Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Dead Collections

A very good book, but a bit too sad and existential (and romancey) for my taste tbh. I liked the way it played with form, and it's nice to read a book about trans masc people!

Content Warnings

necroplasm's review

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dark funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

another unfortunate victim of the "book recommended to me by a tiktok that pitched it as something completely different from what it actually is which causes me to not like it as much because it's just so not what i was expecting" curse, though thankfully not the most egregious example bc i did still enjoy the book! dark academia it was not, but it did have some interesting musings on gender and a neat take on vampires that i haven't really seen anything similar to before, also probably serving as a metaphor for several things, most of which probably went over my head. also the first book i've ever read that revolves around fanfic/fandom in such a prominent and genuinely sincere way, which was also quite neat to me! hearing ao3 get mentioned in a real published work nearly made me do a spit take but i still had fun :]

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mjwhitlock18's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective

Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

I’m not sure that I knew what I was getting into with this book, and I’m still not entirely sure where I stand on it. It is ultimately a vampire story that explores gender, sexuality, identity, fandom, and the archiving of lives and ephemera. It feels more like a true autobiography than fiction. It’s raw, tangled, and at times disjointed. This queer Jewish trans male vampire meets and has a fast burning relationships with a bisexual widow, as he is archiving her dead wife’s belongings. I’m not sure that I support the romance, as it feels not entirely healthy, but I’m also not sure if I’m supposed to as a reader. This book is light on plot, heavy on dialogue and metaphors, and mostly about relationships and people figuring their shit out. Overall, it’s spooky, queer, and weird, and if that’s your vibe, give it a shot.

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solspringsreads's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I have really complicated feelings about this book. I spent a large portion of my time reading this book just sending my friend live texts trying to figure out how I felt and why I felt it—there’s a lot of gender discussion that made me feel not great, though it was clearly reflective of the author’s own relationship with gender and sexuality and didn’t seem to come from a place of intentionally triggering intense dysphoria in potential readers (AKA it’s not ~~necessarily~~ the book, it’s me)—and very little time just… enjoying the book.
Even so, the actual plot of this book is pretty interesting. It somehow manages to be exactly as advertised (vampire archivist!) and not at all what is advertised and then also more than what is advertised. The relationship between the main characters burns incredibly fast and is very intense, and like many other readers, I’m not sure I really… liked the main relationship. Not that I’m even sure that I’m supposed to? It’s complicated.
This is a book about very messy, flawed people trying to work through their chaos together. It’s not trying to be healthy or idealized, and that’s pretty great! We deserve to have messy queer characters figuring out who they are. I really appreciated what this book was doing thematically, even if the execution wasn’t my favorite. This book can also be very emotionally taxing if you, too, are a messy, flawed person trying to work through your chaos. Please check the trigger warnings before picking this one up.

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uranaishi's review

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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rorikae's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

'Dead Collections' by Isaac Fellman is a relatively slow and contemplative novel about death, life, identity, and belonging.
The story centers on Sol, an archivist who also happens to be a vampire. Since he can't go out in the sun, he lives and works in the basement archives of his job. When a woman donates the collection of her recently deceased wife, who just so happens to also be the writer of one of Sol's favorite sci-fi television series, the two hit it off and begin a slow but caring relationship. But Sol's collections appear to be decaying faster than they should be and Sol has to determine what is happening while also considering his own role as an archivist and a vampire.
There are so many things that I really liked about Dead Collections. I do think it is important going in to know that this story is much slower and more contemplative than the jacket copy suggests. It is much more Sol's musing on being an archivist, Sol's life as a trans man who is also a vampire, and exploring identity. The first half in particular is quite slow and I found that there wasn't any great stakes or intense plot moments. There is a light mystery, some romance, and many deep questions considered.
There are great discussions on identity between Sol and Elsie, who is considering her own gender and identity. There are also great discussions on archives and the work of an archivist. As someone who is fascinated by archives, I found this interesting but it may be a bit boring for someone who has less interest in it.
One of my favorite aspects of the book is the way the story is told. Most of the story is told through prose but there are also letter and email correspondences, forum discussions, and text messages included as well. This was a great compliment to the discussions of archives and the different pieces that Sol is sorting, which are also highlighted in spots throughout the narrative.
I did find myself highlighting quite a few quotes as Fellman does so much great work with his characters on identity, archives, and belonging. Utilizing Sol's vampirism, Fellman is able to dive further into these themes.
Even though I don't think that this book is for everyone, I do think that it will find a number of people who will love it fiercely. If you are interested in slow, contemplative novels that focus more on the characters and their discussions, like the idea of different formats used throughout the book, and have an interest in archives, I would recommend picking up 'Dead Collections.'

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lipstickitotheman's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Genuine addition to the vampire canon. I really really liked reading this book.

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Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman

buttermellow's review

catch__up's review

dearvillains's review

pobi's review

necroplasm's review

mjwhitlock18's review

solspringsreads's review against another edition

uranaishi's review

rorikae's review against another edition

lipstickitotheman's review against another edition