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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
I picked this up because my husband got me a copy of this book on a work trip, and I selected it as a book club pick for a friend and me.
"Out There" is a collection of short stories that are..."out there". The stories all follow different characters as they experience different ailments to being human.
Probably my favorite short story in this collection was "The Bone Ward". This story follows the only woman in the bone ward, until a new woman, Lily shows up. The Bone Ward is a place for people whose bones disintegrate at night. Through proper treatment, they can live pretty normal lives, but they do need constant medical attention. The narrator enjoys being the only object of the other male patient's attention, so when Lily shows up, she is jealous. This story was such a great exploration of self and how people can often make us feel ways that we do not want. It was also so visual, and such a unique idea. I have never read a story that was quite like this.
Another story that really stuck out to me and I have not stopped thinking about was "Moist House". In this story a man takes on a job to keep a house moist by applying lotion to it daily. He soon discovers that he has become linked to the house, and if he does not keep the house well hydrated, he has his own consequences to face. This story was beautiful, and I loved seeing how the man evolved into caring for the house and the effects it in turn had on him. It was also just super strange to read about and left a really lasting impression.
Overall, I really loved this collection, and I have not stopped thinking about some of the stories since I finished.
"Out There" is a collection of short stories that are..."out there". The stories all follow different characters as they experience different ailments to being human.
Probably my favorite short story in this collection was "The Bone Ward". This story follows the only woman in the bone ward, until a new woman, Lily shows up. The Bone Ward is a place for people whose bones disintegrate at night. Through proper treatment, they can live pretty normal lives, but they do need constant medical attention. The narrator enjoys being the only object of the other male patient's attention, so when Lily shows up, she is jealous. This story was such a great exploration of self and how people can often make us feel ways that we do not want. It was also so visual, and such a unique idea. I have never read a story that was quite like this.
Another story that really stuck out to me and I have not stopped thinking about was "Moist House". In this story a man takes on a job to keep a house moist by applying lotion to it daily. He soon discovers that he has become linked to the house, and if he does not keep the house well hydrated, he has his own consequences to face. This story was beautiful, and I loved seeing how the man evolved into caring for the house and the effects it in turn had on him. It was also just super strange to read about and left a really lasting impression.
Overall, I really loved this collection, and I have not stopped thinking about some of the stories since I finished.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Toxic friendship
owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
‘She rolled over to the tree stump and opened her laptop, hoping to find some message from Roger, a love note scrawled in a Word document. But there was nothing. Later, when she was back in cell service, Meg would check her phone and find a photo Roger had sent the night before — at 8:35 P.M., when she had been in the bathroom at the restaurant—of a cocker spaniel wearing a straw panama hat. The message had gone through on Roger's end, meaning that wherever he and his phone had vanished to, there was cell service. She replied with a heart emoji, hoping he would respond, but hours and days passed, and he never did. She would keep texting Roger for years, even after she had begun dating the man she would marry and moved to a suburb of Seattle, where they started a family. She wanted to keep him updated, hoping that wherever he was, whatever blot hive mind he'd been absorbed into, some ember of his consciousness could still see her messages, even if he could never respond.’
I loved this! Not all of the stories compelled me to the same degree but Folk does have a consistently fluid and charismatic writing style. My favourite stories were probably Out There, A Scale Model of Gull Point and Big Sur. Big Sur was my absolute favourite. After a collection of relatively cynical stories, playing the ‘blot’ concept / world-building completely straight was very emotional and I was tearing up at the end. Roger, my beloved bisexual robot.
I loved this! Not all of the stories compelled me to the same degree but Folk does have a consistently fluid and charismatic writing style. My favourite stories were probably Out There, A Scale Model of Gull Point and Big Sur. Big Sur was my absolute favourite. After a collection of relatively cynical stories, playing the ‘blot’ concept / world-building completely straight was very emotional and I was tearing up at the end. Roger, my beloved bisexual robot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Stalking, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
znvisser's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
After being disappointed a few times by short story collections, I have been feeling less inclined to pick them up lately; which is a shame, because I love the good ones! So I was happy to find this one that looked so promising- and a good one it was.
It’s impressive how Folk manages to weave an interesting and entertaining story about any weird premise, often commenting on society’s flaws, while involving weird magical dystopian elements and sincere human emotions in which loneliness, longing and dissatisfaction are most recurring. It’s full of creepy weirdness and since I happened to have found a new love for this the current year, it certainly was a match for me. Definitely felt there was more variation in plot than characters though, but probably would have minded this less if I’d spread out the stories over more time like I usually would with a collection.
