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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
i wanted to like this more but i think i was comparing it to salt slow and her body and other parties too much whilst reading it. which are unfortunately better feminist, queer, horror short story collections. not a bad book by any means i am just spoiled
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thoroughly enjoyed this short story collection. Fowley-Doyle's writing and creativity really stood out to me. Some stories are creepy and weird, others are hilarious and wacky; the range is insane. I absolutely loved the different writing styles, and thought they made some stories incredibly memorable. My rating is the total average after reviewing each story by itself (short reviews below).
What would you give for a treat like me (5 stars).
Probably one of my favourite stories of the collection. I loved the tension, not knowing what the hell was going on, the foreshadowing, and motherhood/child bearing themes. Absolute banger to start with.
Flowers (3 stars).
Not my favourite, but still solid. Found it a bit predictable.
Nature morte (3 stars).
Honestly, I probably didn't quite understand this one. It was also more on the slow-pace side of things. I did enjoy the imagery and the gore.
Such a pretty face (4 stars).
Fun premise, but a tiny bit slow-paced. I think I wanted a bit more detail on the face stealing , but the descriptions were gross (in the best way possible) and really interesting to read.
Only corpses stay (4 stars).
I enjoyed the relationships between characters and how they interacted with each other. The ending was also powerful. But again, it felt like it was more slow-paced.
The summoning (5 stars).
I absolutely adored this one. So hilarious, so camp, so unapologetically feminine. Loved it. This will be the story that I tell all my friends about when recommending this book. I think it was also well placed in the collection, since it gives the reader a fun little break after three slow-paced darker stories.
Rath (3 stars).
Not my favourite, but interesting premise. I probably didn't quite understand it fully.
Interval: Sad Straight Sex at the End of the World (2 stars).
Boring, but I guess that was the point. I did enjoy how this is the only title that is capitalised 'correctly'.
The carrier (5 stars).
So powerful. I thought it was creepy and unsettling in the best way possible. It really made me feel the fear and self-sacrifice the narrator felt.
Big round ball of light and the water (5 stars).
Such a cool story. I would have loved this to be a whole novel. It reminded me a little of The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica, and flips expectations as you read it. So gripping.
Saying its name breaks it (4 stars).
Interesting narrator. Very metaphor heavy. I probably would have to read it again to fully understand what is happening, but I absolutely loved the format of asking riddles to further the plot.
A different beat (5 stars).
Such a wholesome story about discovering one's queerness. As a fan of One Direction, tween Dani really appreciated this one. Such a creative premise.
Break-up poem recited knee-deep in bog water (2 stars).
Poems are not my favourite type of writing, so I don't think this particular story was up my street.
Two truths and a lie (5 stars).
SO CREEPY, but also real in a way? Such an intriguing portrayal of experimenting one's sexuality as a kid/teen, but also how one can abuse others in the process of experimenting. I thought the format of truths and lies was genius and so gripping. It created immense tension. One of the highlights of this collection.
Playing house (5 stars).
Really loved the metaphor and concept. It's one of those stories that you have to really dissect every sentence to understand. I really liked it, and I'll definitely be rereading it in the future.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
lesbian magical realism (mostly) at the end of the world. there's ~15 stories, with varying styles and designs. some stories were a bit confusing for me to follow, others a bit flat. i think the first two were a bit too abstract for me, so it took a while for me to get into it. once i did, though, i really enjoyed reading this collection. rating this way because i don't think there was any one story that will be long-time memorable (like in "dangers of smoking in bed"), but the collection was overall solid. would recommend!
what would you give for a treat like me - interesting aesthetically but practically confusing. i enjoyed the underlying conflict between the main couple wrt having children.
flowers - i didn't really get it, i ended up skimming/skipping.
nature morte - fun! not sure if my interpretation is as intended, but whatever. gave a sense of wonder that i didn't get from the first two.
such a pretty face - i've read a few bodysnatching/face-stealing stories before, but it's a trope i absolutely adore, so no complaints here. a new approach with the love interest.
