A review by bitterfig
Bad Thoughts by Nada Alic

3.0

 I found myself very conflicted in rating this collection. I really wanted to like it, but I just feel like it genuinely was not for me. It had a great premise with the use of bringing our intrusive inner thoughts to life through whimsical characters, but I felt as though there was something missing throughout the entirety of this book. At some point, the characters began to mesh together, which may have been a choice taken by the author to make the reader focus more on the absurdity of the situation at hand (the stories are definitely plot driven), but I couldn't help but to want to understand the characters a little more as if they were real people in order to make it feel more real. I feel as though it would've aided in shock factor. I also felt as though there were some phrases/words that were used a little too often or just could've been explained a little differently.  For example (sort of a spoiler but not really??), her use of the word 'feminist' to describe a man's sensual touch just took me out of it a little bit especially with it being used again. But, I could also admit it may be me being nit picky so don't mind my small little gripes in that portion haha. Upon finishing the stories, I didn't feel too much afterwards and would often forget what the previous story was about. As a fan of absurd works, I find these pieces settling in my mind for a good while afterwards and I just didn't really get that from this collection. However, to reiterate, I did enjoy the overall premise and I must be truthful in the fact that I did enjoy the works in the moment of reading them, but after some reflection I just felt like I was left wanting more and not in a satisfying way. There's a lot of potential, and I have hopes for what more is to come from Alic.