The Girl in the Flammable Skirt: Stories

I turned to this after wolfing down the entirety of Alyssa Nutting's bibliography and wanting more absolutely crazy nonsensical stories. Needless to say, Aimee Bender did not disappoint. Each story is uniquely intriguing and fresh that the collection almost feels like Hieronymus Bosch's garden of heavenly delights. I've gifted this to high school students and adults with important high up careers who need to learn to take the stick from their rears and use it to poke dead things on the sidewalk. for fun.

These stories remind me of Francesca Lia Block, but even more surreal. I read the book in one evening. Many times I came away puzzled, or turning the page for the rest of the story, but it is so refreshing in these days of computers and Canned TV, ads and radio to find someone with true Imagination that I have to give her 5 stars. I read "the Healing" in Story Magazine, and had to go find more of Aimee. I don't think the stories are necessarily deep. Existential--maybe. Poetry, yes--if poetry is a love affair with words. I'd rate her as a wonderful writer. Wish I had that talent.

1924. The eye exisist in a natural state. Because I have deluded myself into thinking I am a puppy, I can only see people as ducks. We live in a rational society yet there are no rations for the poor. C'est raison I have coins; I have been paid not to rationalize or think. Poor me. Serious, this is a serious offense. Take em me serious. No feminsim, just auto-matism which never leads into car mechanics. Perhaps you could free the prisoners and if you feel like it you could disarm the armies. Rulers are made to be broken. Really now, did you think we were so naive? Really, really. is that logical? this is great. So you see with your natural eye, I had it all along...rooster

I have read at last eleven books in my life and this is probably the best of any of them. This is way better than either Lord of the Rings or The Man Without Qualities. This is so good that once I didn't go outside for two weeks because I just read the book over and over, and eventually my family had to come and get me and put me into a special program. Now I'm feeling better. But I still love the book.

After reading through the stories in this collection over three times, I have to say that Aimee Bender is one of the best new writers I've read in years. Her stories are language-driven, impacted with brilliant images and NEW ways of describing emotions and situations that are universal. Perhaps this is why some commentators have declared that she is only out for the outlandish and bizarre, and hasn't spent a day in the real world. It's because she's not going the old, well-traveled route to show us life in all its darkness and glory. Also, any slightly savvy reader would see that she's working with form and structure, adopting the speed and economy and shocking language of fairy tales and applying it to tell modern stories. Some reviewers have said that her characters aren't connected to the world or even to their own selves, as though this is something Ms. Bender doesn't realize. They seem to see this as a weakness of hers. Perhaps they've failed to realize that Bender's characters being disconnected from society and their own selves is her point. And a poignant one, too. She's awesome. I'll re-read these stories for the rest of my life.

Two words: "wow" and "imaginative" sum up this wonderful collection of short stories. While reading "Skirt", I kept thinking "Aimee has got one hell of an imagination!!" My favorite story is "The Librarian" (not the real title, but what it is most often called). You will never look at a librarian with quite the same eye as you have in the past.I have had the honour of meeting Ms. Bender. At her reading she read the "Imp" story with much animation and passion. It is a joy to see not only a fantastic new writer blossom, but to know that she is a NICE person as well.