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knittyreader's review against another edition
5.0
I received a free copy through Netgalley, in return for an honest review.
If anything, the stories in this book are surprising. They're all different, but all have the same, gritty layer of some kind of poverty over them. Poverty in money, social poverty, mental poverty. People might seem to overcome one kind of it, but not the other.
The stories are fast-paced in a good way. They open the worlds of the characters in a way that shows how poor people can be.
If anything, the stories in this book are surprising. They're all different, but all have the same, gritty layer of some kind of poverty over them. Poverty in money, social poverty, mental poverty. People might seem to overcome one kind of it, but not the other.
The stories are fast-paced in a good way. They open the worlds of the characters in a way that shows how poor people can be.
li3an1na4's review
3.0
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When [a:Noah Milligan|14831771|Noah Milligan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1453143293p2/14831771.jpg] talks of poverty, he's not necessarily talking about the paucity of money. While many of the stories do feature people who are lacking in funds; other stories deal with people who are lacking in character, lacking in love, lacking in familial bonds, lacking something basic that most of us take for granted. For some people it seems to be their lot in life, for others it happens even when desperately trying to change their situation. It's been a few days, but I don't recall any of these stories having a particularly happy ending. The best anyone can hope for is a persistent melancholia. This is not a book for people who want to like characters or relate to characters. Many of them are just vile and anyone would be wise to run the other way if ever happening upon them.
A Good Start - A story about a few different forms of the cycle of poverty. 3/5
Status Zero - What happens when a college degree doesn't guarantee a job and the emotional toll that takes. 2.75/5
Everything's Fine - When someone who lacks the ability to connect with other people meets someone who is also unable to connect with people "properly". While the characters here stick with you, I kind of wish they didn't. Something about this story made me deeply uncomfortable even though I've read things that are much worse. Don't know why. 2.5/5
Brought to you by Anonymous - My favorite story of the bunch because it doesn't have the same downtrodden negativity as the other stories. In many ways, it's uplifting. Society has taken conformity to an extreme and people are challenging the status quo. 4/5.
Amid the Flood of Mortal Ills - Climate change and the end of humanity in the US. 3.5/5.
Disobedience - A teenager goes missing and the principal is the primary suspect. 3/5
The Motion of Bodies - The author's take on the story of a person who tweets something racist before taking off and finds themselves in a world of hate once the plane lands. 3/5
The Deep Down Bone of Desire -A jaded housewife racks up a ton of credit card debt. 3/5.
Rainbow Pennant - A man about to retire and his "post-mid-life crisis". A bit meandering and the plotline with the missing sister was just weird. 2.75/5
Life Expectancy - A truly forgettable story about a life insurance salesman. 2/5
It averages out to about 3/5. Even without averaging, some of the stories are memorable and stick with me and others really haven't. I would have given it a 3/5 even without averaging the scores of the stories.
When [a:Noah Milligan|14831771|Noah Milligan|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1453143293p2/14831771.jpg] talks of poverty, he's not necessarily talking about the paucity of money. While many of the stories do feature people who are lacking in funds; other stories deal with people who are lacking in character, lacking in love, lacking in familial bonds, lacking something basic that most of us take for granted. For some people it seems to be their lot in life, for others it happens even when desperately trying to change their situation. It's been a few days, but I don't recall any of these stories having a particularly happy ending. The best anyone can hope for is a persistent melancholia. This is not a book for people who want to like characters or relate to characters. Many of them are just vile and anyone would be wise to run the other way if ever happening upon them.
A Good Start - A story about a few different forms of the cycle of poverty. 3/5
Status Zero - What happens when a college degree doesn't guarantee a job and the emotional toll that takes. 2.75/5
Everything's Fine - When someone who lacks the ability to connect with other people meets someone who is also unable to connect with people "properly". While the characters here stick with you, I kind of wish they didn't. Something about this story made me deeply uncomfortable even though I've read things that are much worse. Don't know why. 2.5/5
Brought to you by Anonymous - My favorite story of the bunch because it doesn't have the same downtrodden negativity as the other stories. In many ways, it's uplifting. Society has taken conformity to an extreme and people are challenging the status quo. 4/5.
Amid the Flood of Mortal Ills - Climate change and the end of humanity in the US. 3.5/5.
Disobedience - A teenager goes missing and the principal is the primary suspect. 3/5
The Motion of Bodies - The author's take on the story of a person who tweets something racist before taking off and finds themselves in a world of hate once the plane lands. 3/5
The Deep Down Bone of Desire -A jaded housewife racks up a ton of credit card debt. 3/5.
Rainbow Pennant - A man about to retire and his "post-mid-life crisis". A bit meandering and the plotline with the missing sister was just weird. 2.75/5
Life Expectancy - A truly forgettable story about a life insurance salesman. 2/5
It averages out to about 3/5. Even without averaging, some of the stories are memorable and stick with me and others really haven't. I would have given it a 3/5 even without averaging the scores of the stories.
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