Normal Rules Don’t Apply is a collection of eleven interconnected short stories by award-winning, best-selling British author, Kate Atkinson. While the connections are sometimes quite vague or tenuous, and readers may be scratching their heads as to how the story of the middle-aged dispirited divorcée whose bloated stomach turns out to be an immaculate conception, or the tale of the angst-ridden toys in the sadistic child’s playroom, or the story of the soap opera star who falls in love with a Prince, fit into the scheme of things, the way other stories mesh in becomes much clearer towards the end. Certainly, the first story, The Void, which features what seems to be a Universe Reset that takes a lot of lives, both animal and human, and occurs with alarming regularity, will likely leave readers puzzled until they read the penultimate story. Characters (or iterations of them), names, objects and themes appear in each other’s stories, so F Franklin Fletcher, a would-be writer with a fascination for the myriad of possible paths in life and a plan “to recreate the fractal in fictive form – an endlessly bifurcating narrative, based not on making a choice but on making all possible choices”, features in five of the stories. Initially, he makes a tidy sum betting on a horse race at the grey horse’s suggestion (a bit-player in a different tale has less luck with a talking horse), then finds himself in a relationship with a beautiful daughter in the wealthy Kingshott family, celebrates a lightning-fast engagement before things take an adverse turn. When “He would swim in the Kingshott gene pool like a happy, sun-kissed otter” he later decides “Perhaps he wouldn’t be such a happy otter if Connie’s sisters were in the gene pool with him, circling like sharks.” Meanwhile, the ghost of the personal assistant to a Kingshott sibling floats around observing what happens in the aftermath of her murder. The story that a vicar’s teenaged daughter describes about the disappearance of the family’s baby son is interspersed and entwined with the plot of a folk tale from an old book found in the attic: The Stolen Child, that involves a Queen desperate for a child, a witch in a forest cottage, a loyal hound and a cursed princess. In another thread, Franklin narrowly escapes hooking up with the Kingshott daughter, makes a fortune in a different way, meets the cursed princess with hound, and learns the fate of the baby son. The stories feature faithful dogs, some of which talk; horses that talk; violets; strawberry smoothies; a talking fox; a golden ring inside a fish; and the sister of god, working in an advertising agency, getting a chance to do a better job of genesis than her spoilt younger brother has done so far. All this, wrapped in some marvellous descriptive prose: “He had become reconciled to the fact that no matter how many times the wheel of fortune turned, he would always find himself stuck on the underside, like gum on a shoe”, and even if the reader isn’t quite sure, by the final chapters, of just what, exactly, has occurred, the journey to this point is, nonetheless, a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable one; with Kate Atkinson writing, how could it be otherwise? This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld.

Five stars for this creative, interconnected group of short stories, by one of the UK‘s most gifted authors. I’m really getting into short stories, and when Kate Atkinson writes another collection, I sit up and take notice. There are colourful characters in abundance, some whom keep popping up, especially likeable Franklin, who I begin to look out for to see how he’s faring. All the array of characters, some of whom are mere snapshots, are well portrayed with a few deft strokes you were able to visualise them in all their glory, or otherwise! The dialogue is first class, pertinent and authentic with acute observations of the human condition. This is an original collection, at times it’s very witty and funny , it’s exuberant, eccentric, at times puzzling or surprising, poignant or just plain sad, or on one occasion I’m moved some anger at the depth of the betrayal. I think readers will find several that really appeal as this collection has something for everyone. There’s some fantasy which the author has me buying into, a couple that are magical and would give the Brothers Grimm a run for their money , some are grounded in reality, you even get a long-running soap opera which crops up in several stories. Sometimes short stories leave you feeling somewhat dissatisfied as you want more, but that is not the case here and I think that’s probably because they interconnect so cleverly. I love that most are set here in North Yorkshire, we have Swaledale sheep, Betty’s vanilla slices (way better than a fat rascal!), York races, and so on! I’m always happy to be “stranded in the north”! It’s hard to pick out a favourite though the ones that Franklin features in are probably the ones I like the best especially “Dogs in Jeopardy“ which is genius and funny which contrasts so well with “Classic Quest 17, Crime and Punishment“. Here Franklin’s “beau” Connie Kingshott, and her barking mad family, who you grow to realise are calculating witches. “What If” brings the storytelling full circle. “Void” which begins the collection is an apocalyptic nightmare with excellent vivid, descriptive storytelling. Finally, I have a little chuckle at “Puppies and Rainbows” at least American actress Skyler Schiller gets a puppy! Highly recommended for fans of short stories, or anyone who just wants a creative and different read.

‘Normal Rules’ don’t apply from the off in these eleven chaotic, sometimes dystopian, interconnected tales from Kate Atkinson in her new short story collection. We meet a wonderful array of reoccurring characters, (some you won’t forget and others you wish you could). In some hands the stories could have been slightly ridiculous but the deft writing delivered with Kate Atkinson’s customary black humor - Franklin had never been to bed with such a bony woman; it had been like having sex with a rather irritable skeleton - make it a delight to read. It’s inventive and I like the way she uses wry observation, for instance about climate change and the sending up of a dysfunctional royal family so like our own. There’s a talking horse, time warps, twisted fairy tales, a long running soap opera, a ghost who can’t remember what happened to her and so much more, before in the last two stories an explanation of sorts of the deliciously mad multiverse we’ve been inhabiting while reading these cracking tales. Many thanks to Transworld, Penguin Random House & NetGalley for an ARC

Normal Rules Don’t Apply is a collection of skilfully-written (well, who would expect anything less from Kate Atkinson?) short stories. I don’t generally read a huge amount of short stories but I would read far more if they were all like this: captivating and intriguing! Many of the stories are cleverly connected, with people and occasions from one popping up in others, as I took a little while to realise, and which delighted me. I think these interconnected threads added an extra sense of satisfaction can sometimes be sometimes missing in other short story collections. There’s a great range of plots and styles here, from the opening story The Void, which takes us to the near future with apocalyptic results, to Blithe Spirit, where we watch Mandy, who is dead and watching her own autopsy – plus many more. There’s weirdness, happiness, humour, mysticism and much more, all brilliantly written. Some I liked slightly more than others, as I’d expect with a collection of stories, but each had its own flair for the reader to enjoy. Normal Rules Don’t Apply is an incredibly strong, enjoyable collection with memorable characters. I’m a huge fan of Kate Atkinson’s novels anyway, but now I want to go back and read all of her short story collections too. Highly recommended.

Kate Atkinson is the author of my all time favourite book and I read everything she writes. I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to read Normal Rules Don't Apply before publication. I have read Kate Atkinson's previous short stories and I always enjoy her prose. I particularly enjoyed how cleverly the author linked all 11 stories; some very subtly and others more obviously. I particularly enjoyed the stories that were included Franklin as he is such an engaging and well-observed character. As always, Kate Atkinson delivers a masterclass in writing. I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley and this is an honest review.