Review: The senses
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 1, 2011
These stories are very short. Altogether, they are about 183 locations, and each story focuses on an individual with amazingly heightened sensory abilities that allow him to discover unknown things about those around him.In the first story, Scent, a kid named Brody can sniff the air, telling you what you've eaten, what you're wearing, etc. In the second story, Licked, a boy called Parod has a strange habit of licking things like grass, pavements or floors, tasting the environment in order to gleen information about people and things. The last story, Onto the Next, features a man who has an extraordinary ability to empathize with animals, as if he can tell want they are thinking or feeling. This man's talent was more emotional and less analytical, seeming to me more like a punishment than a desired skill.Each story is concise and compact and has a clear idea to it. There is no feeling that something is forgotten or left out; they are just short and to the point in presenting the story. Each story has an odd little twist to it, with Scent and Licked being the most similar, and Onto the Next feeling almost sadly haunting to me. Onto the Next I liked best for its emotional touch. Overall, this was an enjoyable collection of short stories with some darkness to them.