Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Walking Practice

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Walking Practice by Dolki Min

40 reviews

kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

buying this in print both because it was lovely and because my ereader did not do the art justice!

wow! what can i say. such a fresh premise, the narrative voice was so refreshing, i don’t think I’ve ever read a book anything like this. if you have, PLEASE recommend! favorite book this year i think

unapologetically queer and making very interesting points about who this world is designed for both physically and in a more abstract sense. definitely graphic and gory but that takes a surprising backseat to the emotions of the main char. idk this book was just great and a lovely opener for Halloween month.

Content Warnings

sisa_moyo's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Absolutely weird and darkly unhinged book, with queer themes paralleling the experiences of queer people in unsafe and ‘conservative’ spaces. It also speaks on disability; gender, what it means to be one or the other, what it means to be human.
I listened to it as an audiobook and the narration by Nicky Ernes it truly spectacular, thoroughly enjoyed this.

Content Warnings

lbelow's review against another edition

Go to review page

medium-paced

4.0

If not for the fatphobia, (it is one thing to have an unlikeable main character

compare a fat female-coded character they see as prey to large mammals, and quite another for said character to be unbathed in such a way as to be described as being covered in sweat and shit that transfers to the main character during sex)

, I would have given this book 5 stars. For one thing, it is really f***king weird and I love that. For another, the themes of gender performativity and transness are top notch. And so many passages make my little disabled heart glad. I related SO MUCH to this journey of invisible disability, chronic pain, and an uncooperative body. For these reasons, I consider it well worth the read (though check the content warnings).

Content Warnings

heavy_pages's review

Go to review page

dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

jayisreading's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny reflective medium-paced

4.5

This was a fun and short book to read, though I should add that it's rather gory and violent (i.e., "fun" is subjective here). The protagonist, Mumu, is an alien who disguises themself as a human (sometimes a woman, sometimes a man) in an attempt to get by and be accepted in the human world. This is explored through dating/sex, though this usually leads to a grisly end for the human, considering that they are "hunted" in order for Mumu to survive—

Mumu serves as an allegory of sorts for queer people (particularly trans people), expressing their fears of society and the harm that they might face, but also desiring acceptance. Mumu is doing what they can to "pass," and if it's not appearance, then it's how they carry themself (e.g., struggling with walking on two feet). I thought the author did a wonderful job showcasing the range of emotions, from grief to love, as Mumu went from one date to the next.

Most interesting about Walking Practice is the language and typesetting. I'd be curious to see the original, just to see what got lost in translation (e.g., onomatopoeia, which is rich in the Korean language). I also thought the typesetting was absolutely fascinating in some places, where the text expanded and contracted to show the constant shifting happening for Mumu (not only bodily but also mentally). In addition to the language, the act of seeing these shifts add so much dimension.

If you can stomach body horror and violence, this book is worth picking up.

Content Warnings