Reviews

Probably deserves a higher rating but I honestly could not enjoy a story that was told by a narcisscist narrator who does not, at any point, actually improve in any way. She just forms another toxic attachment to a wolf of all things. It was very well written though and despite the fact that I couldnt tell if it was on purpose that the narrator was such a narc or not, the depiction of the wife as Not a narc was Perfect? So. Idk. Anyway. Very good, very uncomfy. Couldn't fully enjoy it bc too uncomfy.

monarchsandmyths's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

thank you to Tordotcom and netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novella is exactly the kind of thing I’ve come to expect from Lee Mandelo, while also being unexpected enough to be impossible to stop thinking about. It’s unsettling and just a little bit screwed up, and yet that’s why it’s so good. Indelibly queer, with a middle-aged butch lesbian for the main character and a number of other queer characters throughout, though it’s not the primary focus of the story. It looks beyond traditional relationships, instead delving into a craving for belonging and intimacy blanketed by the ominous shadow of venture capitalist technology. Rife with feeling without any sort of appeasement, I very much recommend.

Several adjectives come to mind while thinking about this book: unsettling, discordant, ominous, off-kilter, etc. And when it comes to FEED THEM SILENCE, those are good things. There’s something very raw about Lee Mandelo’s books, as if something is reaching inside of me, not to pull out something perfectly preserved, but bloody and very much not supposed to be outside of the body. Still, it’s incredibly human, even if we can’t relate to trying to neurally connect to an endangered wolf. This is all used to SILENCE’s advantage, creating an incredible atmosphere that exists beyond the page.

Even though this is a novella, it manages to not only feel like a whole and complete story, but as if it could have been longer than what it actually was. A wealth of story is packed into it, with intense characterization that drives the story, even as our main character doesn’t have all the information. The plot is understated, instead coming through more as the feeling that things can’t turn out exactly how we want them to. Pairing all that with writing that is point-blank and aching with emotion, and I truly could not put this book down.

For fans of Mandelo’s work, of books that are queer but not pretty, and those who have a craving for intimacy and nature, I wholeheartedly recommend this. And I won’t be forgetting about Sean, or Kate, anytime soon.

p1uto's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.5

An uncomfortable read on corporate greed and the monetization of empathy and emotions that expertly highlights the lack of ethicality around animal subjects and the struggles of balancing morals with the false notion that suffering brings forth progress. The parallel of the spiral of Sean's home life with the spiral of Kate's home life gives the reader a taste of Sean's developing parasocial relationship with the wolf. It is also extremely relevant to point out the posesive aspect of this novella, with Sean constantly mentioning "her" Kate and "her" wolfpack while, at the same time, is actively endangering them for her own selfish desires vaguely labeled as "scientific knowledge / breakthroughs". Perhaps the most haunting part of the book is the complete acceptance of the transgressions made by the team in the name of "science" and "progress." What is the meaning of progress if it is only available to the greedy corporations? Is it progress if it does not uplift the general public ?

In complete honesty, the themes this novella tackles are very well more interesting than the novella itself. While it was an interesting read, it only serves as a haunting reminder of what does already occur in the real world and the witchy grasps of corporations on human life.

Content Warnings

livlamentloathe's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I previously read Mandelo's Summer Sons, and The Woods all Black. I enjoyed the former and loved the later, so I was surprised not to like this one at all.

Anything you gain from reading this story could be assumed from the start. The struggling relationship of Sean and her wife gets worse but comes to a resolution. Sean's team of scientists endanger one of the last pack of wolves, and Sean only begins to care about this possibility once neuro-linked. That's it. There is more depth to Sean's thought-process and storyline but if you have any assumptions about what will occur in this book, you're probably right.

Sean's wife believes Sean underwent a form of growth and change over the course of the book, but if that was a positive thing, then I massively misunderstood the book. I don't believe Sean learned anything she couldn't have gained through empathy and meaningful conversations with her wife. Much of their fighting could've been resolved if Sean had cared enough to argue her side. It felt like she was a ghost moving through things that happened to her. As if she wasn't the architect of her own failures. That said, Riya, Sean's wife, was just as culpable for decisions she made during their relationship. The corrosion of their marriage was toxic and two-sided.

Every book doesn't need positive change, but I don't think this book included change, period. I don't believe Sean learned anything.

Does the dog die?

Yes.

Even worse, she's killed by the venture capital funders when the project goes awry.

Content Warnings