Kate Atkinson's bizarre collection of short stories

A little bit of background📃

British author, Kate Atkinson, is a masterful storyteller. I have read all of her books after falling in love with her writing in 1995's Behind the scenes at the museum. Atkinson is a consummate example of how to write unashamedly British stories, full of dry wit and fleshed out and beautifully eccentric characters. I'm not usually a reader of short stories, but Normal rules don't apply is a Kate Atkinson collection, so of course I gave it a go.

You can also read my review of the latest in her detective series, Death at the sign of the rook, superbly brought to life by Jason Isaacs in the Jackson Brodie television series. I've also reviewed Shrines of gaiety and Book 1 of the Todd family duo, Life after life.

Normal rules don't apply | Published September 2023 | Read May 2025

The stories📖

The clue is in the title, I suppose. Normal rules definitely don't apply to this collection of eleven (loosely) interconnected fantasy and folklore stories. The stories run from an apocalyptic tale, to a story about lost fairy queens, to a deceased woman reflecting on her life, a middle-aged divorcee with regrets, to an advertising professional's divine responsibilities. And that's just some of the odd stories in the collection! Frank, a television producer, features in several of the stories and some of the threads from other stories come together in the final tale. There are talking animals and the walking dead and lots of eccentric characters. If it all sounds a bit mad, that's because it is!

My thoughts on the book💭

There is no doubt in my mind that the stories are inventive, unique, and are keen observations on the human condition. I will always be a fan of Atkinson's writing and in this collection of short stories, she really puts herself out there. Each story is creative, with an element of the surreal and the supernatural. There's plenty of Atkinson's trademark humour in this collection of speculative stories, and it's all so fantastically meta.

I had some trouble understanding what was going on, to be honest. I consider myself to be a fairly clever person, but most of the stories had me scratching my head. Whatever messages Atkinson was trying to get across were bit lost on me. The stories move shakily along but end without explanation or resolution. Things do make a bit more sense to the reader if they make it through to the final two stories. The premise is pretty wild (no spoilers here) but its revelation so late in the game creates a rather bewildering reading journey.

In sum📝

I've struggled with my rating of this collection of bizarre short stories, as I admire Atkinson's blending of folklore, the supernatural, and reality, but I did find understanding it all a challenge. The thread that weaves the stories together is terribly clever, though, once I worked it out. The whole thing is completely bonkers, but I kind of liked it (at least I think I did...). My rating, then, mostly reflects my admiration for the creativity and the premise of the stories, not for the overall quality.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