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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I love this book so much + read it too fast. Want to read it again in the future. Each story manages to heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. Roxane Gay at her finest.
challenging
dark
sad
Loved the writing but the content was very very dark, very hard to read about so much abuse, a difficult read at the moment. But maybe that’s the point
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
This really challenged my ideas of what modern short stories are like. I have often found them hard to get into and felt like they easily keep the reader at arm's length and/or feature unlikable characters. These are not like that. These are stories about women who are broken in one way or another. They survived sexual assault. They have lost babies. Their coping strategies are imperfect. They may involve relationships with problematic men or an all-female fight club. And yet, they are by and large keeping going. They are not self-destructive or cruel to others. They persist.
Gay herself is a survivor of sexual assault and the mother of a stillborn baby and many of her stories relate to these experiences, which is not to say that they are similar to each other. There are an infinite varieties of ways to be hurt and ways to experience loss as a mother. These troubling experiences, as in Gay's memoir and essays, are not dwelt on in graphic detail and I did not find them troubling to read.
This is a rambling review. I read the stories. I would never have picked this book for myself but I read it for the "read harder" challenge. I did not exactly "enjoy" it but it did not hurt me. Would it be cliched to say I found it enriching? It made me think things and feel things. It was beautiful.
Gay herself is a survivor of sexual assault and the mother of a stillborn baby and many of her stories relate to these experiences, which is not to say that they are similar to each other. There are an infinite varieties of ways to be hurt and ways to experience loss as a mother. These troubling experiences, as in Gay's memoir and essays, are not dwelt on in graphic detail and I did not find them troubling to read.
This is a rambling review. I read the stories. I would never have picked this book for myself but I read it for the "read harder" challenge. I did not exactly "enjoy" it but it did not hurt me. Would it be cliched to say I found it enriching? It made me think things and feel things. It was beautiful.
Finally!
Brilliant and disturbing and disgusting and beautiful and moving. I surprised myself with how much I rushed through the first half. Then slowly waded through the second, pushing myself and finding softer, kinder feelings than I expected.
Never expect a Roxane Gay story to end happily!
But it will end.
And you’ll know it was worth it.
(EDIT: When deciding to read for yourself, kindly keep in mind that I am 32. In my 20s I had to stop myself from reading all the essays in Bad Feminist, because the story of her rape was too horrific. I’ve since read Hunger and have also gotten onto some depression meds that keep me relatively calm while reading more and more real and imagined stories that would (without meds) make me wish I was dead. So, it is at this particular time in my life – and in no time before – that I was able to come to this collection and love Gay’s short stories.)
Brilliant and disturbing and disgusting and beautiful and moving. I surprised myself with how much I rushed through the first half. Then slowly waded through the second, pushing myself and finding softer, kinder feelings than I expected.
Never expect a Roxane Gay story to end happily!
But it will end.
And you’ll know it was worth it.
(EDIT: When deciding to read for yourself, kindly keep in mind that I am 32. In my 20s I had to stop myself from reading all the essays in Bad Feminist, because the story of her rape was too horrific. I’ve since read Hunger and have also gotten onto some depression meds that keep me relatively calm while reading more and more real and imagined stories that would (without meds) make me wish I was dead. So, it is at this particular time in my life – and in no time before – that I was able to come to this collection and love Gay’s short stories.)
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Dare I say it, this book was NOT for me. Perhaps, one day I will opt to finish it.
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My favourite book ever. Every margin is filled with notes and the spine is bent to bits.
It's always hard to review short story collections because short fiction is hit or miss for me -- there are some incredible pieces here, and some I just couldn't connect with. There are also a few that felt like less compelling explorations of themes that other pieces in the collection handled with more grace and complexity. With that said, they're all beautifully written and the best pieces in this collection made it worth the read.
Some stories were amazing, others I skipped (or should have).