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fe_lea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
She was drawn to these books - girls with powers, girls who were monstrous, girls who had the potential to be terrible and violent things.
Peach Pit is a collection of 16 stories of unsavory women written by BIPOC and queer authors. When the cover said unsavory, it really meant unsavory. It has murderers, con-artists, arsonists, even women who are not afraid of destroying other women to advance their ambition.
Earlier, I read Unlikeable Female Characters by Anna Bogutskaya and the character archetypes that she mentioned there are exactly these women in the stories. Bogutskaya also highlighted how these unlikeable characters are more often than not given to white women, as if white girl anger and white girl tears are more acceptable over a brown girl’s. With a focus on queer and women of color, Peach Pit tells the stories of conniving, despicable, vengeful, mean, messy women that can make you uncomfortable.
“It was devastating. It was beautiful.”
Seeing K-Ming Chang as one of the authors drew me to the book and now I have a few more authors whose works I need to check out. As with most short story collections, not everything worked for me. Some of the stories in the second half fell a little flat. The first three stories were my favorite. Fuckboy Museum by Deesha Philyaw was a perfect opener and set the tone for what’s to come. I loved how the story slowly unravelled as the woman recounts her tale of dating fuckboys after her divorce. The second story is Caller by K-Ming Chang. Honestly, this one left me kind of confused but I couldn’t help but be hypnotized by her prose. The third one is All you have is your fire by Yah Yah Scholfield and I loved the portrayal of young female rage in this one.
Reading this was also a trip. In one story I was grossed out by the pedophilia and incest and speechless at the intensity of the story and the next I was left confused if the woman the narrator is singing praises about was an actual water bottle or a metaphor for something, I’m still not sure what that one was.
While some stories weren’t for me, I still think this was a solid collection.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Incest, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Death of parent and Child abuse
savvylit's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Peach Pit is a delightful collection featuring stories from many talented authors: Megan Giddings, Sarah Rose Etter, Alison Rumfitt, Lauren Groff, K-Ming Chang, Deesha Philyaw, Chantal V. Johnson, Alicia Elliott, and more. Each story reveals a woman at her messiest - sometimes murderous, and always monstrous to some degree. Peach Pit gifts readers a catalogue of unforgettable moments including a Fuckboy Museum, a sexy lady devil, a young arsonist, synthetic skin suits, and perfectly plotted revenge.
If you are a fan of the current trend of stories featuring unhinged women, or if you like reading about morally gray characters, you absolutely must read Peach Pit!
If you are a fan of the current trend of stories featuring unhinged women, or if you like reading about morally gray characters, you absolutely must read Peach Pit!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
ashleyjewell's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Peach Pit was a wonderfully insane collection of short stories. Each story added something different to the whole, and I enjoyed most of them. I will say, some of the characters weren’t exactly morally grey as the editor’s note at the beginning mentioned since several of the main characters committed murder, however, I loved what this book is doing for the unsavory female lead! It’s definitely not for the faint of heart (Maps in particular) so check the content warning before giving it a scoop. My favorites where The Devil’s Doorbell by Amanda Leduc, Amaranth by Lauren Groff, and Manifestation by Sarah Rose Etter!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide, Child abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Rape, Abandonment, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Vomit
mackinseyjoy's review
challenging
dark
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? Yes
4.25
Peach Pit is a collection of sixteen short stories that can each be described as individual villain origin stories, all centered around women. Historically, origin stories for 'bad women' often revolve around tragedy: bad women aren't bad, they are simply victims of bad circumstances.
What I found striking about Peach Pit was just how unsympathetic many of the central characters were (Maps and Mrs. Wrong, I'm looking at you BOTH). Their choices were motivated by greed, lust, or rage. Each writer brings their own specific writing style, making the reading experience more fun.
My favorite stories were Fuckboy Museum, A Scholarship Opportunity, and Aquafina, but all of the stories were unique and horrifying in very different ways. This collection will serve as a starting point for me to explore these authors. This book was deliciously wicked, yet refreshing. Please review my content warnings before reading this book as each story focuses on intense, dark themes.
Thank you so much to Dzanc books for an eARC and happy publication day!
What I found striking about Peach Pit was just how unsympathetic many of the central characters were (Maps and Mrs. Wrong, I'm looking at you BOTH). Their choices were motivated by greed, lust, or rage. Each writer brings their own specific writing style, making the reading experience more fun.
My favorite stories were Fuckboy Museum, A Scholarship Opportunity, and Aquafina, but all of the stories were unique and horrifying in very different ways. This collection will serve as a starting point for me to explore these authors. This book was deliciously wicked, yet refreshing. Please review my content warnings before reading this book as each story focuses on intense, dark themes.
Thank you so much to Dzanc books for an eARC and happy publication day!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Self harm, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Excrement and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Police brutality and Vomit
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