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chloekg's review against another edition
5.0
Personality in abundance, T.C. Boyle's short stories roil with laughter just below the surface. They are dark absurdism and human insight. They are memorable and new and full of sparkling language. Not for the tepid at heart.
bengriffin's review against another edition
4.0
Had this on my shelf for a good few years and finally read it. Enjoyed it. It's dark and fun and worth reading if only for 'Big Garage', 'Second Swimming', and 'Extinction Tales'. Definitely want to read more of his stuff in the future.
tascaraudo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
READ IN GERMAN
Some interesting stuff, a lot of it meant to make you uncomfortable, I think. Idk why the last and titular story required the brutal beating of a desirable but unattainable "girl" (not even woman in the text) and multiple rape.
Also the story about the man being so so upset about a restaurant for women made me very impatient. Like bro. Get a hobby.
Not worth my time really
Some interesting stuff, a lot of it meant to make you uncomfortable, I think. Idk why the last and titular story required the brutal
Also the story about the man being so so upset about a restaurant for women made me very impatient. Like bro. Get a hobby.
Not worth my time really
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Rape and Racism
melissamilazzo's review
5.0
As always, Boyle is amazing. Each story is a nugget of black humor, creeping fear and a certain giddy joy at seeing a cliche destroyed. This is a book where Lassie leaves little Timmy to die and intelligent chimps conduct experiments on men. Clever and imaginative.
kaseyd's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Do not waste your time. Half of the stories left me feeling nauseous. Many are unnecessarily cruel. There are an astounding number of stereotypes and caricatures of indigenous people. Women are stereotypical objects. This is just another white man trying to prove that he has such a deep and philosophical understanding of the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Racism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Stalking, Vomit, and Xenophobia
Minor: Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, and Transphobia
bengriffin's review
4.0
Had this on my shelf for a good few years and finally read it. Enjoyed it. It's dark and fun and worth reading if only for 'Big Garage', 'Second Swimming', and 'Extinction Tales'. Definitely want to read more of his stuff in the future.
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