I appreciated all of the stories more or less equally, but will probably be thinking the longest about Big Sur (perfect ending) and The Bone Ward(don't be a pick-me because no man is worth it) .
It’s impressive how Folk manages to weave an interesting and entertaining story about any weird premise, often commenting on society’s flaws, while involving weird magical dystopian elements and sincere human emotions in which loneliness, longing and dissatisfaction are most recurring. It’s full of creepy weirdness and since I happened to have found a new love for this the current year, it certainly was a match for me. Definitely felt there was more variation in plot than characters though, but probably would have minded this less if I’d spread out the stories over more time like I usually would with a collection.
I appreciated all of the stories more or less equally, but will probably be thinking the longest about Big Sur (perfect ending) and The Bone Ward
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Dementia, and Stalking
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, and Drug abuse
savvylit's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Out There is a compelling collection of bizarre scenarios. There are sentient AI boyfriends stealing identities from women they meet online, there's a man who enters into an erotic relationship with a house, and there's a void slowly swallowing the planet... Folk perfectly combines creepiness and believable characterization to create a world that is simultaneously unsettling and accessible. Like any good speculative fiction, the stories of Out There push readers to see the parallels between Folk's invented realm and our own lives.
Fellow lovers of weird fiction, this one is for you!
Fellow lovers of weird fiction, this one is for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Bullying
aileron's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, and Medical content
Minor: Infidelity and Stalking
kenleyneufeld's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
meagangrace's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Body horror, Stalking, and Alcohol
jmbibliophile's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
5.0
SO BIZARRE, but I could not stop reading. I both loved and hated when Kate would end a story abruptly at a tense moment. It was very unsettling (and unsatisfying at times), but it worked so well for this group of stories. The last story is in the same world as the first, and they are a complete contrast of one other, which I thought was a smart and creative way to end this book. Overall, I definitely recommend if you like weird or want to try something completely different. These stories will stick with you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, Violence, and Medical trauma
Minor: Death
anarchist_al's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
This collection of short stories is the feminist take on horror of my dreams. Each female main character felt like an exploration and exaggeration of an aspect pf myself. I understood their impulses and descents into madness. I felt their pain and their sorrow and their resignation. Even the very few stories with a man as the main character felt feminist, focusing on universal experiences like the inherent fallacies of your own memory, or taking the concept of being swallowed up by an abusive relationship to the extreme. Lots of body horror and gaslighting and dating gone wrong and I loved it all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
beccam22's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Read this if you like:
🖤🪞Black Mirror
🌀🪄 A.S. King
🔪💉Light Horror
Out there - 5 ⭐️
The last woman on earth -5⭐️
Heart seek brain -4⭐️
The void wife -3⭐️
Shelter - 4⭐️
The head in the floor - 2⭐️
Tahoe - 2⭐️
The bone ware - 5⭐️
Doe eyes - 2⭐️
The houses beating heart - 2 ⭐️
A scale model of gull point - 4⭐️
Dating a somnambulist -2 ⭐️
Moist house - 4 ⭐️
The turkey rumble - 3⭐️
Big Sur - 5⭐️
Going off average of the stories this is a 4⭐️ for me but the 5s really stood out and the writing was brilliant
I really wanted Roger and Meg from the story Big Sur to the the miss match couple from Out There, I wanted a happy ending for them instead of the happy ending for him. Im also curious when in Megs timeline the first story was because they had a second wave of blots that Meg never seemed to mention
🖤🪞Black Mirror
🌀🪄 A.S. King
🔪💉Light Horror
Out there - 5 ⭐️
The last woman on earth -5⭐️
Heart seek brain -4⭐️
The void wife -3⭐️
Shelter - 4⭐️
The head in the floor - 2⭐️
Tahoe - 2⭐️
The bone ware - 5⭐️
Doe eyes - 2⭐️
The houses beating heart - 2 ⭐️
A scale model of gull point - 4⭐️
Dating a somnambulist -2 ⭐️
Moist house - 4 ⭐️
The turkey rumble - 3⭐️
Big Sur - 5⭐️
Going off average of the stories this is a 4⭐️ for me but the 5s really stood out and the writing was brilliant
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Sexism
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