See How Small

A Novel

De: Scott Blackwood

Narrado por: Rengin Altay

A riveting novel about the aftermath of a brutal murder of three teenage girls, written in incantatory prose "that's as fine as any being written by an American author today" (Ben Fountain).

One late autumn evening in a Texas town, two strangers walk into an ice cream shop shortly before closing time. They bind up the three teenage girls who are working the counter, set fire to the shop, and disappear. See How Small tells the stories of the survivors -- family, witnesses, and suspects -- who must endure in the wake of atrocity. Justice remains elusive in their world, human connection tenuous.

Hovering above the aftermath of their deaths are the three girls. They watch over the town and make occasional visitations, trying to connect with and prod to life those they left behind. "See how small a thing it is that keeps us apart," they say. A master of compression and lyrical precision, Scott Blackwood has surpassed himself with this haunting, beautiful, and enormously powerful new novel.

Reseñas de la Crítica

Praise for See How Small

"Horrible deaths of the innocent, and the various means and tactics by which the living manage to go on in the aftermath of unsolved horror, form the heart of Scott Blackwood's haunted and haunting novel, See How Small. His prose is crisp and his narrative approach is fresh and inventive, calmly pushing forward, with characters rendered so convincingly you think about sending cards of condolence or calling with advice on the investigation."—Daniel Woodrell, author of Winter's Bone and The Maid's Version

"See How Small is superb. In prose that's as fine as any being written today, Scott Blackwood plumbs the depths of a story that is alternately haunting, terrifying, and achingly tragic. Blackwood illuminates the human condition even as he breaks our hearts."—Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk

"Scott Blackwood is a wizard, and in See How Small he puts his skills to dazzling use as he anatomizes a town and a crime. Best of all is the deep empathy he brings to his characters, innocent and guilty, wise and confused; all of them are given the grace of his understanding. A vivid and astonishing novel."—Margot Livesey, author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy

Praise for Scott Blackwood

"This little gem of a book puts on lush display Scott Blackwood's talent for measuring and connecting the previously un-connectable in lived experience, and making of it an entirely new whole which we immediately accept as true, natural, exhilarating, even inevitable. He is a lovely sentence writer, and this first novel sparkles with invention."—Richard Ford (on We Agreed to Meet Just Here)

"We Agreed to Meet Just Here manages somehow to be both spare and all-encompassing, a mystery that delves into the very nature of disappearance."—Dallas Morning News

"Powerful. Ambitious. Blackwood is especially good at making things fit in stories that don't seem to fit at first. Beautiful music, line by line."—Andre Dubus (on In the Shadow of Our House)

"Blackwood's stories of loss and compensation are filled with surprise punches that leave the reader reeling in delight. This is a fine and exciting debut."—Rick DeMarinis

"Acute and nimble stories...so honest as they capture the dapple of emotions and perceptions that cross the mind like sunlight and shadow on a river...an impressive, accomplished debut."—Julie Grey, New York Times Book Review

Confusing and disjointed

What was most disappointing about Scott Blackwood’s story?

I was expecting more of a true crime type account of the Austin yogurt shop murders, but that's probably my fault for not understanding the nature of the book. I bought it based on a short blurb I read in People magazine in a doctor's office, and the magazine indicated that the book was "about the Austin yogurt shop murders."

Any additional comments?

While I usually enjoy the multiple, interwoven storyline format, I found this book confusing and disjointed. I didn't understand why the reporter character was necessary to the story at all, and many of the details in each character's storyline ended up being superfluous and irrelevant. Perhaps this read better as a book, but on audio, I found myself continually having to rewind and listen again because I was confused. By contrast, I did not have this issue with other similarly structured books like Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train.

Hard to follow

I picked this book because it was an Amazon pick of the month, but I really didn't enjoy it. I'm not sure if it would be better to read the book, rather than listen, but I couldn't follow. I was constantly rewinding to figure out what was going on.

The story follows multiple characters and when the story switches to follow another character, it's hard to tell. Some characters don't even make sense. The writing sounded pretty, but the content was lacking.

Worst piece of crap ever

Do not waste your money on this plotless crap. This book is an injustice to the actual victims of this crime. Our book club was disgusted with lack of thought, process, or editing that went into this book. The author should find a new profession.

The complexity of parenting in trauma

If you could sum up See How Small in three words, what would they be?

poignant, nostalgia, loss

Have you listened to any of Rengin Altay’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Rengin is a wonderful reader. She has a lyrical, emotive, yet even voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did cry. The book brought back many memories for me of life in Austin, Tx in the 90s. The yogurt shop murders were such a shock to the whole town. Austin, Tx suffered diminished innocence during that time. It was the start of Austin becoming a city and less of a town.

Any additional comments?

Scott Blackwood grounds the story of loss and trauma through the details of everyday life. He reminds us that despite dramatic event in our lives, we must find a way to keep living and dealing with the minutiae of parenting and everyday life, to keep showing up for our loved ones who are still alive and our loved ones who have passed. "See how small a thing it is that keeps us apart."