I didn’t enjoy this selection of short stories as much as I had anticipated I would. I think it was the beautiful title that attracted me, but the selection of stories was just too weird.
Levi is best known for his writings on the Holocaust and his internment in Auschwitz, and this collection was published to show another side of Levi. Many of these stories are obviously inspired by the destruction wrought by the Holocaust, whilst others are inspired by his work as Director and Chemist at a paint factory. Other stories are just stand alone, some with a Sci-Fi element to them, some just ramblings and others just plain weird or stupid!
I enjoyed the narrative structure of Bear Meat, which had two narrators and was a story within a story about recklessness and foolhardiness in the mountains. Another story, Knall, was about a new fad akin to the fad of hoola hoops or yo-yos. It was told tongue in cheek like a newspaper report, and it revealed that a Knall is in fact a dangerous weapon no bigger than a cigar which kills instantly upon contact. Bureau of Vital Statistics is another that I enjoyed.
I’m not sure if I would recommend this to anyone, it’s probably more of interest to those who already know of Levi and his work. Despite this, I do acknowledge that all the stories are very well written.
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