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imrereads's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Thank you to Netgalley and Archipelago for giving me an eARC of this!
Moldy Strawberries is a short story collection by the brazillian author Caio Fernando Abreu, translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato. It gived us a look into 80's Brazil under a stifling military dictatorship and forever changed by the AIDS epidemic.
I always find reviewing collections difficult. There will always be some stories I liked and others I didn't, and in this one I unfortunately spend a lot more time feeling confused, like I was lacking context, or just didn't see the intention of the stories. I'm struggling a bit to see what ties the stories together, why exactly these stories are part of this collection. I think what I felt was reoccuring was people in one way or another losing or simply lacking control in some aspect.
There were some stories I really loved though, and my favourite was by far Those Two, in which we follow two men's budding friendship as it turns into love. I was absolutely gripped. Another that really got to me was Seargent Garcia. It has this tension and discomfort that worked so well to me.
I definitely see the appeal of Abreu's stories, although most of these didn't work for me. I think you might enjoy these if you generally enjoy short stories, and if you like complicated characters.
Finally, a note on the rating. The stories I liked I really liked, and I gave it a half star up because of that, but overwhelmingly the book just was not for me.
Moldy Strawberries is a short story collection by the brazillian author Caio Fernando Abreu, translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato. It gived us a look into 80's Brazil under a stifling military dictatorship and forever changed by the AIDS epidemic.
I always find reviewing collections difficult. There will always be some stories I liked and others I didn't, and in this one I unfortunately spend a lot more time feeling confused, like I was lacking context, or just didn't see the intention of the stories. I'm struggling a bit to see what ties the stories together, why exactly these stories are part of this collection. I think what I felt was reoccuring was people in one way or another losing or simply lacking control in some aspect.
There were some stories I really loved though, and my favourite was by far Those Two, in which we follow two men's budding friendship as it turns into love. I was absolutely gripped. Another that really got to me was Seargent Garcia. It has this tension and discomfort that worked so well to me.
I definitely see the appeal of Abreu's stories, although most of these didn't work for me. I think you might enjoy these if you generally enjoy short stories, and if you like complicated characters.
Finally, a note on the rating. The stories I liked I really liked, and I gave it a half star up because of that, but overwhelmingly the book just was not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Antisemitism and Misogyny
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