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HOTEL OBSCURE: A Collection of Short Stories Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

From the author of The Waiting House: A Novel in Stories


In a run-down neighborhood in an unnamed city, people live and die in “the Obscure.” Whether anyone remembers the real name of the derelict establishment is a mystery. In this six-story building, most who occupy the rooms are long-term residents, though some stay for as little as an hour.

The patronage is an eclectic group: musicians, writers, addicts, hookers, lonely people, poor people, rich people, once-well-off people, and those who have reason to hide from their former lives or to escape the demands of a disapproving and punishing society.

As shabby as the Obscure is, as long as its walls keep out the wind and the rain, it remains a shelter, a hideaway, and a home for the many bewildered souls. Hotel Obscure is a collection of seventeen short stories that all take place in or around the “the Obscure.”

While the stories stand alone, they are to be read in order. Some characters appear in multiple stories, and sometimes, a story will continue in an unexpected way. The Obscure is life. It is death. In the blink of an eye, it may appear supernatural. It is a place we all visit … whether metaphorically or physically, at least once in our time on Earth.

REVIEW from NY Times best-selling author Jonathan Maberry: "Absolutely riveting. Lisette Brodey spins magic with HOTEL OBSCURE. Each story gives us a peek into the life of a collection of disparate characters. It's the kind of storytelling that would appeal to Tom Waits, Charles Bukowski, or Leonard Cohen. It would also make one heck of a good anthology TV series. Brava!"

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I write characters as I hear them speak to me. Some of these stories contain non-gratuitous expletives and sexual references. If this is not to your liking, please don't read this book. Thank you.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07HXMVMSX
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Saberlee Books (October 1, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 1, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.6 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 283 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

About the author

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Lisette Brodey
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Lisette was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. She spent ten years in New York City, and now resides in Los Angeles.

She’s a multigenre author of fourteen books: Crooked Moon (General/Literary Fiction); Squalor, New Mexico (Coming-of-Age/Literary Fiction); Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! (Women's Fiction/romantic comedy), The Desert Series: Mystical High; Desert Star; and Drawn Apart (YA paranormal/magical realism), Barrie Hill Reunion (Literary Fiction); Hotel Obscure: A Collection of Short Stories (Literary Fiction), Love, Look Away (Women's Fiction/romantic comedy), The Sum of our Sorrows (Contemporary Fiction/Coming-of-Age), The Waiting House: A Novel in Stories (Literary Fiction), All That Was Taken (Contemporary Fiction), Twice a Broken Breath (Suspense Thriller), and What the Years Remember (psychological suspense).

Two of Lisette’s short stories are published in an anthology: Triptychs (Book 3, The Mind’s Eye Series.)

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
45 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the stories captivating and memorable. They appreciate the interesting characters and their recurrence in various tales. The book is described as a satisfying, entertaining read with emotional content that ranges from poignant to uplifting. Readers find the stories thought-provoking and enlightening, stirring up empathy and understanding. The writing style is described as smooth and beautiful, with sharp dialogue. Overall, customers praise the author's impressive writing skills and ability to create depth and substance in the stories.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

13 customers mention "Story quality"13 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the stories' captivating and intriguing plots. They find the stories memorable, complex, and engaging with unexpected twists. The background scenes enhance the storyline and provide depth.

"...in a row i have read by lisette brodey she is an amazing writer and story teller with great detail to be told, please check out her other books i..." Read more

"...pages, I became that kid again, though this time, I was enthralled with an imaginary hotel, my mind glued to a window into the lives of the quirky,..." Read more

"...Each story is unique and distinct in its own right, but they are made to be read in order as there are some clear connections and a reappearance..." Read more

"...Altogether, this is a terrific set of stories with a marvellous setting in the non-judgemental, anything goes but incredibly shabby Hotel Obscure...." Read more

8 customers mention "Character development"8 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's realistic characters and settings. They find clear connections and references to characters throughout the tales.

"...some are sad, funny, interesting and strange, and some very interesting characters with stories of thier own to be told..." Read more

"...The background and storyline of each character is quite diverse, which appealed to me immensely; I enjoy rubbing elbows with people from all walks..." Read more

"...All of this is captured through engaging character interactions and dialogue which displays the author's impressive writing skills...." Read more

"...Some of the characters appear in several stories, just as they might in a TV series, and there were some great background scenes that occurred in..." Read more

8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find the stories entertaining, with an interesting mix of humor and poignancy. The collection is described as a must-read for fans of dark fiction.

