You Will Never Be Forgotten: Stories Paperback – March 10, 2020

Many reviews of Mary South’s You Will Never Be Forgotten will describe the darkness, the tech hell, the grotesque and jaded--even ruined--culture we are sunk in and can be shocked to realize South is describing to us. A writer like Pynchon is praised for burning down such stuff and offering very little as an alternative—like mowing down the rainforest in order to find a single daisy, then plucking it, too. This is not South’s move. To use the phrase “finds beauty” in the ruins would suggest a glib and easy way out; South finds beauty, knows it, but chooses to pass it by for something more important, and much more interesting: an incontinent old man stealing his nurse’s girlfriend, an architect eschewing Calatrava’s “dancer’s aplomb” for something more feral in her building; pork chops clogging a swimming pool filter, a vengeful skateboarder crapping on your back deck. Not a dull minute among these stories, picking among the ruins, and finding something to care about; we readers have somebody new to trust. Go ahead, let yourself depend on caring, intelligent, sorrowful, sometimes funny-ass mind and watchful eye of this new great writer, Mary South.

This book was recommended by a friend of a friend who is VERY discriminating when it comes to book and movie recommendations. It’s the first book by the author, Mary South, so I took a chance hoping I would discover a new up and coming writer...and I did. Ms. South’s brain is uniquely wired...in a good way. This is an off beat, thought provoking and extremely entertaining collection of short stories.

Thoroughly weird stories. Here is a relatively normal sentence within these fictional worlds: "Maddy doesn't appear entirely human as she stands up to her crotch in the Mediterranean." Time, bodies, relationships have different rules of engagement here. Also, very funny.

Utterly unique and entertaining. At times tragic and touching, but never bogged down or over-serious. Eclectic, funny, and an excellent quarantine read.

A collection of short stories, one of which is "inspired by" or perhaps even "stolen from" Ishiguro's superb novel about clones kept alive for purposes of organ donation. Ishiguro's text, while superb, far outshines this work. Other stories range from "What's the point?" to almost unreadable. Worst waste of time I've encountered in a very long time.Highly not recommended.

"Unlike most mothers, I gave birth to my daughter Setsuko not once, but twice."--"Setsuko"Mary South's anthology YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN is exhilaratingly unique and smart, uncomfortably melding and yanking apart humans and technology.

... in a collection of off kilter stories combining connection non plussed, Mary South saves if not the best for last; not setsuko was the most page turner compelling. If only because, when compared to the others, it was hard charging, anticipatory.It's been my experience that short story collections simmer, boil, then fade - a lukewarm morass of hotdog water.Not this one.Other than the eponymous short ("The rapist is such an inspiration that he started a newsletter to share his story"), You Will Never Be Forgotten doesn't provoke. Rather, it takes its time, allowing the suspense to crescendo if in your fascination of the subject matter alone, spanning such a wide range of topics and settings.Mary South is precise even when she's making you laugh. The Audacity!The first story, Keith Prime, one of loneliness, separation and loss, a central theme throughout the collection, is the mission statement: an interesting story purely designed to set the tone. The second is the age of love. If you've ever been in a 'stable' relationship that to anyone looking from the outside in, is truly unstable, this is the one that propels and thrusts; remarkably however, her characters throughout their various trauma seem to take these failings in stride. As if they expected whatever missiles to hit their target; a level of maturity I've not seemed to master on any occasion.Attempting to thumb through the collection to cite a favorite, is futile. Each is a gem. I secretly enjoyed the promised hostel and was utterly enthralled by the all-too-real, stripped from the headlines, to save the universe, we must also save ourselves. Even realtor to the damned, a "ghost" story that is actually a mirror, is riveting.I imagine South to be a fascinating personality and as biting as her wit; at once she can immerse herself in whimsy and in the next line have the reader; ok, I'm the reader, loudly exclaim "Oh sh*t!" Yes, she caught me slipping multiple times. Sometimes I got back up. Sometimes I remained in a fetal position.... as if lullabies were supposed to end badly.

South’s stories fall broadly under the umbrella of ‘speculative fiction’, positing a future not too far from our own, examining the ways in which scientific and technological advances might bring to the fore some of our darker impulses. In this way it reminded me a lot of the brilliant TV series Black Mirror: it seems to share the same awareness that it is not the technology itself that causes the damage, but our very natures. And like Black Mirror, each story has its own distinctive style, experimenting with form and language in a way that is incredibly exciting for the reader.For me, a large part of the thrill of this collection was in the shocking revelations of the story worlds and the plots, so I don’t want to delve too deeply into the individual stories and ruin that aspect for anyone who might be tempted to read the book (which I strongly urge you to do). So I will just highlight some of the standout stories without giving too much away. Keith Prime, the opening story, is a surprisingly tender tale, with echoes of Kazuo Ishiguro. My favourite of the whole collection is Frequently Asked Questions About Your Craniotomy, which folds a narrative within its pamphlet-like structure in a formally inventive way that left me full of admiration. The title story is perhaps the most challenging read, a fierce and angry story that feels deeply confronting in a way that is both brave and necessary. It is not just thought-provoking but provocative, and, I felt, truly courageous. The final story in the collection, Not Setsuko, chilled my blood and held my attention captive almost against my will. It is absolutely shocking, but written with such nuance and grace that the full horror of it creeps up deliciously slowly.These stories are uncomfortable, close to our present, revealing in ways we might prefer not to think about. But they are also incredibly intelligent, often funny, and full of a real joy in the gymnastic power of language. Above all, there is emotion here, and even in the darkest stories, a glimmer of warmth and hope. South has produced a body of stories that both demand and deserve our attention, for they hold up a mirror to our present and offer a glimpse of our possible future.

reads as though it hasn't been editedhalf finished charmless sketches of unrealistic and absurd characters (not in a fun way)the author is incapable of giving the reader a reason to careread something else

Jacket cover ripped and damaged. Not ideal as this is a present.

It is a difficult to read book for people who don’t know much about technology, search engines and the like. Short stories should move smoothly from one paragraph to the next. This was a very laborious read. Took me a while to understand each story.