Reviews - Susan Smith Daniels

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Praise For

The Genuine Stories

The Gazette names The Genuine Stories one of their top picks of 2018

The Gazette

Genuine Eriksson can heal people. She doesn’t know why or exactly how. When performing the miracles in a church setting becomes to stifling, she strikes out on her own with one of the men she’s healed, working for money when her clients can afford it and trying to stay out of the public eye. It’s complicated.

Author Susan Smith Daniels’ debut story collection, “The Genuine Stories,” introduces Genuine and her abilities. These linked stories investigate the nature of power and how relationships are defined and remade by it. Genuine’s gift is mysterious and the moral issues surrounding its use are thorny. Daniels embraces these facts, offering up textured stories that feel grounded in the often stark realities of life rather than in a Pollyanna portrayal of a healer intent on repairing bodies for purely selfless reasons.

“The Genuine Stories” is a striking debut and this reader would be genuinely pleased if Daniels returned to her unusual and memorable character in future works. Full Review

–Rob Cline

More Praise

Vanessa Valienti, V Style Holiday Gift Guide Full Review

“This book about a healer is a stress-free page turner. The past year I haven’t been able to read the way I used to, and this book has me back to my usual book-loving self. I highly recommend it.”

–Vanessa Valienti –V Style Blog

Ashley Perkins, Game Vortex Full Review

“The Genuine Stories made me laugh and cry. It touched my heart and I burned through it in a matter of a few sittings. It’s not a very long book at right under 200 pages, but it is a compelling one with really interesting characters, who have flaws and are completely human, even if they have a startling ability. Susan Smith Daniels has crafted a masterful tale of an extraordinary young woman and those whose lives she touches. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.”

–Ashley Perkins, Game Vortex

Ed Pierce, Journal Tribune Full Review

“The Genuine Stories is 205 pages of sheer wonder and amazing storytelling… It’s one of those rare books that leaves you pondering for days after reading it how you personally would react to situations she describes.”

Meghan Daum, author of The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion, Winner of the 2015 PEN CENTER USA Literary Award

“I loved these stories. I love this character. I love this writer. I can’t remember the last time I found a book to be both a total page-turner and also an authentically satisfying literary experience. Susan Daniels is an exciting new talent and The Genuine Stories is a genuine triumph.”

Karen Osborn, author of Centerville, winner of the Independent Publishers Gold Award

“Each of these stories is a gem. Susan Daniels manages to pull the rug out from under even the smallest of gestures and the interactions of couples, families, and strangers, revealing over and over the human touch in all its guises as miraculous. In showing the act of healing, she uncovers human beings at their most vulnerable. These are wise stories, and the feeling of the miraculous and of grace is palpable in each of them. In this world, anything, she seems to tell us, is possible.”

Eugenia Kim, author of The Kinship of Secrets and The Calligrapher’s Daugher

“The yearning and wonder in these connected stories is palpable. Beyond the magical element of Genuine Eriksson’s ability to heal, the people whose lives she touches are described with a subtlety of grace that delves into the quiet thrum of what makes relationships happen. The stories and their characters remain memorable long after the pages are turned. This captivating book will you breathless.”

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Susan is also the author of The Horse Show Mom’s Survival Guide.