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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
I'm sitting here writing this review several days to a week after finishing Your Body Is Not Your Body with the book lying here on my desk beside my keyboard. I pulled it out of my draw to look at it and smell it and get reacquainted with it while I wrote this. They way any good reader might with a favored book. Your Body Is Not Your Body is something I watched all through its creative process. When Tenebrous Press put out the submission call I wanted to write for it but knew I lacked the time, so I contented myself with watching in anticipation of having this book in my hands when it came out.
I was not disappointed.
Your Body Is Not Your Body was well worth the wait and I devoured the whole book in what I think was about three days of fevered reading between customers at my day job. As a whole, Your Body Is Not Your Body is a wild mix of tantalizing body horror and bittersweet longing and bad ass avengery (yes I know I'm making up words). Every story, every poem, ever well crafted piece of art blends into a twisting, turning corridor of new weird delight. I can foresee myself coming back to reread this book in the future both in whole and in little bits and pieces of my favorite parts.
Like any anthology your likely to read there were pieces of Your Body Is Not Your Body that stuck out for me. And yes, these bits are biasedly based on my own option but I can't resist sharing the names of a few pieces that I can't get out of my head. So, in order of appearance in the book, I give you "Those bits I can't stop thinking about."
Tonsilstonespunksplatter666! What a ride this one was. I think another reviewer compared it to some form of neurodivergent experience and I have to say they are correct. This is what being stuck in my own neurodivergent head feels like some of the time and seeing that blended with the other elements of this story... well it's a ride. You'll love it.
High Maintenance. A friend and I were reading Your Body Is Not Your Body together and he said this one made him cry. I saw why the moment I read it. Pure, terrifying melancholy.
The Infinite Being. I. Don't. Read. Poetry. And yet I connected to this piece instantly. I loved the flow and the twisting of the storyline.
Brother Maternitas. A view on how two different people see their bodies turned into something else before their eyes. I keep pondering it no matter how immersed in other stories I become.
The Same Thing That Happened To Sam. I felt this in my soul. The anger, the frustration, the singular oppression followed by resistance. This piece is short but once you read it you won't forget it.
Why We Keep Exploding. Let me clarify, I'm a trans man pre-transition. Despite the fact I do not identify as a woman I've had to live my life seen as one and this story... Reading this felt like the truest thing I had experienced in a long time. When I was through I had to put the book down and stare at nothing for awhile. And then weird author that I am, I picked up my phone and messaged my publisher that she needed to read this one. That I thought it reminded me of one of her own stories and they she NEEDED to read it. Yeah. This one is that good.
Fencing Chestplate. I really don't know how to put into words what I feel about this one. It spoke to me as a trans man and my own feelings about my body. This is how it feels. At least for me.
The Divine Carcass. A strange, undulating tale full of kaleidoscope colors and significant body horror.
#MOTHERMYHEM. Another short one that got lodged in my head. Horror that makes you think.
The Lives of Scavengers. Body horror? Yes. Something bordering on dark fantasy? Also yes. Of all the stories in here I wished this one was longer. I would have read a book, or several for that matter, set in this world.
The Simulacrum. This has to be one of my favorite pieces of my favorite pieces. Evil government scientists and experiments that get their revenge and their freedom. You can't go wrong.
Stench. This one also got stuck in my head when I initially didn't think it would. The imagery made me consider in ways I liked and now this one is a facet of my brain.
Tiny Magic. I've had the pleasure of getting to "know" the author of this one on Twitter and their work definitely deserves a mention. I loved being in their character's head further loved the nuance of magic being just about anywhere we find it. We make our magic.
So if you haven't read it. I recommend reading it. Your Body Is Not Your Body is well worth it.
I was not disappointed.
Your Body Is Not Your Body was well worth the wait and I devoured the whole book in what I think was about three days of fevered reading between customers at my day job. As a whole, Your Body Is Not Your Body is a wild mix of tantalizing body horror and bittersweet longing and bad ass avengery (yes I know I'm making up words). Every story, every poem, ever well crafted piece of art blends into a twisting, turning corridor of new weird delight. I can foresee myself coming back to reread this book in the future both in whole and in little bits and pieces of my favorite parts.
Like any anthology your likely to read there were pieces of Your Body Is Not Your Body that stuck out for me. And yes, these bits are biasedly based on my own option but I can't resist sharing the names of a few pieces that I can't get out of my head. So, in order of appearance in the book, I give you "Those bits I can't stop thinking about."
