out who we really are.
Kristopher Jansma has been named one of Flavorwire’s “Up-and-Coming Culture Makers to Watch in 2013” and The Millions selected The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards as one their Most Anticipated Books of 2013
My Quick Thoughts:
There really isn’t a way to describe this story, within a story (within another story?). It’s a mind bending adventure that kept surprising me.
You might want to carve out a day or two for this one when it comes out. The buzz is big and I think it’s going to be a hit. Turn off your phone, log out of Twitter and give this amazingly written book the undivided attention it deserves. It will be worth your time.
The Relentless Reader 
Astray sounds perfectly like something I would dig. I'll look into it after I catch up on all my impulse book purchases tonight on Amazon. This is how the TBR gets started yet again.
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I've been meaning to check out Astray since its release. Emma Donoghue is a fantastic writer!
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Just when you think you have a handle on it right? Ack! 🙂
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She really is! It's completely different than Room but still so good!
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Astray sounds intriguing. The summary is enough to be interesting but not give too much away. Reading your \”(within another story?)\” has convinced me of Unchangable Spots by itself, I love books like that, and I'd definitely take your advice to give it all your attention.
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Unchangeable Spots is going to be huge. That's my \”professional\” opinion, lol
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I looooooooooved Room and have been staying away from other Emma Donoghue's because I'm scared they won't be as good. Guess I can squelch my fear!
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I'm just listening to Room now, and so it's cool to see that I can read Astray! This is the first mention I've seen of it. Also, I keep thinking the title is \”Ashtray.\” It's going to be hard to get over that 😉
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Room was in a class all its own but this one is great too 🙂
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Ashtray! LOL!
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Both of these look really good! I too generally don't search out short stories but in Donoghue's case, I might make an exception especially as you say this collection is worth it.
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I love stories within stories. Have you read Oracle Night by Paul Auster or Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi? They both do some really fascinating things with stories in, around, and on top of other stories. Off to check out The Unchangeable Spots. 🙂
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Usually I like to sink into something long but this collection was really good 🙂
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I haven't read either of those! If you dig that kind of tale you will LOVE Leopords 🙂
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I absolutely loved ROOM and ASTRAY is on my list. I didn't care much for Unchangeable Spots though-it was too hard to follow and the resolution wasn't satisfying. Glad you liked it! -Thien-Kim of FromLefttoWrite.com
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You have a point about the resolution in Spots. It left me wanting a bit more. I hope you get to Astray soon, it's a good one!
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