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Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite
Isabelle B.L brings readers a stimulating collection of flash fiction and poetry with this enthralling anthology, Prickly Pears. A swarm of butterflies converges upon a fiery lamp to witness a moth's fatal attraction to its glow culminate in its ultimate end. A young golden-haired girl helps her mother with the chores of their family farm. A woman reminisces about her childhood when she was the unintentional partner in crime due to her mother's kleptomaniac tendencies. Working on a research paper, a woman tracks the history of Sicilian women using her recently deceased grandmother's old orange jam jar. A woman is chronically haunted by the words and experiences of her mother-in-law that seep into every aspect of her daily life. A child finds a kindred spirit in her elderly neighbor, who she wishes was her grandma in real life.
Isabelle B.L delivers a deeply personal yet universally relatable flash fiction anthology collection that evokes powerful emotions in the very depths of your soul. Using poetic storytelling and surrealism, Isabelle transports readers into the minds of believably vulnerable and human characters who navigate the challenges and struggles of life in the most extraordinary ways. A certain abstract quality to Isabelle's writing opens the door to interpretation. As a reader, it makes you contemplate the true meaning behind each tale and poetic piece. This anthology collection explores the human condition through the perspective of a person's memories, life experiences, and view of the outside world. Overall, Prickly Pears is an emotionally resonant and inspiring anthology collection that I will highly recommend.