"Reading Suspended Heart is like opening a jewel box full of glittering surprises -- each story dark, multifaceted, and marvelous."

Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, author of Ms. Hempel Chronicles and Madeleine is Sleeping.

"Heather Fowler is a brave writer. She does not blink, she does not falter. There is an integrity in her stories which demonstrates a writer who is committed, confident and sharp, witty and cutting. She cuts deep. She is also very funny, the way Kafka was funny, the way Donald Barthelme was funny. Read her for her pithiness. Read her for how entertaining she is. Let the depth of the stories creep up on you."

Corey Mesler, author of Talk: a Novel in Dialogue.

http://www.coreymesler.com/id9.html

"Fowler’s descriptions are exquisite, and her stories absorbing. Her fabulist elements intertwine with reality to create allegorical narratives that expose deeper truths about men and women, about humanity’s common fixations. Her heroines are strong, but searching and consistently surprising. Fowler's stories are like spells: Through words alone, beautiful imagery, tremendous substance, and poignant feeling become palpably real."

FORMAL REVIEWS:  Please see the January 2012 issue of The Short Review and Gently Read Literature's September 2011 issue for longer reviews if desired.

"Heather Fowler’s Suspended Heart conveys the persona of the very human emotion of love in anything but a four-letter word. She has successfully broken down the matter and substance that is the heart in suspense: The fluttery new crush love; the broken-down, hitchhiking heartbreak; and the whimsical daydream of lust. Heather Fowler has pieced together a collection of stories facing love head-on, from the angles of the most dynamic couples―rat and snake, bird and cat, man and woman.

The stories in Suspended Heart have made for some of the most twisted, exciting reading I have had in a very long time. They are read with a zealousness and momentum that is like a solid relationship, improving with age and with each re-read. I find these stories to take the idea of love and blast away any cliché notions that love is an ordinary thing. Bitter hearts will be relieved, hardened hearts will soften, and dangerous hearts will finally use caution.

Each story is fresh and crisp and offers a new angle on the age-old ideas of romance and sex. The themes of lust and courageous love are never dulled by overly dramatic tales or melodramatic fantasies. The voice Fowler uses is real, and in my opinion, these stories are some of the best tales of love and its consuming ideas that have been written in many years."

A Review of Suspended Heart, courtesy of Ampersand Books: http://ampersand-books.com/book-review-suspended-heart-by-heather-fowler/

"Heather Fowler’s debut collection, Suspended Heart, deals out extended metaphors like black jack cards. Though some of the stories feel crowded with the metaphor, the innovative works always present an innovative point of view—such as a girl who sculpts cocks for a living, and not the kind that live on a barn and can’t fly. Themes of love and losing, beauty, strangeness, and revenge, Fowler draws the veins of this Heart through the entire work, making the piece read as a whole and connected.

She combines mythology and common wives tales in her themed stories, always rooted in strong tales of female narrators (in addition to two male protagonists and one bird hero) who are in some way exposed to the extraordinary. The strangeness is not always the protagonist’s cross to bear: one of Fowler’s tales (“My Brother, Made of Clay”) details the story of a little girl whose brother is, in fact, made out of clay—as his morals decay, so does his body. The original small spot of clay located on his chest grows to cover his whole body. Near the end of the piece, the Byronic hero lies in bed as a perfect clay statue of the protagonist’s brother. In “Companion to Minnow Creek,” the oddity is a haunted lake that shows those who swim or boat across it their deceased loved ones, pulling them into the lake in a manner not too different from Homer’s sirens.

Conversely, it is often that the women are the metaphors themselves. “Godiva,” for example, takes just the perspective readers might expect. However, audiences might be shocked at the route Fowler takes: this is not the Godiva stamped across chocolate boxes and imagination. This Godiva is not virulent, but tired, worn, and maybe a little rusty as time goes on. In “The Girl with Razorblade Skin,” the edged character originally revels in her gift, but as blades start growing from her genital areas, her gums, her armpits, she decides she must find a way to end their growth, and finds that the only way is to say what she means for once. Because Fowler so greatly diversifies her metaphors and narrators, the technique doesn’t become boring—the gifted author jumps from “Crack Smoking Parrots” to a woman who becomes a snake at night (and who happens to be dating a man who turns into a rat while sleeping).

