Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - Open Throat

Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

Open Throat by Henry Hoke

10 reviews

readingjaunt's review against another edition

4.0

Very unique and quick read. I knew it would be good with blurbs from Catherine Lacey and Melissa Broder. I am also in love with a mountain Lion, Melissa.

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alligatortoast's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

This was an interesting read for sure, with a very unique premise and writing style. The book is from the perspective of a mountain lion, with long run on sentences with no punctuation throughout the entire novel. There's no paragraphs, so you'll be flying through the pages; you could easily finish this book in one sitting. I will say though, the description of this book is wildly misleading. The blurb describes the main character as a "queer" mountain lion and leads you to believe this will be a main theme of the book, but it simply isn't. The only things queer about it are

a scene where the lion witnesses two men having sex in a cave, or as he calls it, "connecting." He then reflects on a male mountain lion from his past that he would have liked to "connect" with in this way. Also later in the book he is taken in by a girl who names him "Heckit" and refers to him as "her" and "goddess", even after discovering he's male. The lion just goes with it, but I never read it as him exploring his gender identity. So labeling this as a queer or lgbtqia+ story seems like a stretch and then some.

Besides that, I really enjoyed the story for what it was. It was an ambitious undertaking, and I think in some ways it succeeded, but it also left much to be desired. It has some good commentary on homelessness, human nature, and other topics, but it never gets too deep or preachy. It's funny, it's unique, and it's sad. If you're looking for a happy book, this is not it. Without spoiling anything,

you find out at the end of the book what the title means. And once you do it seems obvious.

Overall, it was a fast, fun read. One that I would pick up again for sure. I got this from the library but am considering buying it for myself when the price goes down. If you're curious about it, I say pick it up!

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hannahrogers's review

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emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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littlefroggy's review against another edition

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reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

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scifi_rat's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Plot: 4★
Prose: 5★
Pace: 4.5★
Concept/Execution: 4.5★/5★
Characters: 5★
Worldbuilding: 5★
Ending: 4★

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directorpurry's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-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

3.0

Disclaimer: I received this book for free via Goodreads giveaway. All opinions are my own.

If we teach the mountain lions to read will they obey laws?

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pigeon_'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.75

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savvylit's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated

3.0

Open Throat is beautifully written. By putting readers in the mind of a mountain lion, Hoke pushes us to consider the impact that humanity has on native wildlife. Beyond that, though, there is not much substance to this book. Don't get me wrong - I think experimental novels are interesting. I think that novels that encourage the reader to empathize with non-human beings are interesting. But Open Throat ultimately did not have enough depth for me to enjoy it.

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mmccombs's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

I loved everything about this complex little snack of a novel. Our narrator’s voice is so clear: funny, naive, hungry, flipping between ferocity and fear in a way that felt very wild. It feels like a book that I could read multiple times and get new things each time. It’s short but it’s so effective, just a great read.

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mals_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

This is something I never expected to read or to enjoy — but I did! An ARC was sent to me at the bookstore I work at, and I’m so grateful it came to me.

This is such a unique book and unique writing style that accompanies an emotional story told through the point of view of a queer mountain lion in Hollywood. An analogy for queerness and a fever dream of a story, this story has a universal message and covers topics from climate disaster to temptation to coming into one’s own. A gorgeous story.

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