Title: Six Stories
(Six Stories #1)
Author: Matt Wesolowski
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: December 20th 2016
Publisher: Orenda Books
Finished reading: June 3rd 2019
Pages: 225
“There is definitely evil in this world of ours. We carve monuments to our fallen, engrave them with the names of those whose lives were snuffed out when trying to stop evil.
We don’t forget.”
I’ve been meaning to read Six Stories for a long time now, basically ever since I kept seeing those fantastic reviews when it was first published… I’ve known it was a pretty safe bet I was going to enjoy Six Stories, and that definitely turned out to be the truth. A special thanks to the wonderful Meggy at Chocolate’n’Waffles for being one of the first introducing me to Orenda Books!! And while I admit it took me longer than expected to finally jump on board, Orenda title number three has now officially confirmed me I have found another favorite publisher. ❤
Back to Six Stories… I’ve been letting my thoughts marinate for the last couple of days and even now I’m still struggling to find the words that do this little masterpiece justice. Let’s see how far I get, shall we? First of all, the cover alone pretty ominous. One body. Six Stories. Which one is true? This is the premise and promise of what sounds to be a very intriguing ride. It is also a reference to the key element of what makes this gem unique: the format. Because there is no doubt that the podcast format is what makes this story truly stand out from the rest. The story is told in six different podcast episodes where each episode features a different key character and their memories of what happened twenty years ago. I bet Six Stories would be fantastic as an audiobook as well! Especially as the format basically reads like a real podcast series, with only the short chapters told from Harry Saint Clement-Ramsay’s POV breaking up that structure.
The writing drew me straight in and made it easy to fully focus on the mystery around Tom’s disappearance and death. I was hooked as soon as I started the first podcast episode, wanting to know more about what happened in 1996. Was it really a misadventure that ended Tom’s life? Or is someone hiding something? Oh yes, I was fully under the podcast’s spell from the start. I do admit I liked Harry’s chapters less than the actual podcast episodes, but they did add a little extra intrigue and weight to the final reveals. The suspense in Six Stories is subtle rather than constant, fed with a little folklore here and a monster story there, only to punch you in the gut just before you start thinking things are being wrapped up rather blandly. And trust me, I definitely didn’t see that suckerpunch of a final podcast episode coming! Even after days, I’m still recovering, so definitely be ready to brace yourself when you decide to pick up your copy of Six Stories.
The characters in Six Stories are what you call flawed and are realistically described and developed. Although each podcast has its own star character, it is through their memories and stories about what happened that we get to form a better idea of what each character was like in our minds. Ideas and opinions about the different characters will change as you learn more about them, showing that not everything is as it seems and there is always more to the eye if you look at the details closely. Like I said before, the suspense is build up subtly, instead focusing on slowly letting you get to know the characters better and thus revealing their true selves and what they were up to in 1996. I understand this might be a turn off for those who don’t like slower paces in their thrillers, but trust me, Six Stories is by no means uneventful and the slower pace only enhances the effect of the plot twist bomb that will be dropped on you before you reach the final page. I had a fantastic time reading Six Stories and I will already be looking forward to read the other books in the series.
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