Tonsilstonespunksplatter666! What a ride this one was. I think another reviewer compared it to some form of neurodivergent experience and I have to say they are correct. This is what being stuck in my own neurodivergent head feels like some of the time and seeing that blended with the other elements of this story... well it's a ride. You'll love it.
High Maintenance. A friend and I were reading Your Body Is Not Your Body together and he said this one made him cry. I saw why the moment I read it. Pure, terrifying melancholy.
The Infinite Being. I. Don't. Read. Poetry. And yet I connected to this piece instantly. I loved the flow and the twisting of the storyline.
Brother Maternitas. A view on how two different people see their bodies turned into something else before their eyes. I keep pondering it no matter how immersed in other stories I become.
The Same Thing That Happened To Sam. I felt this in my soul. The anger, the frustration, the singular oppression followed by resistance. This piece is short but once you read it you won't forget it.
Why We Keep Exploding. Let me clarify, I'm a trans man pre-transition. Despite the fact I do not identify as a woman I've had to live my life seen as one and this story... Reading this felt like the truest thing I had experienced in a long time. When I was through I had to put the book down and stare at nothing for awhile. And then weird author that I am, I picked up my phone and messaged my publisher that she needed to read this one. That I thought it reminded me of one of her own stories and they she NEEDED to read it. Yeah. This one is that good.
Fencing Chestplate. I really don't know how to put into words what I feel about this one. It spoke to me as a trans man and my own feelings about my body. This is how it feels. At least for me.
The Divine Carcass. A strange, undulating tale full of kaleidoscope colors and significant body horror.
#MOTHERMYHEM. Another short one that got lodged in my head. Horror that makes you think.
The Lives of Scavengers. Body horror? Yes. Something bordering on dark fantasy? Also yes. Of all the stories in here I wished this one was longer. I would have read a book, or several for that matter, set in this world.
The Simulacrum. This has to be one of my favorite pieces of my favorite pieces. Evil government scientists and experiments that get their revenge and their freedom. You can't go wrong.
Stench. This one also got stuck in my head when I initially didn't think it would. The imagery made me consider in ways I liked and now this one is a facet of my brain.
Tiny Magic. I've had the pleasure of getting to "know" the author of this one on Twitter and their work definitely deserves a mention. I loved being in their character's head further loved the nuance of magic being just about anywhere we find it. We make our magic.
So if you haven't read it. I recommend reading it. Your Body Is Not Your Body is well worth it.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
First read back in a couple of years and I had a blast. Fun compilation of short stories.
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
Overall, a really interesting and funky collection of short stories. It really needed some better copy editing, as I noticed some glaring mistakes in repeated clauses and POV/tense shifts. As with any collection like this, some will be better than others, but this had a significant amount of stories that were abstracted almost (or entirely) beyond comprehension, which was very frustrating.
I did still have some faves however, particularly:
Brother Maternitas by Viktor Athelstan- considering my personal obsession with the humoral body and medieval/early modern perspectives of gender, this was absolutely going to be a hit with me
Ballad of the Pest by Meagan Hotz- I love short stories that have multiple applications but packs a sucker punch of a feeling and god I felt this one.
Why We Keep Exploding by Hailey Piper- Probably the most technically skilled writing in the whole anthology.
Seaflowers by Ori Jay- Proves that abstraction and metaphor can be so impactful. Poetic, lenticular, just gorgeous and haunting.
The Divine Carcass by Bitter Karella- I am SO excited that Karella has a book coming out this year because this was my favorite in the collection. Tightly woven and appropriately Weird for this anthology and amazing because of it. I immediately reread it and had to sit to process it for a bit.
