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booksnbrooches's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
This book is filled with incomplete stories and trauma porn (specifically of women and children ). I guess if you want a really bad time, go ahead and read it.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
minimicropup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
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
👍 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.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Abortion
kkalicky94's review against another edition
- 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? N/A
2.0
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, Blood, and Abortion
itsheyfay's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Suicide, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Incest, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Abortion
hayleyvharrington's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Mental illness, Abortion, and Death of parent
melted_books's review against another edition
- 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
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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.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Abortion, and Murder
marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Pedophilia, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Incest, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion
alexandra_kat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Blood, and Abortion