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Someone Else, Somewhere Else
“Though we were four years younger than Ariya, we’d watched teenagers before at an older cousin’s house. They talked on the phone, they texted their boyfriends, they watched movies on DVDs. Sometimes, they tidied up the house by wiping the table with a damp sponge after feeding us, removing the crumbs and ring spots from the bottom of our glasses. But we’d never seen any of them work like Ariya did.”
Twin sisters. Stepdaughters. Neighbours. In this short fiction, the lives of the twins are forever changed when their mother remarries and they move next door to a family unlike their own. Could their lives have been different with a flip of a coin?
Twin sisters. Stepdaughters. Neighbours. In this short fiction, the lives of the twins are forever changed when their mother remarries and they move next door to a family unlike their own. Could their lives have been different with a flip of a coin?
- GenresFictionShort Stories
15 pages, ebook
First published February 15, 2012
5 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Jenelle Jack Pierre
12 books19 followersJenelle Jack Pierre writes contemporary African-American fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 11, 2022
Five children from two families and each had a missing parent and step parents in Someone Else, Somewhere Else. The four younger children all went to school, played and were best of friends. The oldest girl, Ariya was expected to help cook, do chores and keep her homework up for her strict stepmother. This is written from the point of view of the two twin neighbors that never saw Ariya again after she ran away.
June 17, 2012
A great short story! I enjoyed the easy writing and the memoir style flow of the events. The writer brings you into the lives of a pair of twin girls as they observe the lives of their friends and one unfortunate soul whose life they could have easily had. Loved it. I look forward to reading more from this author.
January 7, 2021
Didn't keep my attention...tried reading it twice.
December 24, 2020
Impressive!
Simple, different but meaningful. Twin girls live next door to Arubans family. Two stepparents and two drastically different households. Loved it!
Simple, different but meaningful. Twin girls live next door to Arubans family. Two stepparents and two drastically different households. Loved it!
May 26, 2012
I read this as part of Innovative Online Book Tours for All Things Writing http://www.allthingswriting.blogspot.com
First of all, I love that this author, Jenelle Jack Pierre, is marketing her short story! It's just another example of how authors need to think outside the box when it comes to selling and promoting their work. And this is a tale worth promoting!
Someone Else, Somewhere Else is told from the pov of twin girls who talk about their experience living next door to a family with a less than idyllic home life. The twin's mother recently remarried a man that everyone likes and who strives to take care of his new family. The people next door also have a blended family, but unfortunately, the stepmother tends to favor her own kids over her stepdaughter, Ariya. It's a distinction that everyone seems to notice, but no one wants to bring up. Of course, things change when Ariya takes a stand and pays the consequences for her actions.
It's hard not to give away the whole story since it is so short, but I will say that Pierre manages to present a slice of life. Set on an island that feels very small town and homey, her characters are believable and easy to relate to. I'd venture to say that we've all seen a girl like Ariya at some point in our lives. I think the tension between the stepmother and Ariya was just right, leaving the reader feeling their emotions, but not going overboard with it so that it turned into a cliché. I was a bit confused as to when they story was taking place. At times it felt like it was set in the past, but the Xbox references made it feel more current. There is also a moment where the daughter is hanging laundry on the clothes line and I couldn't help but think, "Okay, you can afford the Xbox, but not a cheap indoor washer and dryer?" Then again, I guess that shows where my priorities are when it comes to the laundry!
All in all, this was a fast paced read with great characters.
First of all, I love that this author, Jenelle Jack Pierre, is marketing her short story! It's just another example of how authors need to think outside the box when it comes to selling and promoting their work. And this is a tale worth promoting!
Someone Else, Somewhere Else is told from the pov of twin girls who talk about their experience living next door to a family with a less than idyllic home life. The twin's mother recently remarried a man that everyone likes and who strives to take care of his new family. The people next door also have a blended family, but unfortunately, the stepmother tends to favor her own kids over her stepdaughter, Ariya. It's a distinction that everyone seems to notice, but no one wants to bring up. Of course, things change when Ariya takes a stand and pays the consequences for her actions.