"hotel obscure is an amazing collection of short stories to read, some are sad, funny, interesting and strange, and some very interesting characters..." Read more

"The seventeen short stories in HOTEL OBSCURE are exceptional – enlightening, captivating, and powerfully moving...." Read more

"...Sometimes comic, sometimes deeply poignant, sometimes quite twisty, the characters in the stories reminded me of the type of people found in John..." Read more

"...walks of life and circumstances and each story is intriguing and oddly satisfying. Recommend!" Read more

6 customers mention "Emotional content"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and emotionally satisfying. They describe it as poignant, uplifting, and intriguing. The characters' emotional and psychological states are remarkable. Readers say the book draws them in from the first line and surprises with twists. The story offers hope, compassion, acceptance, and understanding.

"...fully; they were fascinatingly complex, cleverly written, and emotionally satisfying. With HOTEL OBSCURE, she raised the bar even more...." Read more

"...each story is entirely captivating and intriguing and will claw at the reader's emotions like a ravenous beast!..." Read more

"...Sometimes comic, sometimes deeply poignant, sometimes quite twisty, the characters in the stories reminded me of the type of people found in John..." Read more

"...Hotel Obscure is riveting and emotional at the same time. I don't like giving away too much of a book, but I'm compelled to remark about one aspect...." Read more

5 customers mention "Thought provoking"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the stories thought-provoking and captivating. They appreciate the author's ability to observe and understand people's mindsets. The stories touch on themes of compassion, acceptance, and understanding.

"...lisette brodey she is an amazing writer and story teller with great detail to be told, please check out her other books i have read, twice a..." Read more

"The seventeen short stories in HOTEL OBSCURE are exceptional – enlightening, captivating, and powerfully moving...." Read more

"...sharp dialogue, and her powers of observation and insight into people's mindsets are very keen...." Read more

"...Ms Brodey presents tales that are humorous, thought-provoking, sad, touched with a bit of magic, and most of all cut from the fabric of life...." Read more

5 customers mention "Writing quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality. They find the author's writing impressive, smooth, and beautiful. The writing evokes emotions and is easy to read.

"...third book in a row i have read by lisette brodey she is an amazing writer and story teller with great detail to be told, please check out her..." Read more

"...novels engaged me fully; they were fascinatingly complex, cleverly written, and emotionally satisfying...." Read more

"...Lisette Brodey's writing is smooth and beautiful all the way through this collection...." Read more

"...Ms Brodey has a talent for sharp dialogue, and her powers of observation and insight into people's mindsets are very keen...." Read more

3 customers mention "Style"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing style. They find it smooth and beautiful, and describe the characters as charming and endearing.

"...A heart-rending - but beautiful- look at the human condition and what actually happens beyond those cryptic curtains...." Read more

"...and heroines are all society's cast offs and yet they were somehow charming and endearing...." Read more

"...Can't wait for another one from her...great style!" Read more

3 customers mention "Substance"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's depth and emotional content. They find it riveting and emotional.

"...than their own, but their appearances enhanced the storyline, added substance...." Read more

"...Hotel Obscure is riveting and emotional at the same time. I don't like giving away too much of a book, but I'm compelled to remark about one aspect...." Read more

