Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Something Strange, Like Hunger: Short Stories

a good collection of short stories that never fails to make one once again enraged at sexism and misogyny under the patriarchy. some of the stories in blood feast are better than others, w/ "just different" and "briwat" being some of my favorites.

i also like the intersectionality that moustradaf shows here, where the female characters who suffer under the patriarchy nevertheless engage in homophobia or some other form of discrimination. theyre thus illustrated as full, imperfect and multidimensional humans instead of merely empty vessels in which to reiterate the book's msg and themes.

moustradaf unflinchingly tells the stories and that inevitably involves some triggering content. moreover, some of the stories can be forgettable, either from their very short length or an unclear direction.

Content Warnings

woolgatherer's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

4.0

This was an interesting collection of short stories from the late author, Malika Moustadraf. I appreciated her highlighting the experiences of women and queer people in Morocco in these stories, especially since they are in a deeply conservative society due to religion and tradition. Moustadraf creates sites of resistance in so many of her characters, all of them standing up to patriarchy and misogyny that they face on a day-to-day basis. Were there happy endings? Not really, no. The stories were bleak, and it was clearly deliberate to really shine a light on how Moroccan society failed some of its most vulnerable groups. (An aside, kind of, but this includes disabled people, which she highlights in one of her stories.)

There were so many fascinating themes and issues covered in this collection, but the reason I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to was because every story was far too short. Maybe it was because of Moustadraf’s health that she was unable to expand on these ideas, I don’t know. I just wish there was more, and it’s heartbreaking to know that we won’t be able to read more of her sharp writing.

Content Warnings

lisadakeii's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark fast-paced

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

3.0

Content Warnings

2treads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

The stories in this collection are sharp-witted and read with an echo of the author's personal experiences within a country, community, and with individuals.

Moustadraf is direct in the themes that she explores and they all centre women and intersex persons, showing how they are victims of tradition and patriarchal views, the ways in which they exist within the margins that only ascribe value in their bodies and not their identities, words or actions.

The awareness that each character had of their societal position, the injustices that surround them and the mistreatment they suffer as a result did not hinder their dreams of leaving or taking the reins of their present for a better future.

I can only imagine what she could have achieved literally if she had lived longer, but I am glad that I read this collection.

Content Warnings

More...