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billierwalker's review against another edition
3.0
This is hard to hold onto. Large Animals is made up of surreal beautiful phrases that are so poignant but they get washed away in the sand. Reading this feels the same as deconstructing the inside of your own head. When you keep hearing that societal voice and unpacking it, questioning it and throwing it away. Then you come to some small nugget of your truth. A perfect crystallising moment of understanding where you can clearly see yourself. It feels so clear and strong that you will hold onto it forever and then the outside world gets in. It chips away at the thought and before you know it you are muddled in confusion again. That’s what it feels like to read Jess Arndt’s debut. Nothing is binary, nothing is concrete; it is blissfully confounding.
cent's review
challenging
dark
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
koob's review against another edition
I did not vibe with this at all so I'm not going to rate it. I wanna support queer voices and, if the stories are written chronologically, then Arndt's potential could possibly grow into something quite great which is hopeful (I can still be hopeful when writing reviews). If they're not, er, some speak to me more than others.
The writing felt somewhat rookie, in the (annoying) way that there was a mediocre adjective attached to every verb. I felt a difference in how comfortable the stories were unfolding, between the first, middle and last piece in this collection. The adjectives being used caught a certain flare that felt deliberate and effective in working with the tone of the scene. The tone of which usually involved alcohol and probably good haircuts too. I got tired of that quick.
The writing was very unclear to me. There wasn't much clarity in the line between fiction and/or if it was a personal. This line can be worked with of course but the voices felt repetitive in all the stories, and I didn't connect with them at any point.
There was one occasion where the queerness and the sense of bodies having such an important role in the stories, linked up really nicely. I'm not sure what kind of queerness I felt it was (or I was in response to this). Perhaps something about how bodies are held in queer spaces (or in each individual or relevant queer mind) as more than just holding us up, but filled with tales, traumas, hopes, expression, so much self being upheld in these forms of ours.
Someone said something about Kafka in a review somewhere and I don't recall being that into Kafka either. But if this was because of a large animal in the title story and said insect showing up, then i guess they were spot on.
Glad to have read it. Curious how to constructively write poor reviews or read constructively despite not liking it. Review coins to be gained here. Queer book club appreciation regardless.
The writing felt somewhat rookie, in the (annoying) way that there was a mediocre adjective attached to every verb. I felt a difference in how comfortable the stories were unfolding, between the first, middle and last piece in this collection. The adjectives being used caught a certain flare that felt deliberate and effective in working with the tone of the scene. The tone of which usually involved alcohol and probably good haircuts too. I got tired of that quick.
The writing was very unclear to me. There wasn't much clarity in the line between fiction and/or if it was a personal. This line can be worked with of course but the voices felt repetitive in all the stories, and I didn't connect with them at any point.
There was one occasion where the queerness and the sense of bodies having such an important role in the stories, linked up really nicely. I'm not sure what kind of queerness I felt it was (or I was in response to this). Perhaps something about how bodies are held in queer spaces (or in each individual or relevant queer mind) as more than just holding us up, but filled with tales, traumas, hopes, expression, so much self being upheld in these forms of ours.
Someone said something about Kafka in a review somewhere and I don't recall being that into Kafka either. But if this was because of a large animal in the title story and said insect showing up, then i guess they were spot on.
Glad to have read it. Curious how to constructively write poor reviews or read constructively despite not liking it. Review coins to be gained here. Queer book club appreciation regardless.
eitaknnif's review
1.0
These stories are like cubist prose poem renditions of stories, in which feelings are loose associates of facts, presented in no particular order. I believe this is an interesting, well-written, and important (experimental) work. I read every page and did my best with it, like taking the full course of antibiotics. I cannot recommend it, though, because it was so not for me as to be infuriating. You get through a story and the mystery is never revealed so many times that it's clear the purpose is this feeling of wondering if you missed the important part. It's like a punishment.
malizard666's review
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
rebeckareads's review
challenging
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
3.0
- Rated 6.86 using the CAWPILE rating system
This was such an abstract, original read that I'm genuinely struggling to write a review using my usual "format". Even though I didn't understand what I was reading half of the time, I had a great time with this book. The language is just beautiful. As I mentioned earlier, I didn't always understand fully what I was reading but I liked that, because i like abstract reads. I feel a lot of the book is up for individual interpretation. Looking forward to re-reading this in the future!
kalivha's review
5.0
This is really great. The author manages to make ordinary stories seem kind of surreal.
I received this book in a queer book subscription box, so I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but I would thoroughly recommend this - and it does touch on queer subjects in a pretty natural/casual way.
I received this book in a queer book subscription box, so I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into, but I would thoroughly recommend this - and it does touch on queer subjects in a pretty natural/casual way.