Fowler’s writing itself is beautiful—her sentences are as varied as her characters, and the images she carefully paints echo Francis Bacon’s statements about beauty: there’s nothing pretty that isn’t at least slightly bizarre in some way. This strangeness never hinders Fowler’s work, and instead, increases the world she so vividly introduces us to, making her plots more believable, and just that much more fun to read. Her language doesn’t flow, but laps, much like Minnow Lake, at the reader’s feet, slowly drawing them into her sphere of murderous lamps and birds who cannot help but fall in love with cats."

GOOD READS READERS REVIEWS:

"Magical realism at its finest. Great work by Heather Fowler. Recommended." Kathy Fish

"This is a collection of some of the best thought provoking and poignant short stories I've every read. I had to take a break after each story just to say Wow. Heather Fowler has a rare gift for exposing the truth in a way most can understand." Joe Hartley

"A-MAZ-ING. This is a brilliant collection of magical realism stories that will have you laughing out loud while the characters sneak up behind you and gently break your heart. Heather Fowler has created some uniquely memorable characters (talking birds, avant-garde robots, disintegrating boys) -- all in search of love in one way or another -- in whom we can identify and explore our own longings, failures, and redemptions. The prose is impressive for it's poetic lyricism alone, but it is also so evocative that you can taste what the characters taste, smell what they smell -- the language is tactile and cinematic but also thought-provoking and allegorical in the tradition of classic literary fiction. Add to all of this a twist of magic reminiscent of your favorite fables and fairy tales and you have a page-turner that will keep you guessing and wanting more. Don't miss this beautiful debut collection from a unique and talented literary voice!"  Laura Alonso

"This was a creative and thrilling book. There was just so much creativity and amazing ideas I loved this book. I won this from goodreads and finally finished it and I'm happy I entered the contest for this book I don't regret it. I just loved the idea of women being the heros for once. That's all I had to see and I entered the giveaway. So happy I own this book I'll probably read it again when my book list narrows down if that ever even happens my booklist is practically endless." Brittany

"This book was amazing. After the first story, I knew I wanted to take it slowly, consider it a treat I rewarded myself with after a long, tiring day. The seventeen stories ranged from the whimsical to the profound and everything in between. If you enjoy reading stories with a message that doesn't beat you over the head with their lack of subtlety, you will love this book. If you prefer contemporary fables that have you believing the unbelievable in just a few words, you will love this book. If you appreciate irony and metaphor and numerous other literary devices and figures of speech, you will love this book. Ms. Fowler is just the type of word weaver that makes an aspiring writer fall to her knees sobbing "I'm not worthy!"  Eden Chase

"great read. well written, grabbed me in from the very first story." Melissa

READERS REMARKS FROM AMAZON.COM:

"I finished Suspended Heart last night and it's the damndest thing I've ever seen. Original for sure. Powerful writing. Fowler is a writer I think we will see a lot of.

As a man, I'm not sure if I'm even supposed to LIKE Suspended Heart or not. I don't think I would want to fall asleep in a room with the author. Too lengthy for me to explain here--but if you're looking for writing that has a chance to make its literary place over time, you'll want to give Suspended Heart a chance."  OHIO SCRIBE

"I have never read such truly original, moving, and thought provokingly disturbing stories. Fowler turns your minds eye to your deepest and least talked about self and makes you see the pieces of you that you never acknowledge. Each story got a re-read from me, and I highly recommend them all. The layers of meaning and the depth of her pieces definitely deserve the reader's attention.

The style just drips off the pages; in their rhythm her stories are like the lengthy revelations of the best open-mic night poetry. Fresh, new, and perfectly... Dirty honest.

What an amazing collection of stories. What a memorable and momentous first book. In this humble reader's opinion, Heather Fowler has done it! She has broken into the world of literary fiction and I look forward to seeing much more of her work!"  TAROTACES  

BLURBS:

"Reading Suspended Heart is like opening a jewel box full of glittering surprises -- each story dark, multifaceted, and marvelous."

Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, author of Ms. Hempel Chronicles and Madeleine is Sleeping.

"Heather Fowler is a brave writer. She does not blink, she does not falter. There is an integrity in her stories which demonstrates a writer who is committed, confident and sharp, witty and cutting. She cuts deep. She is also very funny, the way Kafka was funny, the way Donald Barthelme was funny. Read her for her pithiness. Read her for how entertaining she is. Let the depth of the stories creep up on you."

