Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel by Julian K. Jarboe

3 reviews

librarymouse's review

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funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

I thought it was kind of a funny quirk of the organization that the titular story came so late in the book. Some stories I really liked. Others, I'm conflicted on, but overall, I enjoyed the book. This might be something I'll read again. I really enjoyed the extended nature of the titular story, and especially "The Heavy Thing," "We Did Not Know We Were Giants," "I Am a Beautiful Bug!" and "The Thing in Us We Fear Just Wants Our Love." My issue was with some of the earlier stories. They almost made me put down the book, but I'm glad I didn't. I think I may read this one again. The integration of eco criticism in a post-apocalyptic setting in which the world ended with a shuddering gasp and then kept on kind of going made these stories interesting and for the most part interconnected, even as they spanned a variety of subject matter and characters.
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leguinstan's review

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reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Why does God create grapes and wheat, but not wine and bread? God does this because God wants us to share in the act of creation. To be how you made me, to become how God made me, through you, I can remake myself. You and I: we are already only whole, and shifting towards the divine.

Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel is a collection of consisting of short stories, poetry, and one novella. Although I consider myself a huge fan of SFF short stories and novellas, I actually found Jarboe's flash fiction a lot more compelling than their longer works--which is surprising since the shortest stories in the collections I have previously read tend to be my least favorites. 

I'm not sure how to explain this but I feel that a lot of Jarboe's short stories lack that sense of resolution--regardless of emotional mood and tone-- I usually associate with my favorite short stories. Stories such as the titular novella, "The Nothing Spots Where Nobody Wants to Stay", and "As Tender Feet of Cretan Girls Danced Once Around an Altar of Love" did not have distinct character or plot arcs. And while I recognize the character development in other works such as "The Seed and the Stone" and
We Did Not Know We Were Giants", these works felt so bogged down in metaphor that I struggled to derive a sense of satisfaction from their respective endings.

I don't particularly appreciate these aforementioned works as stories. What I do appreciate, however, is the strong imagery, lyrical prose, and imagination that is on display in all of the works in this collection--even in the ones that I dislike. I suspect that Jarboe's flash fiction and poetry generally worked better for me because I can focus on these aspects of their writing while setting aside my expectations of what makes a good work of fiction. 

"The Marks of Aegis" and "The Heavy Things" really resonated with me despite the fact that they are less than five pages long and that they fully lean into the surrealism that can be found in a lot of Jarboe's works. "Estranged Children of Storybook Houses", "Self Care", and "I Am a Beautiful Bug!" were the other stories that also stood out to me. While I am unenthused with the collection as a whole, I genuinely think that Jarboe has a lot of talent and I look forward to reading more of their works. 

Minor sidenote: the edition I read (ISBN 9781590216927) is riddled with typos which on occasion detracted from my reading experience. Hopefully this issue gets solved in reprintings!
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vanadiumbean's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is what it says on the tin and more, showcasing a broad cross section of the author's interests and skill. The whole time I was reading I was reminded of a dear friend. My favorites from the collection are probably "Estranged Children of Storybook Houses" (which I was compelled to read twice in a row) and the titular "Everyone On the Moon is Essential Personnell." Shout-out to "The Android that Designed Itself", "I am a Beautiful Bug!" and the very, very last page. Jarboe is great at taking the absurd interior things of life and giving them exteriors to match. 
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