Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Diecinueve garras y un pájaro oscuro

So I don't spoil these layered, symbolic, and sometimes bizarre stories, I'm going to reduce them to their most literal base note:
1-An upstairs neighbour commits suicide

2-A teacher takes an unhealthy interest in a young girl’s bunny

3-Does a taxi driver with perfect nails hide a dirty secret?

4-The five destructive final stages of break-up grief

5-An alien or denial?

6-A NY transplant worries the city has infiltrated her brain

7-A child just wants to be close to their parents

8-The last act before joining the twenty-seven club

9-The subtly of the wolf

10-Literary cat vengeance

11-The danger of neglecting a grieving child planning a trip to the moon

12-Celebrity obsession takes a toll

13-Sitting on a bench observing a painting

14-A family tradition must never be tainted with tears

15-Circular aspirations

16-A sick abused teen under a hole in the roof

17-Torturing a caged bird while feeding those in the park

18-An examination of stained glass

19-A double-date to see a band in an undisclosed location

20-Being forced to work late puts a woman in danger

🐺🐕Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags:

🤔 I think these are meaningful but varied stories, so I doubt they will all be impactful or even understandable for all readers. I enjoyed the ones that had more of a direct plot (6, 15, 19, and 20), but I also didn't mind reading ones with a style or themes I would normally dislike (9, 13, 17, and 18). They're all short so even if you don't resonate with some, it's not a huge time investment.

👍 Metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, irony, and allegory abound. None of the tales (even those that went right over my head) felt pretentious, weird for the sake of weird, forced edgy, or word salad. It was that I didn't have the education or life experience (thankfully?) to "get" it. Most of the stories were subjective so the reader and their interpretation can be a vital part of the experience.

🥺 These are not like Tender is the Flesh. Any commonalities are in writing style and the ability of the author to make familiar unsettling feelings emerge from seemingly absurd unfamiliar moments. I would guess that even if you loved Tender is the Flesh, you won't necessarily not enjoy this. But if you enjoyed this, you will likely enjoy Tender is the Flesh too.

😟 I read these all in one sitting without breaks and felt a little low-key anxious after, but very happy to be back in my world. Check the content warnings and be in the mental space for it going in.

Mood Reading Match Up:

Highly symbolic, layered stories
Themes and commentary about assumption, retribution, and abuse from (and abuse of) friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, society, and values.
Bizarro fiction involving elements of absurdism, satire, and the grotesque
Deep, dark, confusing, unsettling, cathartic tales

Content Heads-Up: Suicide. Child abuse (sexual; insinuated on page or described via symbolism). Rape. Murder. Suicidal ideation and planning. Death of a spouse. Grief. Alcohol use (self-medication). Body shaming. Body horror (self-mutilation). Termination of pregnancy (involuntary). Animal cruelty and death (bird). Misogyny.

Format: Scribd Digital

Content Warnings

catell's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

tashasbooks's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Nineteen Claws and A Black Bird is a translated book of 20 short stories that cover the macabre and disturbing.

With each different story spanning different ideas and plots, there were obviously some that disturbed me and left a bigger impact. My favorites included: A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound; Roberto; Teicher vs. Nietzsche; and The Solitary Ones. Some of these stories are more reminiscent of a short horror story, whereas others explore themes that are gut-wrenching.

In general, this book is extremely disturbing and is not a book of body or gore horror, but more psychological and these stories make you think and come to the realizations, nothing is straight forward. It invokes feelings of terror and disturbance, and overall I think that's the overarching goal when reading these. Just make sure to check trigger warnings ahead of time!

Content Warnings

melted_books's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a highly anticipated read for me, having devoured the author's previous work, Tender Is the Flesh (yes, pun intended), and I was not disappointed! Bazterrica delivers impressive variety in this collection - you'll read about a girl who grows a bunny between her legs, the disorienting power of a religious cult, a woman intent on making her body into a circle, and many more bizarre tales.
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What strikes me most about Bazterrica's writing (and, accordingly, Sarah Moses' translation of it) is the mastery over leaving vivid impressions upon the reader through the use of stark, even tantalizingly simple, language. This is not a consistent style across all stories (there are notable exceptions, such as the sensory descriptions of food in Perfect Symmetry), but I noticed I was especially drawn to the more simply written stories. This style amplifies the desolate, grim tone, which is the primary reason why I think Bazterrica's writing works so well to horrify the reader; there are shockingly gruesome things unfolding on the page, but due to the confines of the short story structure, there is little space to be flowery. This may be why my favorite of the collection was the shortest of the bunch, The Wolf's Breath, which explores the wolf-life predatory nature of a lurking man, all in just over four short paragraphs. My second favorite was the very last, The Solitary Ones, which is an all-too-believable tale about a lone woman traveling at night when the electricity on her train goes out; the last line gave me shivers.
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This collection is a winner. Tense, grotesque, and starkly written, yet persistently provocative, the stories of this collection will vividly remain in my mind for a long time.
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Special thanks to Scribner for sending me an early review copy! This comes out June 20, 2023.

Content Warnings

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

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challenging dark

5.0

For fans of Samanta Schweblin and Mariana Enríquez, Agustina Bazterrica is another Argentine powerhouse of feminist literary horror. Much like her counterparts, Bazterrica uses horror to talk about violence against women, in many forms. This well-rounded collection includes twenty unique and memorable stories touching on relationships, desire, Catholicism, control, endings, and more. These stories are bold and breathtaking, dripping with blood.

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alexandra_kat's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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