Corey Mesler, author of Talk: a Novel in Dialogue.http://www.coreymesler.com/id9.html

"Fowler’s descriptions are exquisite, and her stories absorbing. Her fabulist elements intertwine with reality to create allegorical narratives that expose deeper truths about men and women, about humanity’s common fixations. Her heroines are strong, but searching and consistently surprising. Fowler's stories are like spells: Through words alone, beautiful imagery, tremendous substance, and poignant feeling become palpably real." 

FORMAL REVIEWS:

"Heather Fowler’s Suspended Heart conveys the persona of the very human emotion of love in anything but a four-letter word. She has successfully broken down the matter and substance that is the heart in suspense: The fluttery new crush love; the broken-down, hitchhiking heartbreak; and the whimsical daydream of lust. Heather Fowler has pieced together a collection of stories facing love head-on, from the angles of the most dynamic couples―rat and snake, bird and cat, man and woman.

The stories in Suspended Heart have made for some of the most twisted, exciting reading I have had in a very long time. They are read with a zealousness and momentum that is like a solid relationship, improving with age and with each re-read. I find these stories to take the idea of love and blast away any cliché notions that love is an ordinary thing. Bitter hearts will be relieved, hardened hearts will soften, and dangerous hearts will finally use caution.

Each story is fresh and crisp and offers a new angle on the age-old ideas of romance and sex. The themes of lust and courageous love are never dulled by overly dramatic tales or melodramatic fantasies. The voice Fowler uses is real, and in my opinion, these stories are some of the best tales of love and its consuming ideas that have been written in many years."

A Review of Suspended Heart, courtesy of Ampersand Books:  http://ampersand-books.com/book-review-suspended-heart-by-heather-fowler/

"Heather Fowler’s debut collection, Suspended Heart, deals out extended metaphors like black jack cards. Though some of the stories feel crowded with the metaphor, the innovative works always present an innovative point of view—such as a girl who sculpts cocks for a living, and not the kind that live on a barn and can’t fly. Themes of love and losing, beauty, strangeness, and revenge, Fowler draws the veins of this Heart through the entire work, making the piece read as a whole and connected.

She combines mythology and common wives tales in her themed stories, always rooted in strong tales of female narrators (in addition to two male protagonists and one bird hero) who are in some way exposed to the extraordinary. The strangeness is not always the protagonist’s cross to bear: one of Fowler’s tales (“My Brother, Made of Clay”) details the story of a little girl whose brother is, in fact, made out of clay—as his morals decay, so does his body. The original small spot of clay located on his chest grows to cover his whole body. Near the end of the piece, the Byronic hero lies in bed as a perfect clay statue of the protagonist’s brother. In “Companion to Minnow Creek,” the oddity is a haunted lake that shows those who swim or boat across it their deceased loved ones, pulling them into the lake in a manner not too different from Homer’s sirens.

Conversely, it is often that the women are the metaphors themselves. “Godiva,” for example, takes just the perspective readers might expect. However, audiences might be shocked at the route Fowler takes: this is not the Godiva stamped across chocolate boxes and imagination. This Godiva is not virulent, but tired, worn, and maybe a little rusty as time goes on. In “The Girl with Razorblade Skin,” the edged character originally revels in her gift, but as blades start growing from her genital areas, her gums, her armpits, she decides she must find a way to end their growth, and finds that the only way is to say what she means for once. Because Fowler so greatly diversifies her metaphors and narrators, the technique doesn’t become boring—the gifted author jumps from “Crack Smoking Parrots” to a woman who becomes a snake at night (and who happens to be dating a man who turns into a rat while sleeping).

Fowler’s writing itself is beautiful—her sentences are as varied as her characters, and the images she carefully paints echo Francis Bacon’s statements about beauty: there’s nothing pretty that isn’t at least slightly bizarre in some way. This strangeness never hinders Fowler’s work, and instead, increases the world she so vividly introduces us to, making her plots more believable, and just that much more fun to read. Her language doesn’t flow, but laps, much like Minnow Lake, at the reader’s feet, slowly drawing them into her sphere of murderous lamps and birds who cannot help but fall in love with cats."