Reviews

Manywhere: Stories, by Morgan Thomas

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goldenjunegem's review

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reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

malwaredb's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

What if you could step fully into yourself, to be authentically and literally true to yourself? And what if there were others just like you who prepared the way?

Morgan Thomas provides gender queer origin stories, and gives all LGBQTIA+ folks legends to lean on.

The dreamlike spirit of the Southern settings (esp. New Orleans) is the perfect conduit to spark these tales. The characters face an array of allegorical storms (and sometimes real ones).

More than in any other novel I've read, I've felt the undercurrent of anxiety one feels when every interaction could be complicated by one's identity. This perspective is a worldview where you're always seeing the world looking back at you. It must take significant energy to move through everyday environments.

Also, the author zeroes in on the careful control one must exert at all times. Imagine never being able to relax into your softer self around other people, having to be guarded, watchful. They fully inhabit this space by taking up as little space as possible.

Out of these stories an ultimate question takes shape: what if we lived not just authentically, but audaciously? It's the perfect time to ask.

pipn_t's review

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dark medium-paced

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

3.0

The stories were good, a few kind of weird. I didn’t understand what some of them were about.

bobthebookerer's review

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4.0

This was a really fun and engaging collection of stories, which, although they covered different topics (ranging a full gamut from pregnancy to death, relationships and break-ups, and general modern malaise), still had a cohesive feel to them.

These stories are wonderfully, boldly and unapologetically queer, and at times feel like they're even queering the idea of what a short story can be. The writing feels confident, but also able to shape-shift in style between stories without feeling jarring.

I think these are well worth checking out, and taking time with, resisting the urge to gulp them down, and instead taking them perhaps one a day to savour them.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.