This Isn't the Sort of Thing That Happens to Someone Like You

This Isn't the Sort of Thing That Happens to Someone Like You presents thirty short stories set in the fenlands of eastern England. The collection focuses on moments of disruption and crisis in ordinary lives. The stories range from brief fragments to longer narratives, featuring characters who find themselves in unexpected circumstances. McGregor's prose captures the flat landscapes and small communities of Norfolk and Lincolnshire, where locals grapple with floods, disappearances, and sudden changes. Many pieces experiment with form and structure, incorporating elements like police reports, lists, and repeated phrases. The collection maintains connections between stories through recurring locations, themes, and background events. The book examines how people process trauma and upheaval, suggesting that extraordinary events can arrive without warning in the most mundane settings. Through its focus on rural English life, the collection explores the tension between stability and chaos in contemporary society.

Readers found this story collection haunting and atmospheric in its portrayal of rural English life, with McGregor's detailed observation of ordinary moments and precision with language earning particular notice. Readers highlighted: - The unique handling of dialect and regional speech patterns - Building of tension through mundane details - The stories' lingering psychological impact Common criticisms: - Several stories feel incomplete or end abruptly - Writing style can be too experimental for some - Some readers struggled with the minimalist punctuation Ratings averages: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (1,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (50+ ratings) LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (100+ ratings) One reader noted: "Like watching life through a window - you see the crucial moments but are left to imagine what came before and after." Another wrote: "The sparse style takes getting used to, but perfectly captures the bleakness of the Fenland setting."

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🔖 Written in East Anglia's Lincolnshire Fens, the book captures the region's distinctive landscape and dialect, with McGregor having spent significant time living in the area to authentically portray its essence. 📚 The collection contains 30 short stories that vary drastically in length - from just a few lines to full-length narratives - challenging conventional story structure expectations. 🏆 Jon McGregor was the youngest writer ever to be longlisted for the Man Booker Prize (at age 26) and went on to win the International Dublin Literary Award in 2012 for his novel "Even the Dogs." 🌊 Several stories in the collection deal with flooding and water-related disasters, inspired by real environmental concerns in the Lincolnshire region and its vulnerable coastal areas. 📝 McGregor wrote many of these stories while serving as writer-in-residence at the University of Nottingham, where he later became Professor of Creative Writing.