Ashley Haynes
Rebecca Hirsch Garcia, The Girl Who Cried Diamonds & Other Stories.
Toronto: ECW Press, 2023. $24.95.
The Girl Who Cried Diamonds & Other Stories is Rebecca Hirsch Garcia’s debut collection of short fiction, though she has had a number of pieces published in journals like PRISM, subTerrain, and The Threepenny Review. Her story, “A Golden Light,” won the 2014 O. Henry Award. This collection of stories is often experimental and dark, with characters going through extraordinary situations, such as a woman who becomes a monster after living with one (“Common Animals”), or a man who teeters on the precipice of infidelity after befriending a teenager online (“The Coldest Place on Earth”). Hirsch Garcia bends reality, turning women into clouds and telling the stories in such a manner that the reader doesn’t dare to look away.
Though some are extremely fantastical, these stories still connect to reality in very clever and unique ways. “Common Animals” depicts how abusive relationships grow and evolve, turning into traps that can span generations. In “My Full Catastrophe,” the protagonist ends up with a stalker after being selfless and saving a stranger’s life. This story dives into the nervous what ifs of the human condition. In this case, what if I save this person and something bad happens to me because of my good deed? The stories allow the reader to think about life in a way that is both exciting and unnerving.
One of the most significant lines for me was from “Woman into Cloud.” In reference to Tessa’s fear of heights, it reads: “Some people are afraid they’ll jump and some people are afraid they’ll fall.” This made me sit back and reflect, and though the concept may be insignificant to some people, it was certainly memorable to me. There are many moments like this in The Girl Who Cried Diamonds & Other Stories, and because each piece is so unique, it is a collection that will surely appeal to many readers. Even the most abstract stories offer moments that readers can recognize or relate to in some way. I would highly recommend this collection; it is one that can be read time and time again without becoming stale.
Ashley Haynes
is a fourth-year student in the Creative Writing & Publishing program at Sheridan College. Her interests include photography, art, nature, and dystopian literature. She enjoys books and films that require her to think critically. Ashley has had ten short stories and two poems published with Polar Expressions Publishing, two of which received honourable mentions for placing among the top ten. Currently, Ashley serves as the Event & Communications intern for The Ampersand Review where she strives to help build up the community that she loves.