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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
All the women of the world are dead, and the men of the Group face a bleak future. And then the graves of the dead women begin to sprout mushrooms that grow into human shape. The Beauty is a strange little book, intentionally so. Whiteley's voice is sparse, almost distant; she slides from dream into nightmare, the atmosphere hazy but the speculative elements growing increasingly grotesque and detailed. The obvious metaphor is gender: its determining factors, the function of gender roles in heteronormative relationships, the relationship between gender and procreation. It leans gender essentialist, and there's something circumspect about eliding horror and . But it's also complex, intimate, and cast in compelling speculative terms. It's not a flawless effort, but I admire how far Whiteley takes such a short work.
Spoiler
gender role reversal
This novella has a premise that caught my attention: all of the women have died, and on the graves where each of them was buried, a mushroom-like plant is growing. I don't want to give anything away, but I will tell you that the story is unique, surprising, and, honestly, could have been a long novel. There are many characters that intrigued me, and I would have been interested to read more about. Hopefully the author will expand on this story and write a sequel. I'm left wanting to know more about this universe she created.
Pretty amazing short story. I want to think about it for a little while longer before writing a review.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.75 stars. This is probably the weirdest book I've ever read in my 36 years. However, as weird and horrific as it was, I found it also extremely compelling. I *wanted* to keep reading. I *wanted* to find out what happens, even though I wasn't sure (and still am not) what in the world I was reading.
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Weird. Weird. Weird. Loved it.
If anyone has drawn any imagery from this book, id love to see! It left me wanting a movie. A horrible, weird movie you can't take your eyes from, and puts you completely off your popcorn.
If anyone has drawn any imagery from this book, id love to see! It left me wanting a movie. A horrible, weird movie you can't take your eyes from, and puts you completely off your popcorn.