This is a short, dark and heartbreaking read but beautifully written. There are many characters - even if you do not notice every connection instantly, each story acts as an important lesson for the reader. Highly recommended. Admittedly I don’t usually read short stories, but with this title, Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town, I just had to give it a try and I was not disappointed. It’s brilliant, unique, mind numbing! All those stories are missing pieces of the puzzle. You can read and enjoy them separately but as you realize the connections of them by catching the small details, you feel more satisfied and you adore the witty writing style of the author!

As I read I encountered characters who were dealing with death, being cheated on, moving towns, hitchhiking, dealing with abuse, having second thoughts about life after school and so much more. Whether they are brought together by the spread of wildfire, by the priest who’s moved from state to state or by the hunt for a missing child, these incredible tales blaze with secrets, rage and love.Thank you to Netgalley and Wendy Lamb Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the line, towards the end of ‘ The Stranger in the Woods‘, the penultimate story of this brilliant collection, that finally convinced me I was reading something very special indeed. Sidenote: I'd probably look up trigger warnings more in depth, but I will say that there is sexual abuse involved, among other things)It was amazing how these different characters were connected in circumstantial yet significant ways. This children’s book is ideal for: Book clubs and a short story collection text study in years 10 & 11. Priests are not to be trusted. Father Lazaria’s serial abuse causes immense damage and is a narrative that runs through several of the stories. Delia’s parents “still expected her to go to church and receive Communion from Father Monster’s shrivelled, stinky hand” but at the age of sixteen, Delia wreaks her revenge which leads to devastating consequences.

The author’s first novel, The Smell of Other People’s Houses, is one of my favorite books, and is a must-read. In Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town, we’re once again treated to her simple yet affecting approach to language, the realistic-feeling dialogue, and the tour of the inner workings of teen minds and hearts. I read these interlinked stories with increasing levels of anxiety for the characters and a growing sense of admiration for the author, as she charts the lives of the girls and boys involved as they try to navigate their way through a succession of crises not of their own making.I’m telling you my friends, this book is precious gem! You cannot put it down, getting lost in the creative world building and rich characters and after finishing it you feel the ache deeply because you crave more, you need more stories! Best solution is retreading this beautiful journey! Set in the mid-1990s, the stories are set in Alaska and in small towns scattered across the American west. We meet hitchhikers, kids with reputations, girls who grew up wild and free, siblings who’ve suffered loss. Some common threads are apparent across multiple stories — the early warnings of a wildfire in one story turn into an out-of-control inferno in another; the aftermath of certain events are sprinkled throughout several characters’ lives, but we only get the full picture in a seemingly unrelated story later on. In fact, I finished the book feeling invigorated by the characters and amazed at how the author managed to weave such a story.

Famous in a Small Town" debuted at number 54 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of April 7, 2007. After 33 weeks on the chart, it peaked at number 14 on November 17, 2007. That being said, I think that the reason this book is rather dull is because of the sheer amount of stories that were being presented. Each of the characters were individual and almost completely different from the others, living in different circumstances and experiencing different things. As a result, not one of the stories or characters was extremely developed, making the book and its individual characters rather forgettable. It also made the book feel like it was dragging on, despite how short it is. This was such an interesting reading experience; I highly recommend this book to ages fifteen and above.The stories themselves felt like an ode to small towns and the communities they hold. Small towns get a reputation for being places where nothing happens, life stands still. But these stories are bursting with life, love, heartbreak, tragedy, and more. The characters were great and I especially loved seeing them through new perspectives when they popped up in different stories. I most related to 2 characters in one of the stories who are not outdoorsy camping types, but because they’re Alaskan people expect them to be experts. Very relatable. I flew through the book and think many of you would enjoy it as well. Releases in April! Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town' is a series of short stories about how different small towns are connected in ways that you would never imagine, told through the perspectives of different characters, each dealing with their own issues and lives, and unknowingly affecting many others'.