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beforeviolets's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
5.0
Experimental, wholly original, and properly harrowing. I am always a fan of unusual storytelling methods, and telling a story through 26 origami fortune tellers is certainly unusual.
Even more fascinating than the vessel of the story itself is the method in which to experience it. Which is to say, there isn't much of one. (The instructions tell us that the only rule is that we can't jump between the 3 parts of the story, but otherwise can read as much or as little as we'd like between the fortune tellers and in any order we feel so inclined.) I, as a one time reader, haven't yet seen the full picture, as the experience of reading through this story naturally requires its reader to make choices that might leave stones unturned. The tale itself as well as its form plays around with the concept of choosing and therefore not choosing, things that once were, or things that never could be. It's almost an uncomfortable experience for the reader, used to having a story laid out for them, rather having to forge their own path forward. It's brilliantly immersive.
There's also an intimate sort of tension that occurs between the prewritten words on the page and the physical act of consuming the story. GennaRose breaks the fourth wall beyond direct address (is there a fifth wall?), by making a story that requires a collaboration of labor from the reader in order for the story to... exist. There's a certain unfamiliar horror in it, as the reader, holding the storytelling power in your hands. You control the ending. You control who lives or dies. You control if this story gets told or not. The endless possibilities are overwhelming, but in an exciting way that I think properly sets up the tense tone of the story itself.
And speaking of the story itself, the tale is incredibly beautiful and multi-faceted, and there was a raw joy amongst the horror as the world of this story was built beneath my hands (or around my hands I guess?). It was slippery and bizarre and grotesque and hilarious. I read this with a friend (which I would highly recommend doing!) and we found ourselves having so much fun latching onto the different threads, connecting pieces of the puzzle, developing theories, and attempting at building through-lines on our own with the choices we made. (We also loved the "What kind of _ are you?" cootie catchers, definitively reminiscent of filling out quizzes in teen magazines.) I can't wait to pick these up again and turn over some more of these plot-rocks.
CW/TW (incomplete): death, poison (mention), cannibalism (mention)
Even more fascinating than the vessel of the story itself is the method in which to experience it. Which is to say, there isn't much of one. (The instructions tell us that the only rule is that we can't jump between the 3 parts of the story, but otherwise can read as much or as little as we'd like between the fortune tellers and in any order we feel so inclined.) I, as a one time reader, haven't yet seen the full picture, as the experience of reading through this story naturally requires its reader to make choices that might leave stones unturned. The tale itself as well as its form plays around with the concept of choosing and therefore not choosing, things that once were, or things that never could be. It's almost an uncomfortable experience for the reader, used to having a story laid out for them, rather having to forge their own path forward. It's brilliantly immersive.
There's also an intimate sort of tension that occurs between the prewritten words on the page and the physical act of consuming the story. GennaRose breaks the fourth wall beyond direct address (is there a fifth wall?), by making a story that requires a collaboration of labor from the reader in order for the story to... exist. There's a certain unfamiliar horror in it, as the reader, holding the storytelling power in your hands. You control the ending. You control who lives or dies. You control if this story gets told or not. The endless possibilities are overwhelming, but in an exciting way that I think properly sets up the tense tone of the story itself.
And speaking of the story itself, the tale is incredibly beautiful and multi-faceted, and there was a raw joy amongst the horror as the world of this story was built beneath my hands (or around my hands I guess?). It was slippery and bizarre and grotesque and hilarious. I read this with a friend (which I would highly recommend doing!) and we found ourselves having so much fun latching onto the different threads, connecting pieces of the puzzle, developing theories, and attempting at building through-lines on our own with the choices we made. (We also loved the "What kind of _ are you?" cootie catchers, definitively reminiscent of filling out quizzes in teen magazines.) I can't wait to pick these up again and turn over some more of these plot-rocks.
CW/TW (incomplete): death, poison (mention), cannibalism (mention)
slayergirl3281's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
One of my friends and I read this together and I just have to say, this was one of the most interesting stories I have ever read!
I couldn’t give you a good synopsis of the book because I need to go back and read it again. There are so many choices and things you can learn each time you read it because it is a book in the form of multiple different cootie catchers! The way the story is told was so intriguing and thought provoking. I have never seen this done and it is one of the best story telling devices I have ever seen.
GennaRose tells a creepy and winding tale of the cranberry bog along side beautiful illustrations. I can’t wait to read this again and get more information from the story!
Rep:
Sapphic
I couldn’t give you a good synopsis of the book because I need to go back and read it again. There are so many choices and things you can learn each time you read it because it is a book in the form of multiple different cootie catchers! The way the story is told was so intriguing and thought provoking. I have never seen this done and it is one of the best story telling devices I have ever seen.
GennaRose tells a creepy and winding tale of the cranberry bog along side beautiful illustrations. I can’t wait to read this again and get more information from the story!
Rep:
Sapphic
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