The Day Dali Died

Jeff Vandermeer

I picked this up as a kind of another-chance book after being so profoundly unimpressed with the opening pages of Veniss Underground that I couldn't bring myself to read the novel. The Day Dali Died is a collection of half poetry and half stories, and it certainly rings better than the opening pages of Veniss Underground; the poetry is surprisingly accomplished, the fiction a bit more on the inconsistent side, but coming down heavily on the side of "readable." Special mention should be given to "At the Crossroads, Burying the Dog," one of the most original stories I've read on the subject of loss in quite a while.

Without a doubt there is much to like here, but not much really jumps out and grabs you by the throat; a good, solid collection, but there are others worth exploring first.