Reviews with content warning for Animal death - They

Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

They by Kay Dick

29 reviews

bex_knighthunter's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

2.25

My favourite part of this book was the introduction by Carmen Maria Machado… Unfortunately, this didn't work for me despite loving horror and dystopian fiction. I really struggled with the writing style, which was incredibly simple, sparse, and matter-of-fact. I struggled to get into any reading flow with this style and it left me feeling distanced from the stories. It also felt like key information was missing, leaving me me confused in many places about what was actually going on. Just in concept this was already going to be hard for me as I have historically struggled with even mosaic novels, and the concept for this was even less tied together - it was created by the author editing a selection of short stories to tie them together. The stories each featured different characters and different but similar settings, but none of the characters stood out to me and I found them easy to mix up. We never get any name or traits for the main character - it seemed likely it was all from the same perspective but I wasn't sure because we get no internal monologue or personality. I was interested in the questions this collection/novella was trying to explore around the suppression of art but I don't feel that I got much on this topic and I was left feeling I had missed the point of a few stories - I would be intrigued to read a literary analysis of this one! There was an unsettling vibe that came through the stories and some chilling small sections (e.g. a woman being told after breaking her ankle that she was being allowed to show pain for 48 hours and her using this to express all her suppressed grief, and a woman who jumps into a pond every morning because she is affected by the memory of being burned alive). I also enjoyed the small moments of absurd darkness amongst the descriptions of mundanity. I was tempted to DNF but got on slightly better when I treated this more as a short story collection and tried to read each story in one sitting.

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spooderman's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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elwirax's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

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

3.5

"The grief tower is for those who refuse to deny. Love is unsocial, inadmissible, contagious.’ He grinned. ‘It admits communication. Grief for lost love is the worse offence, indictable. It suggests love has value, understanding, generosity, happiness."

They is a collection of loosely linked stories focusing on life in a society where there are those who eradicate and suppress artistic and emotional expression in favour of conformity. The majority of their control comes from everyday people who become informants which enforced the idea that any one of us can be one of "them". As in any dystopia, They showcased resistance despite knowing the harsh consequences which added a minute sense of hope to an overall dreary story.

"Destruction doesn’t count. One can always create again"

The driving force of this novella lies in its ambiguity and lack of explanations, leaving interpretation up to the reader. This isn't something I usually enjoy but it worked well in this story. The chapters were short and many ended abruptly perhaps highlighting 'their' ideology, one which ropes the reader in aswell as it stops them from getting overly invested in the lives of the characters which is frowned upon in this book. The fragmented writing in some of the vignettes does well to show strong emotions and the fears of the characters that run through the whole novella (perhaps in some of them they're too scared to properly articulate themselves). My favourites by far were The Visitants, Pocket of Quietude and The Fairing. I thought these were the strongest in terms of characterisation and suspense.

Though I appreciated the darker tone in this novella, the themes/ideas and the eeriness of being roped in, the inability to become invested in these characters really hindered by investment in the novella. The world-building also left much to be desired. Ultimately, I left with opinions no different than those I went in with; censorship is damaging. Although this novella didn't work for me as much as I'd hoped, it definitely piqued my interest in the author. After all, it's not every day I come across a "radical, queer author" of the 20th century. It might be one of those "it's not you, it's me" novellas or one which needs a re-read to fully appreciate. Either way, an interesting piece of writing.

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g_monaghan's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

"Destruction doesn't count. One can always create again"

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mrh29992's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense

4.25

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kirstym25's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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king_taliesin's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.5

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nstew16's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

For fans of dystopian literature, the introduction by Carmen Maria Machado is so full of insight and appreciation for the genre.

As for the book itself, the writing style alone was amazing. If you love the ocean, art, and reading, this book explores the beauty and responsibilities of both so candidly. Stylistically it reminded me a lot of Kate Wilhelm's Abyss.

I was also reminded while reading of the many reasons why I don't actively seek out horror. The last time I read anything resembling horror was reading Roald Dahl's The Landlady. It does exactly what it should as a horror.

It ends as I expected it to, with no resolution but a hint of hope. I don't think a reader can possibly as for anything more from this short exploration into what it means when creativity is feared.

Other books that They reminded me of:
1. Abyss
2. The Landlady
3. The Circle/The Every

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sleaterkenneth's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

A fine read, I am more interested in the author and foreword from CMM than I am in the book. I prefer a deeper connection with characters and this story just held me at a distance.

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