Scan barcode
gius's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Pedophilia
sofilduarte's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
Minor: Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
ciwanski's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I don’t really read short stories but I picked this one up for some reason. Maybe a recommendation? I can’t remember. It’s a pretty quick read, the stories move at a nice pace. I personally had to space out this book because some of the stories, especially the first half, made me feel so desolate and exhausted.
I want to do more research on July to see what has inspired her to write these stories. I wonder why many of them have themes of pedophilia.
I think my favorite stories were This Person, Something That Needs Nothing and How To Tell Stories To Children.
I think July’s writing encapsulates the complex simplicities of being human and interacting with lives we didn’t ask for and the people in them. The whole book felt like a never-ending transitional period and made me yearn for change in my own life. Some stories were also a little disturbing and yucky and made me feel things that I don’t normally feel. An interesting book to read to feel things beyond joy and sadness.
I want to do more research on July to see what has inspired her to write these stories. I wonder why many of them have themes of pedophilia.
I think my favorite stories were This Person, Something That Needs Nothing and How To Tell Stories To Children.
I think July’s writing encapsulates the complex simplicities of being human and interacting with lives we didn’t ask for and the people in them. The whole book felt like a never-ending transitional period and made me yearn for change in my own life. Some stories were also a little disturbing and yucky and made me feel things that I don’t normally feel. An interesting book to read to feel things beyond joy and sadness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia and Sexual content
sky_jumper's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i hated this book when i first tried reading it in 2020 and i'm soo glad i picked it up again. so weird, very sexual, super interesting, etc etc
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
forbes's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A collection of unconnected short stories with a wide cast of characters. Strange choices for plots and thoughts that inexplicably make sense sometimes and other times left me as tangled as the characters. Focuses on the human experience but through the lens of 'loner' type characters who seem separate to the world around them - as well as plots that would not be commonplace in normal life (e.g. a woman falling asleep on a man having an epileptic fit as opposed to helping him) but somehow, in the very vaguest sense, relatable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
cheye13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I didn't enjoy these at all. I liked the penultimate story "Birthmark" best, and yet it was still a 2-3 star. The longer stories seemed to drone and the short ones ended too abruptly, as if the stories should trade structures.
The writing itself is decent, but I couldn't get beyond the content. Nearly every story involved some kind of sexual taboo, ranging from infidelity to incest. The topics alone don't necessarily ruin stories for me, but the taboos seemed to be more for shock than function. This collection likely went over my head. With focus, I can maybe see where this may function as a catharsis for sexual traumas (perhaps the normalized portrayal of traumatic experiences makes one feel less alone?), but it didn't hit that button for me.
Before reading, I specifically researched content warnings and found none, which is probably why this was a let down. I feel I may have been able to "get" the stories a little more had I been prepared for the challenging content. As far as synopses go, theres quite a gulf between "old man is socially awkward" and "old man is only sexually interested in teenagers."
The writing itself is decent, but I couldn't get beyond the content. Nearly every story involved some kind of sexual taboo, ranging from infidelity to incest. The topics alone don't necessarily ruin stories for me, but the taboos seemed to be more for shock than function. This collection likely went over my head. With focus, I can maybe see where this may function as a catharsis for sexual traumas (perhaps the normalized portrayal of traumatic experiences makes one feel less alone?), but it didn't hit that button for me.
Before reading, I specifically researched content warnings and found none, which is probably why this was a let down. I feel I may have been able to "get" the stories a little more had I been prepared for the challenging content. As far as synopses go, theres quite a gulf between "old man is socially awkward" and "old man is only sexually interested in teenagers."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
There's a lot of nuance with taboo topics in this collection, so labeling sensitive content gets a little tricky, and so does sorting them into intensity levels. And while these challenging topics aren't portrayed in a positive manor, they're not strictly "challenged" either. A general note – if you find certain content triggering or troubling but you're determined to read this anthology, proceed with caution.bookishdov's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Racism, Rape, and Sexual content
More...