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Michael Griffin makes some interesting observations regarding reality in his new chap book from Dim Shores titled “An Ideal Retreat”. The question that is being asked with great skill and insight pertains to, is what we see real or is what we think we see real or is what we want to see real. Or is reality something altogether different from what we perceive.The story is a character study of one womans perceptions, using simply a single character to unfold a fascinating story of that persons “Ret...
At first An Ideal Retreat is exactly what it seems: a woman taking a much needed break at a gorgeous vacation home, far from her daily stresses. But it's so much more than that. Noone decides to drive to her husband's family vacation home, to check it out after his estranged brother has allegedly left the property. Her husband, Ian, is busy with his business (and possibly other extra-marital activities) and she welcomes the chance to get away from her mundane life with him. Things get weird once...
An Ideal Retreat begins with the arrival of a woman, Noone, at a residence owned by her in-laws. The house was recently abandoned and Noone’s husband, Ian, wants a brief assessment before he puts the place up for sale. So we have a situation in which a woman is asked to appraise and consider the value of something.On the way to the property Noone catches a glimpse of a rundown home matching the general description given by her husband. The house she finds at the correct address is quite differen...
Maybe it's Griffin's approach to the ending that keeps me reading. A well written mind trick turns a well needed vacation into something out of the ordinary or more of its surroundings that change with just a thought. I recommend this title to all looking for something different.
This book left me utterly confused. The story was fine and had some interesting thoughts in it, but it was like a teaser to a novel and didn't quite finish. And after a bit I was wondering if I was the one imagining things and changing the story and what I had (or hadn't) read, or if the main character was doing it to herself. The main character's name was Noone, which I could read as to be pronounced as Noon like the midday time, or as No One which at times seemed much more appropriate. I'm sti...
With his latest release, the novella An Ideal Retreat, from Dim Shores, Griffin again displays his love for the Weird. There are no conventional monsters to be found in this story; the horrors held within are very human in nature. We are immediately introduced to our narrator, Noone Raddox, at once equal parts relatable and unreliable, as she drives alone towards the old, run-down shack of her husband’s family. We quickly realise that she isn’t just making the journey through a sense of duty tow...
It's difficult to write a review of a story this tight without giving too much away. I will say, however that Griffin's lean prose style is perfect for this story of detachment and (re)creation. Wonderfully done! Open a bottle of wine and prepare yourself to read this one through without stopping.
Themes of self realization and reflection pervade An Ideal Retreat. What we have become is often a stark contrast to what we have always wanted to be. All elements of the story are very three-dimensional, from the present state of the main character and the fantastic locale for her retreat, to her past and the current state of her marriage. The clarity of it all is striking...
I have left you to reconcile this book, with each chapter-heading being its own précis of what follows in it, triangulating the coordinates of its own eventual hindsight, building to a singularity. My own reconciliation to this book is not yours. Each reader reads a different book, visits a different building. A different authorial architecture. A different alchemy.The detailed review of this book posted elsewhere under my name is too long or impractical to post here.Above is one of its observat...
