Scan barcode
rnorthie's review
4.0
Check content warnings!
Graphic: Drug abuse
Moderate: Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Death, Pregnancy, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Child death, Blood, Car accident, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual assault
mercerhanau's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It’s a reflective set of stories, looking at slices of life from the narrator as a child, teenager, and mid/late 20s, looking back from later in life. Lots of drinking and suffering from drug addition, wanting to get clean. Depressing, occasionally funny, a LOT of scenes with varying degrees of nausea, dry heaving, and vomit. Unpleasant. But there are also scenes of tenderness that help flesh out the characters.
The title (and a couple references to zombies) encouraged me to look for what could be “horror” or the supernatural in stories that otherwise feel like a fictionalized memoir. Animal presences serve as metaphors that connect interpersonal struggles to the natural world in all its power, chaos, and… stenches.
More thoughts on real-life "horror": SPOILERS / Content Warnings
Feels like an important story to tell. Nuanced representation of a deeply interconnected Native community and family. The writing style and characters didn’t resonate with me, and that’s okay! I definitely see why other people love the book.
Cf. / Reminded me of themes in…
- Wellness, by Natan Hill:
- The Only Good Indians, by Stephen Graham Jones:
- Every Drop Is a Man's Nightmare, by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto:
- This Thing Between Us, by Gus Moreno:
Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Vomit
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Dementia, Miscarriage, and Car accident
Minor: Pregnancy, Medical content, Sexual assault, Animal death, Infertility, and Racial slurs
lizzie24601's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Alcohol, Drug use, Addiction, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Dementia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Miscarriage, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Blood, Racial slurs, Excrement, and Injury/Injury detail
eas2's review
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Drug abuse
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Child death and Sexual assault
heatherjchin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Dementia
Moderate: Racism, Child death, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness
Minor: Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Blood, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Physical abuse, Bullying, and Death of parent
jayisreading's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Grief, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Child death, Dementia, Alcoholism, and Death
Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, Car accident, Vomit, and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence and Blood
tigger89's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Once I figured out what was going on, the non-chronological storytelling choice was genius. It takes a bit of puzzling out, but the reading experience is greatly enhanced by having to figure out where you are in time, what are the characters up to, wait a minute Paige isn't here because why? What happened!? You'll find out after several more stories, when the narrative finally gets around to it. It sounds frustrating, but due to the brevity of the stories(and the collection as a whole - it clocks in under 300 pages) it didn't bother me, because I knew I'd find out soon.
The characters featured in these stories are vividly real, but deeply flawed, individuals who make bad choices, repeatedly. Regardless, I found myself caring for them, even as I was so incredibly frustrated with their actions. This might not be everyone's cup of tea, so be aware going in that these characters are made of flaws, and it's not necessarily something that ever gets set right.
It's interesting to me that, after reading some other people's thoughts, I saw that wasn't the only one who was mistaken about the content of this collection when I picked it up. I believe it's a combination of the cover design, the title, and the way the stories were teased on the back cover, but it's funny to me that there's such a misconception that this collection features horror stories. It doesn't. On numerous occasions you may (or should) briefly be horrified, but the focus of these stories is not to evoke any kind of sustained horror. Rather, it's slice of life about family, poverty, trauma, loss, and ultimately, choosing to live.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Dementia, Child death, Addiction, Alcohol, Vomit, Drug use, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicide attempt, and Child abuse
Moderate: Infertility and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident and Blood
maceydowns's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, Dementia, Addiction, Alcohol, Child death, Car accident, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Drug use, and Grief
catapocalypse's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Mostly, these are interconnected stories narrated by the same man at various points of his life on the Penobscot Reservation. They focus on the complex connections he has with his family and friends, and frequently involve themes of sickness and healing as well. There's pain and heartbreak, but also compassion, and so much great humor throughout. The writing is beautifully crafted, and the characters so vividly real, I feel as though I'll miss them now that I've finished reading, mess and all.
This is one of my favorite reads of this year. I look forward to the novel Talty's working on now!
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Dementia
Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, Violence, and Child death
Minor: Sexual violence, Vomit, and Blood
suzyreadsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
I think this could be a good entry point to short stories for someone who prefers the character development of a novel.
Gifted audio from Libro.fm - I enjoyed the narration and felt each of the characters’ voices were clear.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Alcoholism, Addiction, Dementia, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, and Racism
Minor: Blood and Sexual violence