masonanddixon's review
4.0
Gray is a flesh writer. A surgeon in reverse, showing us the raw dripping tendons of connection, the stretched scaly flesh we pull over our lives to give them the meaning, to give them any substance at all. She's a mad sage, tossing off flash fictions that blink out like dreams and linger like nightmares. She's bleak, but funny and her prose is juicy. Tidbits and morsels of steak that dissolve on tongues like butter. No other writer of the last decade writes about bodies like her.
These stories form a path from tales of disconnecting and disconnected people, to institutions severing us, to finally a bizarrely heartwarming conclusion involving emphysema, love and burned houses. But before that Gray takes her time with lurid horror stories about what it means to really mean. Gray spares no expense to gore: genitals are sewed, words become literal vomit, and each turn of the page drips bile. She is reclaiming the body from the sterilized adult fictions of the present to show the horror of real connection, of what it actually means to no longer be alienated from your fellow man, but also the possible wonders that wait on the other side, just beyond the pallid flesh that pulses with filth and blood. Humanist, but not afraid of the cost.
These stories form a path from tales of disconnecting and disconnected people, to institutions severing us, to finally a bizarrely heartwarming conclusion involving emphysema, love and burned houses. But before that Gray takes her time with lurid horror stories about what it means to really mean. Gray spares no expense to gore: genitals are sewed, words become literal vomit, and each turn of the page drips bile. She is reclaiming the body from the sterilized adult fictions of the present to show the horror of real connection, of what it actually means to no longer be alienated from your fellow man, but also the possible wonders that wait on the other side, just beyond the pallid flesh that pulses with filth and blood. Humanist, but not afraid of the cost.
e_z's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
It's a little less brutal than Ottessa Moshfegh, but in the same realm of gross enough to be unrecommendable, even if I mostly enjoyed it.
dllman05's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
cupsofteaandnovels's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
edottiffany's review
3.0
There are a handful of good stories in here--none worth reading the entirety of the book for.
servemethesky's review
5.0
This is a remarkable short story collection. I tried my best to savor it, reading one part each night. There are 37 stories across the 207 pages of this collection, so as others have noted, they're very brief short stories. Most average about 4 pages. But damn, in 4 pages Amelia Gray can seriously pack a punch. My favorite by far was "50 Ways to Eat Your Lover." It was so genius and specific and inventive then ratcheted up a notch to utterly heartbreaking within the final lines.
There were some other standouts stories too- I'd say about 12 of them I totally loved while the other 25 were a little more hit or miss. Sometimes I felt like I just didn't get them. One of the best parts of Gray's writing is its inventiveness and specificity. There are things that are shocking in their strangeness because, who thinks of shit like that?! It definitely got my brain thinking hard.
Some of it was weird and gross, but there were moving and hopeful moments peppered in. Such a great collection overall.
There were some other standouts stories too- I'd say about 12 of them I totally loved while the other 25 were a little more hit or miss. Sometimes I felt like I just didn't get them. One of the best parts of Gray's writing is its inventiveness and specificity. There are things that are shocking in their strangeness because, who thinks of shit like that?! It definitely got my brain thinking hard.
Some of it was weird and gross, but there were moving and hopeful moments peppered in. Such a great collection overall.
mothmancommunitycenter's review
4.0
The writing of this book was absolutely impeccable! I hung on to each and every word. The stories were all very different, but had a certain similarity that helped the collection flow from one to the next. The only reason I rated four stars instead of five is because a few of the stories were a bit too grotesque for my taste. My favorite pieces of the collection were In The Moment, How He Felt, and Year of The Snake. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy some contemporary, and slightly edgy, writing.
swskorupa1's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Very strange, not very enjoyable if you don’t like dark poetry or short stories. Section Three is was my favorite.
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Cursing, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Grief, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Cancer, Excrement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, and Murder