I learned three useless facts from Some website I cannot bother to remember. 1) that nobody can lick their own elbow. 2) that at least someone who read fact #1 tried to prove me wrong and failed a d 3) you can never see yourself blink in the mirror and before you run to find a mirror to once again try to hurt my ego let me save you the humiliation and confirm that it is true, sad but true. It is also true that once in high school with my dear friend Edgar, while the teacher of philosophy was trying to explain that you don't define philosophy as much as you philosophate about its essence I couldn't help but notice that instead of taking notes Edgar kept doodling a story of a space warlord hellbent on conquering the galaxy, while fighting evils and saving distressed damsels (as if there's any other kind worth saving) all this who!e being perfectly able to recall word for word Mr Soler's words when caught apparently not paying attention. Thirty odd years later I find myself reading a question that Jean Paul Sartre himself couldn't answer,[ who would I be if I couldn't see my own face?] As I slowly crept into a story that is as much a descent to madness as it is an ascension to enlightenment my dear friend Edgar Smith has shown me that you can take the philosopher out of the streets but he will still! Philosophate about asphalt.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Through This Strange Window” an anthology of short stories by Edgar Smith who in my opinion has written a book that is truly entertaining, exceptionally well written, and thoughtfully well crafted. I feel this author is a highly talented literary artist who enlightened me with several new concepts and ideas all expressed with an extraordinary command of the English language.

I liked the way the author begins these thought-provoking short stories with short seemingly innocent titles and then the story draws you in quickly and deeply.

As I read through this book, I found the stories evolved into the mysterious, sometimes frightening, suspenseful, and refreshingly original and I found that to be very appealing. In the middle of the book is the short story "The strange window" that was very fast-moving and very exciting. I liked the characters, the concise descriptive writing style all matching the subject matter of this very unusual and entertaining story.

I think one of my favorite stories was “Claustrophobia” and I found the opening line to be mysterious and very original,

“Two days after his burial, Amlale Walker opened his eyes. Thus the intimate prophecy of his deepest fear was fulfilled…”

As I read on, “Claustrophobia” got even more absorbing, eerie, and fascinating showing that this exceptionally unique author has an innate ability to write the unimaginable and yet at the same time, keep it very entertaining.

In my opinion, the stories revolve around this brilliant writer using mirrors. For example, this is from “Mirror in the right angle,”

“I understood at that moment that without the mirror, without the mimetic power of that object, I would not know who I am: nobody could confirm their own appearance. It would be impossible without these elements to say that we know ourselves fully because there would be no natural way of seeing one's own face.”

I also believe he uses mirrors as symbolizing how we reflect upon ourselves and at times afraid to understand ourselves and related concepts.

These haunting stories stayed with me, and I found myself reading them over two or three times generating new thoughts as I re-read them.

All in all, I felt this is a book of exceptional stories that are highly entertaining and will stay with you, and one you want to keep on your nightstand to read over a few times.

The author seems to enjoy his craft with words to entertain as Stephen King said, “Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.”

Finally, I felt this book was well worth my time and look forward to re-reading it again. Very well done. Highly recommended!