Pieces Like Pottery – Dan Buri

Rating: 4 stars

When I began reading this novella (I have no idea what the classifications for this work would be, but it was definitely longer than a short story and shorter than a book), I was expecting something like a collection or anthology. Instead, what I got were several small but possibly independent chapters that build up to a powerful conclusion.

What I liked about Pieces Like Pottery is that it conveys an understandable emotion. From the mom’s and dad’s attempts to understand their son’s writings (but kinda not), I felt like this was something I could understand easily from both sides of the aisle. In addition, the story doesn’t linger too much on details, and I believe that to be one of its strong suits. It more describes the aftermath of the situation and lets the reader piece together what they can.

What I didn’t like is that early on there were a few paragraphs that felt like they repeated words a lot. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not, but it felt a little awkward.

Overall, I enjoyed Pieces Like Pottery, and I hope anyone who reads it has a good time with it as well.