Review for A Damn Tree by M.P. Newman

Reviewing and giving a star rating to short story collections can often be hard. Drastically different tones, subject matter, or chords struck with the reader make looking at the work holistically difficult. There’s not really a throughline or common theme between the stories making up A Damn Tree, but almost every one in the collection was thought-provoking. I also found the situations and premises in each story rather unique, and the author’s often offbeat humor shows through in many places.

A few of the pieces and the characters within deeply resonated with me while many others did not. For the ones that did resonate, I wish there was more of the story. With at least two, I’d read a whole novel based in the world the author has started building here. The main reason I think it was harder to get as invested in some of the other stories was a personal preference against the writing style.

At times, I felt like I was reading more of a script than a narrative story. Short, choppy prose reminded me of noir fiction but pushed past that in many of the stories. This sparer description style coupled with more than one unreliable narrator made some of the stories harder to follow. While I personally prefer something different, other readers might enjoy or even look for this type of narration. Additionally, I tend to be a more technical reader. A few errors and issues with formatting that distracted from the content for me might not bother another audience.

A Damn Tree is a relatively quick and enjoyable read. Each installment offered something new, both to the collection of short stories itself and compared to other works. The blurb uses the words “dazzlingly creative” to describe the book. With a bit more polish, I feel the creativity of the author truly will shine through in future projects.

A Damn Tree is available to buy on Amazon.