House Gone Quiet

August 15, 2023
A debut collection of imaginative, dark, and haunting stories tied loosely to themes of community, violence, and belonging. These 10 magnetic stories range from otherworldly to intimate, dealing with a trio of depressive radio hosts, a kooky relative hoarding miniature dolls, and a group of women forced to marry enemy soldiers. Many stories take clear inspiration from the real world, such as in "Decency Rule," when a power-hungry politician uses vulgarity and clownish humor to improve the lives of "people who were exactly like him." But these stories spin familiar premises toward the absurd and comic. In "Such Great Height and Consequence," a town reckons with the removal of a Confederate monument. Shenanigans ensue when the empty platform becomes a space for citizens to stand, sunbathe, practice violin, and spill secrets. Many of Norris' stories find moments of stunning beauty in bleak and grizzly events. In "Certain Truths and Miracles," a boy swallows mouthfuls of twinkling, poisonous plankton that will eventually kill him, but for a moment transform him into "a shimmering conduit of the sea's bright light." Often narrated by an omniscient "we" and usually featuring a cast of characters rather than an individual narrator, these stories build a lush sense of place through a chorus of voices. While Norris' lyric prose often creates a thorough and detailed environment, several stories fizzle out, missing the propulsion of a narrative arc, character development, or plot movement. They occasionally struggle to build momentum beyond elegiac and clever descriptions. Moments of striking prose, sudden humor, and sharp analysis of social groups shine in this uneven collection.

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August 21, 2023
Norris’s skillful debut collection evokes an atmosphere of foreboding across a wide variety of situations. In “The Sound of Women Waiting,” set in an unnamed war-torn country and made eerie by its nondescript location, narrator Satya struggles to survive in enemy territory, where she and other imprisoned women are forced into marriages with local men, while other captives descend into thievery and murder. The frothy “Air Shifts” revolves around a call-in show called The Talk with Tabitha, where DJs Jack and Bubba toss out cavalier advice and one-liners. When one caller suspects her husband is having an affair with the mother of their son’s T-ball teammate, Bubba responds, “Catfight at the T-ball field!” After a longtime caller asks for sex advice, host Tabitha blithely declares, “You’re my family. We’re all in this together,” without addressing the problem. The heroine of the standout story “Go Way Back” drives across several states with her boyfriend Carter and into the increasingly scary and unfamiliar domain of his parents. Though the reader will usually sense where Norris is headed, the details are spot on. This bears the mark of an assured writer.

September 1, 2023
The windows in the House Gone Quiet offer a glimpse into communities drawn together in strange times. In this curious collection of short stories, author Norris presents a wide cast of characters in their own worlds, each overflowing with a sense of eeriness and surrealism. One tale follows a town as it slowly accepts a mayor's law that criminalizes clothing. In "Such Great Height and Consequence," residents take down the local statue of a Confederate figure only to become obsessed with putting themselves on the pedestal. Every story embodies the search for togetherness and human connection, especially when suffering alone. For example, joggers form a support group to talk about the bodies they've encountered on their runs. And women in "The Sound of Women Waiting" are sent to marry their enemies in a foreign country; however, their situations grow more tense after one of them kills her husband with a garden tool. With its moments of dark humor, this genre-defying debut is perfect for readers of Margaret Atwood and Carmen Maria Machado.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 22, 2023

DEBUT Norris debuts with an eclectic collection of short stories, with settings that range from war-torn countries to small Southern American towns to salt basins in the middle of a drought-ridden desert. Many of the stories explore how big-picture issues like sexism and racism affect interpersonal relationships. This is sometimes handled more somberly, such as in "Go Way Back," the closing story, which tells the journey of a biracial college girl visiting her white boyfriend's family for the first time and, despite their welcoming attitudes, being unable to shake the present-day and historical anti-Black racism that surrounds their relationship. All of the stories focus on deep, introspective themes, but they are not without humor, such as in "Such Great Height and Consequence," which focuses on the residents of a small town who start taking turns using the stone pedestal left behind when the statue of a Confederate general is removed; citizen's activities on the pedestal include public sunbathing, gossip sessions, and even a much-needed nap. VERDICT Linked by their surreal nature and strong sense of place, the works in Norris'ss book include both well-developed characters and strong settings. Recommended for most collections.--Jennifer Renken

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