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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
3.5 stars
Some of these stories made me laugh and cringe so hard, but others fell a bit flat.
Some of these stories made me laugh and cringe so hard, but others fell a bit flat.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
dark
fast-paced
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm struggling to decide how I feel about this one. Some of it read like incredibly fresh and interesting writing, and some of it read like a cringey 90's slam poem. I tend not to like short story collections like this one because they're glaringly uneven--some stories totally rocked my world, like Zombie and Take The Way Home That Leads Back to Sullivan Street, while others (A Little Aside, A New Mohawk) made me feel like the writer thought of a good concept and then totally spun out on the execution, turning a strong political statement into a mincing, overly precious metaphor. I think overall I love the way Woods strings a sentence together, and I love some elements of how she tells a story. I just don't think every necessary component of the process comes together well in every piece.
As a disclaimer, I picked this up because, having grown up goth in the country, the title grabbed me and not because I had any idea what it was actually about.
There were parts I liked but as a whole, I'm not sure I did. Some stories felt unfinished and in its entirety it was just bizarre and a bit depressing. I think I expected more humor than there was and did not expect the darker turns it took.
There were parts I liked but as a whole, I'm not sure I did. Some stories felt unfinished and in its entirety it was just bizarre and a bit depressing. I think I expected more humor than there was and did not expect the darker turns it took.
dark
emotional
funny
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:
No
dark
funny
medium-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:
N/A
I feel like I really wanted to like this book, but it started to get a bit repetitive, and a lot of the stories were either fake deep, or I was looking for meaning that wasn't intended.
(Also the use of background sex workers for shock value bothered me, and the story where the lesbian couple takes acid at a Mensa party was obviously written by somebody who has never taken acid.)
(Also the use of background sex workers for shock value bothered me, and the story where the lesbian couple takes acid at a Mensa party was obviously written by somebody who has never taken acid.)