only corpses stay - the setting seemed a bit too cliche compared to the other apocalyptical/"end of the world" settings she'd done so far, and it wasn't a particularly new take on it. wasn't an outstanding story.
the summoning - one of my favourites from the collection. complete 180 from the type of writing style, humorous, and it went perfectly with the story.
rath - one of the longer ones. not sure how this was the end of the world tbh. banger story. i wasn't sold on the two timelines at the start, but the story mixes them together well enough by the end.
interlude: sad straight sex at the end of the world - i enjoyed the screenplay-esque style. other than that, i don't know how i feel about it.
the carrier - i don't think i have ever read a pregnancy story that made it sound appealing LOL. reminds me a bit of the lesson of the moth by don marquis, and hiromi goto's work generally. <- my notes after i read the story. i had to double check cause i completely forgot what the story was about when i read the first couple pages again. i think i enjoyed reading it, though.
big round ball of light and the water - i love the concept in this one. i also love how the women on the island decided to leave, who cares about the consequences and fuck the rest of the world. go them.
saying its name breaks it - i think i would have enjoyed this more if i were better at riddles. i didn't know wtf was going on.
a different beat - this one was fine. also not particularly "end of the world" esque, unless you maybe count stephen gately's ghost?
break-up poem recited knee-deep in bog water - very experimental. i didn't particularly care for it.
two truths and a lie - absolutely crazy concept. girl learns bdsm with three friends and her mildly sentient doll. not very "end of the world". was not expecting that.
playing house - pretty simple conceptually but i really liked the execution. beautiful prose. gave me a little bit of "le petit prince" vibes (in a good way). a really strong ending to the story.
what would you give for a treat like me - interesting aesthetically but practically confusing. i enjoyed the underlying conflict between the main couple wrt having children.
flowers - i didn't really get it, i ended up skimming/skipping.
nature morte - fun! not sure if my interpretation is as intended, but whatever. gave a sense of wonder that i didn't get from the first two.
such a pretty face - i've read a few bodysnatching/face-stealing stories before, but it's a trope i absolutely adore, so no complaints here. a new approach with the love interest.
only corpses stay - the setting seemed a bit too cliche compared to the other apocalyptical/"end of the world" settings she'd done so far, and it wasn't a particularly new take on it. wasn't an outstanding story.
the summoning - one of my favourites from the collection. complete 180 from the type of writing style, humorous, and it went perfectly with the story.
rath - one of the longer ones. not sure how this was the end of the world tbh. banger story. i wasn't sold on the two timelines at the start, but the story mixes them together well enough by the end.
interlude: sad straight sex at the end of the world - i enjoyed the screenplay-esque style. other than that, i don't know how i feel about it.
the carrier - i don't think i have ever read a pregnancy story that made it sound appealing LOL. reminds me a bit of the lesson of the moth by don marquis, and hiromi goto's work generally. <- my notes after i read the story. i had to double check cause i completely forgot what the story was about when i read the first couple pages again. i think i enjoyed reading it, though.
big round ball of light and the water - i love the concept in this one. i also love how the women on the island decided to leave, who cares about the consequences and fuck the rest of the world. go them.
saying its name breaks it - i think i would have enjoyed this more if i were better at riddles. i didn't know wtf was going on.
a different beat - this one was fine. also not particularly "end of the world" esque, unless you maybe count stephen gately's ghost?
break-up poem recited knee-deep in bog water - very experimental. i didn't particularly care for it.
two truths and a lie - absolutely crazy concept. girl learns bdsm with three friends and her mildly sentient doll. not very "end of the world". was not expecting that.
playing house - pretty simple conceptually but i really liked the execution. beautiful prose. gave me a little bit of "le petit prince" vibes (in a good way). a really strong ending to the story.
dark
mysterious
This short story collection felt handcrafted for me and my interests specifically.
Fowler-Doyle you are so loved 🫶
Fowler-Doyle you are so loved 🫶
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
absolutely delicious (and equally visceral) prose and imagery. as with any collection, some really solid hits but some misses as well.