Thanks to Kathy L. Brown for this review of Damian Tarnopolsky’s Every Night I Dream I’m a Monk, Every Month I Dream I’m a Monster!
“Like uncovering a box of photos and documents in the attic of an empty house, the reader must piece together the identities, histories, and tragedies of the characters. The book demands the reader actively participate in the narrative. If they do, the unique, if unsettling, storytelling experience will reward them. . . . I’m struggling with clever things to say about this excellent book without spoiling it for the reader. Exploring and discovering are at least, if not more, important than understanding the family’s story. So, I think I should just straightforwardly say Every Night I Dream… is an amazing experience that all fans of short literary fiction will want to read. Layers of meaning abound, as do narrative throughlines and tantalizing “Easter eggs” for the observant to spot. “