It's hard not to give away the whole story since it is so short, but I will say that Pierre manages to present a slice of life. Set on an island that feels very small town and homey, her characters are believable and easy to relate to. I'd venture to say that we've all seen a girl like Ariya at some point in our lives. I think the tension between the stepmother and Ariya was just right, leaving the reader feeling their emotions, but not going overboard with it so that it turned into a cliché. I was a bit confused as to when they story was taking place. At times it felt like it was set in the past, but the Xbox references made it feel more current. There is also a moment where the daughter is hanging laundry on the clothes line and I couldn't help but think, "Okay, you can afford the Xbox, but not a cheap indoor washer and dryer?" Then again, I guess that shows where my priorities are when it comes to the laundry!
All in all, this was a fast paced read with great characters.
November 25, 2012
What I love about short stories is, well... how short they are, lol!
What I sometimes dislike about short stories... how short they are!
And in the case of Someone Else, Somewhere Else - I really do wish that it was longer...
The story is about twin sisters that live with their mother and step-father, who have just moved to a new small town located on the island of Antigua.
Throughout the story, the girls names are never mentioned - they are oftentimes referred to as 'girls'. I have to admit, I'm a stickler with names. But in this story, I did not even notice the lack of information until I had finished reading it and had to think about it.
Pierre's writing style flows prettily. Very descriptive and inviting.
The girls are at a curious age were they notice all the little details and want to know why.
They spend a great deal at their neighbors house, even though their parents know what is going on, which confused me a bit. As a parent, if I suspected any type of odd behavior or abuse, I truly believe that I would not allow my children to be near the situation.
I was also under the impression that the story was taking place in the past - with laundry being hung out in the back and potato peeling being done on the front steps, until there was mention of the children sitting in the living room playing Xbox.
In the end, I really did wish that the story would have continued. I would have liked to have really gotten to know the girls (perhaps their names too, lol), see what they would have thought about what they had discovered with what had happened next door, etc.
Hopefully Pierre will turn this short story into a novel someday.
What I sometimes dislike about short stories... how short they are!
And in the case of Someone Else, Somewhere Else - I really do wish that it was longer...
The story is about twin sisters that live with their mother and step-father, who have just moved to a new small town located on the island of Antigua.
Throughout the story, the girls names are never mentioned - they are oftentimes referred to as 'girls'. I have to admit, I'm a stickler with names. But in this story, I did not even notice the lack of information until I had finished reading it and had to think about it.
Pierre's writing style flows prettily. Very descriptive and inviting.
The girls are at a curious age were they notice all the little details and want to know why.
They spend a great deal at their neighbors house, even though their parents know what is going on, which confused me a bit. As a parent, if I suspected any type of odd behavior or abuse, I truly believe that I would not allow my children to be near the situation.
I was also under the impression that the story was taking place in the past - with laundry being hung out in the back and potato peeling being done on the front steps, until there was mention of the children sitting in the living room playing Xbox.
In the end, I really did wish that the story would have continued. I would have liked to have really gotten to know the girls (perhaps their names too, lol), see what they would have thought about what they had discovered with what had happened next door, etc.
Hopefully Pierre will turn this short story into a novel someday.
July 14, 2012
My review also on Ramblings of an Amateur Writer: http://reenajacobs.com/blog/2012/05/s...
The first thing I noticed about this work was the narrative. I don’t recall ever reading a work in first person plural. This story was told from the perspective of both the twins, which doubly interesting because the twin girls (main characters) in the story were nameless. The narrative was presented in such a way it gave the two girls a collective thought. For me, the over all effect made Someone Else, Somewhere Else a worthy read if only for analysis.
As for the story itself, Someone Else, Somewhere Else was thought provoking. Not only was it a reminder we don’t get to pick the families we’re born into, but that children have even less say in the hand they’re dealt. They get what they get and adjust the best they can. I finished this story wondering if I protected my children effectively from the harm always around the corner, and hoping their childhood memories will be filled with enough joy to outweigh the bad.
This read left me with a bittersweet sadness, and I hoped Ariya found happiness in her choices. I say if you have 20-30 minutes of spare time, check out this read.
The first thing I noticed about this work was the narrative. I don’t recall ever reading a work in first person plural. This story was told from the perspective of both the twins, which doubly interesting because the twin girls (main characters) in the story were nameless. The narrative was presented in such a way it gave the two girls a collective thought. For me, the over all effect made Someone Else, Somewhere Else a worthy read if only for analysis.