"...Even though the stories are short, there's depth and substance to them." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2025
    hotel obscure is an amazing collection of short stories to read, some are sad, funny, interesting and strange, and some very interesting characters with stories of thier own to be told
    one specifically turned out to be the most interesting one has a twilight zone type story to be told ( when there's a will, there's a winnie) to it, is confusing at one point but very interesting to read it makes you think about what happened and is very suprising what took place, some of the stories lead into the other stories it is well worth reading. this is the third book in a row i have read by lisette brodey she is an amazing writer and story teller with great detail to be told, please check out her other books i have read, twice a broken breath and what the years remember- you will not be dissapointed both very suspenseful and suprises galore take place
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2018
    The seventeen short stories in HOTEL OBSCURE are exceptional – enlightening, captivating, and powerfully moving. The author’s ability to take me deeply into her characters’ emotional and psychological states of mind is remarkable.
    A book of short stories is not usually on my reading list, but I bought this one because of the author. I consider Brodey to be a superb writer. Each of her previous novels engaged me fully; they were fascinatingly complex, cleverly written, and emotionally satisfying. With HOTEL OBSCURE, she raised the bar even more.
    When I was a kid, I’d often stand outside a store with my face pressed up to the glass window, yearning to play with the toys shown in the display. We couldn’t afford to buy most of the things I wanted. Fortunately for me back then, gazing at the book choices in our local library was just as enticing.
    Choosing and reading a good book is just as exciting for me today, though I rarely go for a book of short stories. In my experience, novella- and novel-length stories offer a more satisfying sense of pace, of story development and completion.
    HOTEL OBSCURE blew my preconceived notion out of the water. Within the first couple of pages, I became that kid again, though this time, I was enthralled with an imaginary hotel, my mind glued to a window into the lives of the quirky, flawed, fascinating characters who walked in and out of the hotel’s doors. Some of the characters show up in a story other than their own, but their appearances enhanced the storyline, added substance. As a reader, I felt completely satisfied with each short story’s ending.
    The background and storyline of each character is quite diverse, which appealed to me immensely; I enjoy rubbing elbows with people from all walks of life. More than ever now, I take notice of the people around me and don’t discount the value within the life stories they could share. HOTEL OBSCURE opened my eyes, woke me up.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2019
    Have you ever wandered down the street at night and noticed the many glowing windows which are lighting up the area?  Twinkling in the dark stillness.  Whether they be private residences, condo buildings or hotel rooms- the question in our minds remains the same.  What is actually happening behind those closed curtains?  What would it be like to enter that world and actually get a taste of it?  Would the result be marvellous and memorable- or gloomy and disappointing?  What are the people in those rooms actually doing... and would we want to be part of it?  Abandoning our own humdrum existence for the opportunity presented behind the proverbial curtain number three.  If these thoughts have ever entered your mind while peering through the looking glass of the arcane, then Hotel Obscure by author Lisette Brodey is a must read!  A heart-rending - but beautiful- look at the human condition and what actually happens beyond those cryptic curtains.

    Hotel Obscure is a collection of short stories which are woven together into one book.  There are 17 tales in total and they focus on the residents of the shabby and rundown Obscure Hotel.  Each story is unique and distinct in its own right, but they are made to be read in order as there are some clear connections and a reappearance of characters in various tales.  Without a doubt, each story is entirely captivating and intriguing and will claw at the reader's emotions like a ravenous beast!  From the rise and fall of a promising musician, the destructive aftermath of familial abuse, and the desperate search for friendship and love in what can be a cold and unforgiving world.  Each tale is brilliant, and although it is quite difficult to pick a favorite- "Twenty-Seven" stands out as the top for me personally.

    Lisette Brodey's writing is smooth and beautiful all the way through this collection.  We are transported into a land of desperate and despondent souls... yet we want to be there!  The writing embraces us tight and triggers our emotions.  From sadness to rage.  We are able to get a front row seat and see the fleeting and esoteric nature of the human condition.  Poor souls at their worst... longing for days gone by.  All of this takes place at the Hotel Obscure which virtually acts as a confessional for the many woeful souls residing inside its belly.  All of this is captured through engaging character interactions and dialogue which displays the author's impressive writing skills.

    While the plot and setting of this book will undoubtedly engross the reader- so will the many dynamic characters.  To be clear, these are not individuals who you will forget about after the book is closed.  They are cleverly developed and memorable, and will embed themselves deep into the reader's psyche.  They grow in depth throughout the pages and welcome us into their pitiful lives.  We feel their emotions and as such it ignites our own.  That is quite a feat to pull off within the naturally restrictive confines of a short story.

    To be clear, this is not a light-hearted read.  If you are looking for sunshine and Unicorns then this is probably not your best pick.  However, if you want to be transported through the looking glass of Hotel Obscure and see what really happens behind those twinkling lights... then be sure to check-in with Henry at the front desk.  I can guarantee you will not be disappointed that you did.
    6 people found this helpful
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