Book Review: White Cat, Black Dog (short stories)

White Cat, Black Dog, by Kelly Link (Random  House, 2023, $18, 276 pp PB) 

This is not my usual book review in which I write about plot and style. White Cat, Black Dog is a hard book to review, for me. I always have a difficult time reviewing a collection of short stories: the plots vary too much as do, sometimes, the writing. 

I wanted to read White Cat because it is short, has Dog in the title and comes highly recommended. Author Kelly Link is highly regarded: she won a MacArthur Genius Grant. 

So, how could I go wrong? I generally like books other reviewers like and pan those that others also pan. Sometimes I am the lone voice in the wilderness. 

The stories did get better and more understandable but I just don't see how they could be the basis of a book club selection or the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle  (CLSC) list for 2026 or even a finalist for the 2024 Chautauqua Prize. Obviously many people disagree with me. You might, too.

A collection of seven stories can usually be read in any order, so I started with one of the short ones, sort of in the middle. It was hard for me to understand: I found even sentences were hard to comprehend. The premise is great however: stories that are modern day remakes of the Grimm Brothers' Fairy Tales.