The Anatomy of Curiosity

Gr 9 Up—The three authors behind the dazzling collection The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories (Carolrhoda Lab, 2012) have assembled a new trio of vignettes; each author has penned one tale, including comments for future writers located in the margins, but with mixed results. Each short work sheds light on one aspect of writing: characterization, world-building, and the development of an idea. "Ladylike," Stiefvater's contribution and the weakest of the three, opens the volume. Aspiring writers will likely enjoy the literary advice more than the story. Stiefvater's quest is to thoroughly define protagonist Petra by one main trait. Unfortunately, this makes her one-dimensional and lowers readers' ability to empathize with her or to imagine adding their own little flourishes to the character. Gratton's "Desert Canticle," the instructive entry on world-building, presents a timely tale of the mage Aniv, a magically gifted transgender woman who is romantically paired with her male assistant, Rafel, in a bomb-defusing mission. The achingly desolate story examines identity, secrets, transformations, and hypocrisy in a postwar setting. Both the novella and the advice are equally memorable. Yovanoff's haunting tale, "Drowning Variations," thoroughly chronicles the growth of an idea. It is fascinating to see one drowning become the basis for many different stories and how the author refines and edits until completion. Yovanoff provides the largest amount of literary advice, placing it mostly within the chapter proper.