(This review originally featured on Kendall Reviews on July 12, 2019)
Title: Kiss Me
Author: Andrew Pyper
Release date: 1996
Ok, ok, I’ll finely admit it – Andrew Pyper is my favourite author. Wait? You didn’t know that! Well, what rock have you been living under?
Seriously, from my PYPER-MAY-NIA celebration (where I got to interview him!!!) to my frequent sharing of Pyper related stuff on Twitter – I have been a massive fan since I discovered ‘The Demonologist.’
But truthfully, I was scared to read ‘Kiss Me.’ Why? Well, I knew this book wasn’t a horror/thriller collection of stories. I was worried that maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be enjoyable and then it would affect how much I loved his writing. How foolish does that sound?
Now that I’ve read ‘Kiss Me,’ I’m thoroughly kicking myself in the backside that I waited so long. A great writer is a great writer and in his debut collection, released all the way back in 1996, Pyper delivers a collection of stories that resonate beyond a time or place.
Much like he did with ‘The Homecoming’ this book will read differently for each person based on where they grew up and where their life took them.
The stories within this collection are a cavalcade of growing up in small-town Canada tales. It’s like a high school reunion where you sit down and chat with someone about what happened after everyone graduated. There was only one story in this collection I didn’t connect with; “The Author Shows a Little Kindness,” but even then the story was told with such high quality that it didn’t lag or diminish the overall feel.
I wished I had read this a long time ago. Sometimes though, a person has to be in a certain time and a certain place to cherish the subtleties in a release even more, so I’m happy that I finally tackled this collection and I think everyone should give it a read. It may not be HORROR or a PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER, but it will speak to you and really does show that Pyper is a truly talented writer.
I can’t pick out a singular stand out tale for me, simply because I loved every other one, and liked the single story that didn’t connect. That’s a fantastic job done by a phenomenal writer.
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