This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Elisa Shoenberger has been building a library since she was 13. She loves writing about all aspects of books from author interviews, antiquarian books, archives, and everything in between. She also writes regularly for Murder & Mayhem and Library Journal. She’s also written articles for Huffington Post, Boston Globe, WIRED, Slate, and many other publications. When she’s not writing about reading, she’s reading and adventuring to find cool new art. She also plays alto saxophone and occasionally stiltwalks. Find out more on her [website](https://bowlerhatfox.squarespace….
This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Elisa Shoenberger has been building a library since she was 13. She loves writing about all aspects of books from author interviews, antiquarian books, archives, and everything in between. She also writes regularly for Murder & Mayhem and Library Journal. She’s also written articles for Huffington Post, Boston Globe, WIRED, Slate, and many other publications. When she’s not writing about reading, she’s reading and adventuring to find cool new art. She also plays alto saxophone and occasionally stiltwalks. Find out more on her website or follow her on Twitter @vogontroubadour.
View All posts by Elisa Shoenberger
Metafiction? Inanimate objects as narrators? Micro stories? Sign me up!
That’s just a tiny part of Aoko Matsuda’s newest collection of short stories in The Woman Dies, which collects 52 of her short and micro stories. Some stories span several pages, while others are only a few sentences long. The thread that pulls through these short stories is an indictment of the misogyny of popular culture and society.
The Woman Dies by Aoko Matsuda, translated by Polly Barton
I really loved her past story collection Where the Wild Ladies Are* *where she retold Japanese folktales with a feminist lens. Here she draws on advertising, slogans, turns of phrase, and even artwork in haunting and sometimes very cheeky ways. I tend to have a high threshold for short stories and Matsuda always manages to find really unexpected ways to surprise me. I never quite know how any of the stories are going to end, even if they start off more conventionally. And this story collection is even more twisty and turny than those in her prior collection.
Elisa Shoenberger has been building a library since she was 13. She loves writing about all aspects of books from author interviews, antiquarian books, archives, and everything in between. She also writes regularly for Murder & Mayhem and Library Journal. She’s also written articles for Huffington Post, Boston Globe, WIRED, Slate, and many other publications. When she’s not writing about reading, she’s reading and adventuring to find cool new art. She also plays alto saxophone and occasionally stiltwalks. Find out more on her website or follow her on Twitter @vogontroubadour.
View All posts by Elisa Shoenberger
In particular, the title story “The Woman Dies” explores the common trope where Hollywood movies, TV shows, and comic books use the female character to propel the story forward. The bare-bone structure of the story really reveals how many stories require women as a prop or a tool for the male protagonist. It’s also fascinating how the story ends with an unexpected twist.
Another story “The Masculine Touch” imagines a world where male voices are marginalized and only the bravery of certain individuals can begin to change public perception and the need to consider the masculine point of view. It’s a send-up of male-centered narratives that seem to be prevalent right now, as certain conservative and religious sectors of society are working to chip away at the rights women have fought for.
One of the more disturbing stories is “Dissecting Misogyny,” which describes what appears to be a dissection. As the main character describes her dissection, she keeps commenting on how members of the audience keep fainting or collapsing throughout her demonstration. It’s viscerally unnerving and somehow even gets darker in a really unexpected way.
I also loved “Reflections,” which imagines a character who keeps missing all the action. Everything is happening just behind them or to the side. It’s a delightful send-up of narrative devices where characters happen upon important events or overhear crucial comments. For instance, one line bemoans: “There seemed to be an important conversation taking place between some of the characters, but a nearby car sounded its horn just at that time, and I didn’t hear it.” Chef’s kiss!
While some stories go to dark, dark places, some stories are quite playful and humorous. For instance, there’s “Bond” which imagines a regular get-together of all the Bond Girls from the James Bond movies. Oh the stories they tell! And the shade they throw! There are some weird stories narrated by inanimate objects like the National Anthem and a sweater.
All in all, if you are in the mood for some short, strange, and surreal story collection, The Woman Dies is the perfect one for you.
If you want more short story collections, check out:
- 18 Great Short Stories You Can Read Free Online
- Very Short Stories to Devour in Record Time
- 20 Must-Read Short Story Collections by Women in Translation
Join All Access to read this article
Get access to exclusive content and features with an All Access subscription on Book Riot.
- Unlimited access to exclusive bonus content
- Community features like commenting and poll participation
- Our gratitude for supporting the work of an independent media company