Some Rain Must Fall And Other Stories (Canons)

I like Michel Faber's novels, and I liked most of the short stories in this collection.

A living contemporary short story writer I enjoy and admire. Intelligent, perceptive, courageous, engaging, entertaining and honest. Thanks Mr F. Please call into "The Troubadour" for a quiet beer when you are next in Folkestone.

Some gems in this collection. Funny, observant and written with Faber's customary style. I enjoyed almost all of these short stories.

Fictional tales in long form, novels or novellas, usually work best with strong character development and steady plotting. Short stories, on the other hand, are usually the best place to explore really experimental ideas in ways that longer works don't really allow, or to play with the form of storytelling. Michel Faber's short story collection "Some Rain Must Fall" is a nearly perfect example of what short stories can be -- these tiny nuggets of brilliance each offer up a different glimpse into the ideas that drive the author, beyond what his novels show."Some Rain Must Fall" is a remarkably varied collection. Some stories aren't especially interesting for their ideas, but are more experiments in form, like the marginally successful "In Case of Vertigo," the only letdown in the book. Others are sharply original and frighteningly whimsical, such as "Fish," a tale about a world in which fish of all shapes and sizes have taken to the air and left the seas empty. Some, like "Some Rain Must Fall" or "Somewhere Warm and Comfortable" are fairly simple and straightforward, but compelling and deeply disturbing in their way. Others are mindbending in concept, like "Toy Story" (a young boy who discovers a new planet that he plays with and observes in his room) and "Nina's Hand" (told entirely from the perspective of a woman's right hand on its last day). A couple can be read as political statements, such as my favorite story in the collection, the wry and heartfelt "The Tunnel of Love," a story that dares to compare feminism with pornography, with thought-provoking results.Nearly all of the stories found in this book are clever, keenly-observed, original, and well worth reading. Those who have read Faber in long novel form (such as the excellent "Under the Skin" or "The Crimson Petal and the White") will find that this collection is different from what you might expect based on those books, but very rewarding and enjoyable. Those new to Faber's work would do well to give this book a try as a peek into what this author is capable of. This is Faber when he's a little more playful, trying on different ideas and giving us a glimpse of what he can really do.As short story collections go, there are few by any author quite like this one.

This collection of stories is a little uneven and sometimes derivative (Raoul Dahl comes to mind). Clearly Faber is a fantasist, but the stories that succeed best are those that place the least emphasis on the fantasist element. The writing style flows and is pleasant; while you can easily put the book down, you're in for a pleasant read. For the most part, I guess what disturbs me is that the stories are very linear with little nuance or layering. Then again, perhaps I had the expectation of a collection of novellas rather than of short stories, in which case I am terribly unfair to the author. Though his messages hit you over the head, the character development for short pieces is exceptional. All told, I haven't decided whether the collection has motivated me to read any of Faber's full-length novels. I think I'd prefer curling up with a volume by Annie Proulx.