As for the story itself, Someone Else, Somewhere Else was thought provoking. Not only was it a reminder we don’t get to pick the families we’re born into, but that children have even less say in the hand they’re dealt. They get what they get and adjust the best they can. I finished this story wondering if I protected my children effectively from the harm always around the corner, and hoping their childhood memories will be filled with enough joy to outweigh the bad.
This read left me with a bittersweet sadness, and I hoped Ariya found happiness in her choices. I say if you have 20-30 minutes of spare time, check out this read.
September 21, 2014
Read for blog tour:
Someone Else, Somewhere Else was a cute but very short story. I really wish it would have kept going and turned into a full story. I needed more of these two twin girls story. I really wanted to get to know the characters more and to see what they thought about what they had found out!
I really did like the writing style and the stories plot. There was a few things I didn't particularly like but they were small enough to not take away from me liking and getting into the story. One being the things I read going on in the book seemed like a blast from the past, but then in some parts it was very modern day to me. It just seemed to mixed up in places.
I really wouldn't mind if the author would have continued the story, like I said before I needed more to it. All in all its a great short story.
Someone Else, Somewhere Else was a cute but very short story. I really wish it would have kept going and turned into a full story. I needed more of these two twin girls story. I really wanted to get to know the characters more and to see what they thought about what they had found out!
I really did like the writing style and the stories plot. There was a few things I didn't particularly like but they were small enough to not take away from me liking and getting into the story. One being the things I read going on in the book seemed like a blast from the past, but then in some parts it was very modern day to me. It just seemed to mixed up in places.
I really wouldn't mind if the author would have continued the story, like I said before I needed more to it. All in all its a great short story.
June 21, 2012
For me, many short stories don't work but this one certainly did. In just a few pages I felt the flavour of island life on Antigua and the interactions as two families come together as neighbours. The 'twins' have just moved house and are living with their mother and new stepfather. Next door is a family also coping with family breakdown and readjustment but in their case the transition has resulted in favouritism and unfair treatment. The Twins begin to notice this and so does their mother who suggests that maybe they should not be spend so much time next door.
This heartbreaking scenario of children caught up in the complexity of adult relationships and the sheer injustice of it is managed with believeable simplicity and the end was, I think, as it probably would be in real life.
This heartbreaking scenario of children caught up in the complexity of adult relationships and the sheer injustice of it is managed with believeable simplicity and the end was, I think, as it probably would be in real life.
September 2, 2012
Too much tell....not much of a story. I don't see the necessity of having a story written in first person plural when nothing is done with it other than a small conversation at the end of the story.
And everything got laid out for us in the end. There was nothing to wonder about, or question.
And everything got laid out for us in the end. There was nothing to wonder about, or question.
December 30, 2012
I wasn't sure about this story when I started, but as I got into it I found I liked it. I like the symmetry between the rabbit and the girl's story. I also liked seeing the story through the neighbor girls' eyes. It was something different. I did think it was a little slow at times, but mostly it was a good story. A little short, but it works for the most part.
September 1, 2014
Short
This is a short story, and I wasn't aware of that before I downloaded it. I have so many questions without answers, it's like the author had no enthusiasm to finish the story.
This is a short story, and I wasn't aware of that before I downloaded it. I have so many questions without answers, it's like the author had no enthusiasm to finish the story.
May 28, 2012
This short story sucked.
June 10, 2012
Good quick read.
December 30, 2012
this story left me with a lot of questions and more importantly wanting more. it should be a full length novel not a short story. so much more could be done with this story
September 7, 2015
Very short story, but good. It would make for a great novel. Sometimes I wish I were someone else, somewhere else.
January 6, 2015
Step-families suck... (sometimes)
April 13, 2016
Serious reading. Gets my vote
Like what I read. Will recommend to my niece, nephew, son, daughter. Don't usually read short stories. Will start now
Like what I read. Will recommend to my niece, nephew, son, daughter. Don't usually read short stories. Will start now
September 24, 2012
Huge story in a short ;-) Very enjoyable .
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews