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t_bird's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I started out liking this one, some of the stories were fairly profound. I ended up disappointed the more I read though, especially by the lack of good queer additions to this collection.
I was so confused when i finished bc I couldn’t find who the non-binary character was, even though one is mentioned in the book description. I’m guessing it’s the narrator from Human Bonding, but the story doesn’t make that clear at all. It’s first person and no one ever uses pronouns to talk about the narrator. I had read them as a masc lesbian initially (which was upsetting in its own right bc I thought the story was leaning into some ‘predatory lesbian’ stereotypes, and the last line left a really bad taste in my mouth), but they could just have easily been non-binary or a trans man and the story did nothing to define that. And the only other queer story was the one about the girls who let guys watch them have sex, which also feels offensive.
I get these stories are all about traumas, but queer traumas don’t only relate to the stereotypes people associate with us, so it seemed unoriginal to me and honestly was kind of insulting.
I was so confused when i finished bc I couldn’t find who the non-binary character was, even though one is mentioned in the book description. I’m guessing it’s the narrator from Human Bonding, but the story doesn’t make that clear at all. It’s first person and no one ever uses pronouns to talk about the narrator. I had read them as a masc lesbian initially (which was upsetting in its own right bc I thought the story was leaning into some ‘predatory lesbian’ stereotypes, and the last line left a really bad taste in my mouth), but they could just have easily been non-binary or a trans man and the story did nothing to define that. And the only other queer story was the one about the girls who let guys watch them have sex, which also feels offensive.
I get these stories are all about traumas, but queer traumas don’t only relate to the stereotypes people associate with us, so it seemed unoriginal to me and honestly was kind of insulting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
motleybooksandtea's review
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
aidrielle's review
dark
reflective
medium-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
3.5
as far as short story collections go, this is one of the better ones i've read. but maybe i'm biased because i just love stories about girlhood and womanhood! i especially liked "Only the Good," "Elegy," "Middlemen," and "The Lunatic Report." "Only the Good" is probably my favorite though, and i don't even really know why. it was the first story and it had me by the throat from the very first line. i love maria adelmann's prose!
i will say though that this book weirdly had a lot of stories involving the US military which i have... complicated feelings about so it was a bit uncomfortable to read. maybe it's my fault for not looking at the synopsis too closely.
i will say though that this book weirdly had a lot of stories involving the US military which i have... complicated feelings about so it was a bit uncomfortable to read. maybe it's my fault for not looking at the synopsis too closely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Abortion
Moderate: Eating disorder, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
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