CW:
The Flensing Lens: body horror, eye horror, blood & gore
TONSILSTONESPUBJSPLATTER666!: body horror, eye horror, blood & gore, gun violence, rape, violence, toxic relationship, transphobia, ableism, misgendering
High Maintenance: sexual content, violence, blood & gore, domestic abuse, murder (past)
The Infinite Being: gun violence, emesis, violence, body horror
Brother Maternitas: emesis, pregnancy, misogyny, miscarriage, blood, sexual assault, body horror
The Same Thing That Happened to Sam: insects, eye horror, emesis, homophobia, transphobia, child abuse
Ballad of the Pest: death, animal death, claustrophobia
Playing House: cannibalism, blood & gore
Hybrid: human experimentation, animal death
Cholesterol-Monoxide: blood & gore, body horror
Why We Keep Exploding: self-harm, misogyny, bullying, transphobia, suicide attempt (past, mention)
We've Been Trying to Reach You: schizophrenia/hallucinations, ableism, loss of mother abusive relationship (mention), suicide, emesis, misgendering, murder, violence, blood & gore, body horror
Lost in Reincarnation: arranged marriage, body horror
Because My Mother Tells Me So: body horror, insects, cancer, loss of father (past), alcohol, imprisonment
Seaflowers: drowning, death
Fencing Chestplate: transphobia, misogyny, loss of father (past), homophobia slur, self-harm (for magic, body horror, emesis, blood & gore
Gender Envy: body horror, violence, homophobic slur
Rest, My Head: confinement, emesis
The Divine Carcass: drug use, body horror hallucinations, violence, blood & gore
Chironoplasty: medical content, transphobia
#MOTHERMAYHEM: body horror, death
The Lives of Scavengers: insects, murder, death, grief
The Simulacrum: human experimentation, transphobia, dysphoria, self-harm, blood & gore, murder, misgendering
The Roots They Pull: misgendering, sexual harassment, rape (attempt), blood & gore, murder, emesis
Stench: pregnancy, infidelity, sexual content (implied), death, dead animal, dead body, blood & gore, body horror
The Pearl Diver: blood & gore, animal death, car accident
Tiny Magic: domestic abuse, CSA, murder, kidnapping, emesis, poison, blood libel (antisemitic)
I did still have some faves however, particularly:
Brother Maternitas by Viktor Athelstan- considering my personal obsession with the humoral body and medieval/early modern perspectives of gender, this was absolutely going to be a hit with me
Ballad of the Pest by Meagan Hotz- I love short stories that have multiple applications but packs a sucker punch of a feeling and god I felt this one.
Why We Keep Exploding by Hailey Piper- Probably the most technically skilled writing in the whole anthology.
Seaflowers by Ori Jay- Proves that abstraction and metaphor can be so impactful. Poetic, lenticular, just gorgeous and haunting.
The Divine Carcass by Bitter Karella- I am SO excited that Karella has a book coming out this year because this was my favorite in the collection. Tightly woven and appropriately Weird for this anthology and amazing because of it. I immediately reread it and had to sit to process it for a bit.
CW:
The Flensing Lens: body horror, eye horror, blood & gore
TONSILSTONESPUBJSPLATTER666!: body horror, eye horror, blood & gore, gun violence, rape, violence, toxic relationship, transphobia, ableism, misgendering
High Maintenance: sexual content, violence, blood & gore, domestic abuse, murder (past)
The Infinite Being: gun violence, emesis, violence, body horror
Brother Maternitas: emesis, pregnancy, misogyny, miscarriage, blood, sexual assault, body horror
The Same Thing That Happened to Sam: insects, eye horror, emesis, homophobia, transphobia, child abuse
Ballad of the Pest: death, animal death, claustrophobia
Playing House: cannibalism, blood & gore
Hybrid: human experimentation, animal death
Cholesterol-Monoxide: blood & gore, body horror
Why We Keep Exploding: self-harm, misogyny, bullying, transphobia, suicide attempt (past, mention)
We've Been Trying to Reach You: schizophrenia/hallucinations, ableism, loss of mother abusive relationship (mention), suicide, emesis, misgendering, murder, violence, blood & gore, body horror
Lost in Reincarnation: arranged marriage, body horror
Because My Mother Tells Me So: body horror, insects, cancer, loss of father (past), alcohol, imprisonment
Seaflowers: drowning, death
Fencing Chestplate: transphobia, misogyny, loss of father (past), homophobia slur, self-harm (for magic, body horror, emesis, blood & gore
Gender Envy: body horror, violence, homophobic slur
Rest, My Head: confinement, emesis
The Divine Carcass: drug use, body horror hallucinations, violence, blood & gore
Chironoplasty: medical content, transphobia
#MOTHERMAYHEM: body horror, death
The Lives of Scavengers: insects, murder, death, grief
The Simulacrum: human experimentation, transphobia, dysphoria, self-harm, blood & gore, murder, misgendering
The Roots They Pull: misgendering, sexual harassment, rape (attempt), blood & gore, murder, emesis
Stench: pregnancy, infidelity, sexual content (implied), death, dead animal, dead body, blood & gore, body horror
The Pearl Diver: blood & gore, animal death, car accident
Tiny Magic: domestic abuse, CSA, murder, kidnapping, emesis, poison, blood libel (antisemitic)
adventurous
dark
medium-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:
Yes
I am normally not an anthology person but liked the subject matter and the diversity in story types from poem to log book to 1 nonstop narratives
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Transphobia
dark
emotional
fast-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
I really liked this collection
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Pregnancy, Dysphoria