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ewzg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tricia's review
3.0
loved the vibes but wanted more meat from the stories. they were all too short, even for short stories.
lizzillia's review
4.0
I picked this because 1) it is longlisted for this year's Dylan Thomas Prize and 2) I enjoyed the author's brand of body horror in her novel 'Children of Paradise' which was longlisted for last year's Women's Prize for Fiction. This is a book of short stories which are not connected but there are odd things that appear throughout - custard and Ovaltine to mention two. But then there is the body horror - countless references to body parts, bodily fluids, faeces and periods. We also have poison, exploding factories, boarding schools and monstrous creatures. So much that is gruesome and grotesque. For example in 'Ivor' we are in a boys boarding school where there are all the high jinx etc that we expect in a boarding school. However, in this one - the boys never leave and the behaviour becomes more and more depraved. We have a surrogate who is being dictated to by the couple that she is having the baby for. There are men who are retaining their semen and girls being sent to an a sort of rest home because they are not menstruating. Add to this a woman who eats meat and so keeps a man .... Then there are the creatures that devour everything, regurgitating pellets of everything that could not be digested - including pottery!! Such a bizarre read.
whatellisreadnext's review
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This short story collection was everything I needed in my life and more. Full of uncanny settings and gross happenings. Camilla writes these strange narratives about seemingly mundane things that end up being more than what they appear. My favourites of the bunch are about a custard factory and a swimming baths. She is unbelievably creative, and she just writes things, and they make complete sense in my brain even though in hindsight, they are completely unmoored from reality.
She is 100% an autobuy author for me now, and even though Children of Paradise is still my favourite of hers, this is well worth the read. If you love mundane settings and weird little sattire filled short stories, you need to grab a copy of The Coiled Serpent🐍
She is 100% an autobuy author for me now, and even though Children of Paradise is still my favourite of hers, this is well worth the read. If you love mundane settings and weird little sattire filled short stories, you need to grab a copy of The Coiled Serpent🐍
booksnpunks's review
4.0
A really solid collection exploring the gruesome and the weird side of horror. Definitely enjoyed some more than others but the ones I enjoyed I thought were really skillful and well written - Grudova seems to have mastered the art of gross horror and turning people and spaces which make us squirm into something we fear through her nuance and use of the uncanny. I think I would want to see a full length novel from her next as I vibe with novels a lot more but this collection was still really great.
chrism1's review
4.0
Fresh off her women's prize longlisted book, Children of Paradise, Camilla Grudova comes back with a collection of short stories centred around bodies and bodily functions. Grudova explores the chaos of the world through the way bodies work, don't work, and what bodies leave behind. I found this collection of stories challenging because I'm not a fan of body horror, so some of the stories were a bit rough for me, but Grudova's talent as a writer got me through those moments. She has a fantastic eye for a sharp bit of dialogue and amusing moment within the shock of all the gross and shocking details It's an emotionally demanding, but ultimately rewarding book.
kaayleigh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
3.75
Very gross and weird, even by my standards.