Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In Oddbody, Rose Keating delivers a series of aloof feminist body horror short stories.
All of Keating’s short stories in this collection take on a feverish, dream-like quality as her characters privately deal with obscene supernatural elements in a version of our contemporary world that acknowledges, but rarely embraces, these phenomena. In “Squirm,” the main character isolates herself as she cares for her dad who has turned into a worm. In “Eggshells,” the protagonist lays eggs that take the shape of varying objects and entities which verbally harass her. In “Next to Cleanliness,” a woman is told something is fundamentally wrong with her as a person as she attempts a series of gruesome cleanses. And so on and so forth. Each story deals with an alienating and humiliating aspect of womanhood through somewhat abstract gelatinous dismemberment and gore. Unfortunately, when placed next to each other in a collection, their signature style and repetitive tropes cause them to blend together.
I think that some people will love this collection, but for me the feminist insights and body horror often seemed rather stale—perhaps if I had read Oddbody five years ago or so, before feminist body horror experienced a surge in popularity, I would have appreciated it more. The most I got out of the majority of the stories was a slight nudge of satisfaction when I thought, “Oh, I see what she’s doing here.” But beyond the mild appreciation of her rendering of feminist issues in creative ways, I mostly felt bored. I think the main reason for my boredom is that Keating writes these stories in a detached, somewhat absurdist manner that obscures character emotions and foreignizes their relationships with each other. It’s a common technique used in literary short stories that gives them an alien, dream-like feel: characters do and say and feel things without much explanation. I am confident enough in Keating’s ability as a writer to assume she makes this stylistic choice intentionally so as to mimic the feeling of unreality and isolation women experience in their daily lives. However, more often than not this technique led me to feel disconnected to the stories, and I didn’t find their creativity or social commentary made up for that lack. I’m confident others will connect to this collection more strongly than I did, so I still recommend giving it a try if it sounds like something you might enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Violence
Halfway through this debut collection, I knew that this book had topped everything I've read this year so far
Sometimes, when you're reading a book, you just connect with everything on the page. It gives you everything you're looking for, scratching every itch that you have. This was that book for me. This is Keating's debut book, a collection of ten odd yet tender stories, and after finishing this book, I shall read anything that this author comes out with from here on out. It's weird, disturbing, and so uncomfortable yet simultaneously sweet and genuine.
I could give an in-depth breakdown of the individual stories, but I feel like that would be robbing you of the experience of the book itself. I can tell you what you can expect; there's body horror, melancholy, and humor that I legitimately laughed out loud at. Some stories I loved more than others (Eggshells & Oddbody) but there was not a single story that I didn't connect with and adore. They're all bizarre and beautiful.
It's hard not to go on and on about Oddbody but let me just leave you with this: if I can convince you to read just one book from my account this year, let this be the one.
5.75/5🐑
Sometimes, when you're reading a book, you just connect with everything on the page. It gives you everything you're looking for, scratching every itch that you have. This was that book for me. This is Keating's debut book, a collection of ten odd yet tender stories, and after finishing this book, I shall read anything that this author comes out with from here on out. It's weird, disturbing, and so uncomfortable yet simultaneously sweet and genuine.
I could give an in-depth breakdown of the individual stories, but I feel like that would be robbing you of the experience of the book itself. I can tell you what you can expect; there's body horror, melancholy, and humor that I legitimately laughed out loud at. Some stories I loved more than others (Eggshells & Oddbody) but there was not a single story that I didn't connect with and adore. They're all bizarre and beautiful.
It's hard not to go on and on about Oddbody but let me just leave you with this: if I can convince you to read just one book from my account this year, let this be the one.
5.75/5🐑
Weird and strange, just like I like it. A lot of the stories just end, while I can see that can be disappointing, it works for me. However, if the author ever wanted to make full novellas of each I would buy every single one ;) I devoured this in almost one sitting. Give me all the weird girl lit. These were great! (and not for everyone)
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
I was hooked from the first line. I devoured all of these stories in less than a day. It was horrifying, disturbing, completely arresting, and also strangely relatable on some levels. I think some of this imagery is going to be in my head for a very long time.
My thanks to Simon & Schuster for this bookseller ARC!
My thanks to Simon & Schuster for this bookseller ARC!
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My notes for these stories say things like "gross" and "fucking delightful" and "ew, why was that hot?" and "wonderful, but could have used more cannibalism, tbh" and "hahahaha, what the FUCK."
"Pineapple" and "Notes on Performance" were my favourites, but I at least really liked all of them.
"Pineapple" and "Notes on Performance" were my favourites, but I at least really liked all of them.
Incredible concepts, but the writing was not elevated enough to fully execute the ideas.
certainly creative and bizarre but i'm not as ready for body horror as i thought i was