"Box of Chocolates" by Marie Krepps

BOOK TITLE: Box of Chocolates
AUTHOR: Marie Krepps
YEAR: 2015
GENRE: Fictional Short Stories
SUBGENRE: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror
GRADE: Pass


In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re going to get.” In the case of Marie Krepps’ short story collection, you won’t know until the end of each chapter if the chocolates are nutty, creamy, glazed over, bittersweet, or just plain delicious. There might be a few chocolates in this box that are laced with LSD, the stories are so crazy and colorful. Once you’ve finished your chocolaty snack, you will feel delightfully full and pleasantly satisfied. Try getting all of this with just a Hershey’s bar.

The thing about this collection of stories is that your opinions and emotions will vary wildly as you blow through the book. Sometimes you’ll feel like crying your eyes out. Sometimes you’ll feel giddy with delight. And then there are those times when you’re scratching your head. In other words, if someone were to ask you what your favorite stories from this book are, you wouldn’t have to think very hard in order to come up with a decent answer.

For me personally, I had several favorites from this book. I enjoyed the playful antics of Ben (the wolf) and Paca (the panther) from “The Refugees”, because they remind me in some ways of my own crazy animal family. I did a little victory lap after watching Angela get revenge against her bitchy older sister in “Sister Princess”. “Waiting for the Darkness”, however, is one that really hit close to home for me since I too was depressed and angry during my college days, so I know Enid’s struggles very well.

And then you have some stories which appear too short on the surface until you get that nice little twist ending. “Date Night” and “The Meeting” are both of examples of what I’ve just said. Deep down inside, I wish they were longer and more developed. It’s because of incomplete-feeling stories like these that I almost considered giving this book a mixed grade. But then I remembered that flash fiction is an acquired taste and as the reader gets further into the book, the taste will become familiar and delicious, just like a box of chocolates should be. I wrote flash fiction when I was younger and often struggled with it, so I can empathize with Marie on this one.

An actual box of chocolates would be good for any occasion whether it’s lovey-dovey Valentine’s Day, spooky-kooky Halloween, or jolly old Christmastime. The short story collection Marie Krepps wrote takes all three of those atmospheres and turns them into high quality flash fiction that will leave an impression on the reader for a long, long time. Death by chocolate is often the best way to go. Go on, take a bite. It’ll be delicious and orgasmic!