#CBR12 Review #30: What is Not Yours is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi

It’s been a minute since I’ve read a collection of short stories (or really, short stories in general), so I figured it might be worth a little revisit with Oyeyemi’s collection in What is Not Yours is Not Yours. Once again, I find my personal experience with short stories to be a bit of a mixed bag, not to mention how with any collection put together there are going to be those that are favored and those that are not. For the most part, these stories resonated on at least some level, and there was more positive than negative for me, though not completely.

The nine stories in What is Not Yours is Not Yours are all connected through the motif of keys and locks, and the possibilities of what lies beyond a lock or what a key may open. A short blip to describe each is as follows (though they are pretty vague so as not to give anything away):

• “Books and Roses” - Two interconnected tales of loss and loneliness. A young orphan has a key around her neck, so similar to a key that was given to an artist she knows and grows to learn the story of.
• “‘Sorry’ Doesn’t Sweeten Her Tea” - A man is taking care of his friend’s house and fish, all while dealing with a concerning parasocial relationship between his stepdaughter and her musical idol who has fallen from grace.
• “Is Your Blood as Red as This?” - A girl strives to join a school for puppeteering to become closer to a woman she is infatuated with.
• “Drownings” - A man taking care of two wayward souls find himself imprisoned by a tyrant knowing for choosing to drown anyone who causes him even the slightest insult, so much so that the marshes around the city appear to be their own city of the drowned.
• “Presence” - A woman agrees to undergo a study created by her husband where people are able to feel and experience the presence of someone who is physically absent from them.
• “A Brief History of the Homely Wench Society” - A university club of young women has a long history of opposing a different, male club, but new feelings and circumstances are starting to change things.
• “Dornicka and the St. Martin’s Day Goose” - A woman offers a trade to a wolf in order to stop him from taking a fresh young life.
• “Freddy Barrandov Checks...In?” - A young man’s relationship with his family is strained because of his aimlessness and lack of ambition, but when an old acquaintance shows up and offers payment for a task, this may be what sparks a new wave of motivation.
• “If a Book is Locked There is Probably a Good Reason For That Don’t You Think” - An office is fascinated and enamored by a new employee… until they aren’t and now desperately want to get rid of her.

In addition to the repeating theme and inclusion of keys and locks, some characters and relationships overlap between tales, making some seem to be occurring in the same universe and space in time, though not all of them. Because of this slight overlap with some of the characters --or even the mere mention of them-- between stories I was expecting this to occur more clearly between all of them but alas, I was mistaken. In any case, the tales presented are all focused on deeply human issues and narrative, while also all taking on a bit of a fairytale or surreal quality. I never knew quite where each tale was going to go, and this kept things interesting. Not only that, but the range of settings, time periods, and diversity among the characters kept things fresh from piece to piece, while all still fitting together in energy and thematic elements.

That said, I was often finding that certain pieces of information or sub-threads were included to deepen each individual tale, yet these felt almost extraneous and distracting at times. With such few pages given to each story, everything should count, and I was left wondering about why certain things were included or was expecting them to come full circle or be explained only to be left vague or like a loose end. This definitely added to the mysterious feel of the tales, but also left me a bit confused at times as to what the real message or point or ideas behind the stories were. Honestly, I just didn't "get" some of them.

Although I found myself drawn to --and understanding-- certain stories over others, each one definitely left me thinking and pondering, which I think is a success in its own way. I will say, I really liked reading Oyeyemi’s particular voice and style of writing: despite the sometimes peculiar plots and devices, it was very accessible but still so rich. I would certainly be interested in picking up another of her works in the future, though this time maybe a full novel so some of the ideas and plot points are given more room to breathe (for my own sake).

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