Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Milk Blood Heat

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Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz

22 reviews

megdaven's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Dark short stories focused on women/girls and the trials and tribulations of being a woman/girl all set in Florida. The best word to describe the writing is sultry, both in its positive connotations and negate connotations.

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

This was a fresh collection of short stories that hones in on the everyday lives of Black women (primarily) in Florida and, often, the way they are viewed by society. The protagonist of each story essentially have to reckon with a traumatic event that occurred at some point in their life (or is dealing with at the moment), and Moniz explores this unflinchingly though also with some grace. She dives into uncomfortable territory when it comes to the topics she covers: infidelity, sexual assault, pregnancy/miscarriage, among others. For the most part, I wouldn’t say that these stories are gruesome, but none of them are particularly easy to digest either as she peels away the layers of these women to reveal something deeply complex.

I found the title of this collection particularly interesting and, very cleverly, Moniz interprets at least one of those three words in some fashion within each story. I think “blood” jumped out at me the most, but that might be because this was more visceral than the others, especially in the final story (which was probably my favorite). Relatedly, Moniz is an excellent writer and really has a way with words to draw a reaction out of you. I think despite feeling lukewarm about some of these stories, I was taken to all of them because of her writing.

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hilaryreadsbooks's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Moniz opens this stunning collection of short stories with two girls carrying the weight of the world. Kiera and Ava share a common heaviness, an emptiness, as they come into womanhood—a sense of knowing that they can and should be taking more space in this world. Kiera, Ava, and all of Moniz's other characters felt real, alive, pulsing—Moniz gives these characters the space and words they deserve. I felt the deep shame Fred felt in "The Loss of Heaven" as he finally began to come to terms with his failings; I felt the resentment Margot openly displayed for her mother's perceived weakness in "The Hearts of our Enemies"; I felt the descent into depression as Rayna tries to cope with her miscarriage in "Feast."

Moniz's writing is vibrant and poetic, precise with detail and imagery. Her characters are complex, imperfect, and so, so human. In just a couple of pages, each of her stories pulled me in, made me really...feel as I grappled with feelings of unease: many of these characters' insecurities were ones I related to.

Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/CP0kVORLUcL/

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bookscoffeehayley's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

CW: miscarriage, death of a child, suicide, suicidal thoughts, death of a parent, sexual assault, child abuse

After I finished ‘The Office of Historical Corrections’ (and loved it) I asked the internet what other short story recommendations they had. Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz was the most recommended collection so I immediately put a hold into my local library.

This is a fairly short collection, 11 stories coming in at just under 200 pages. But while this is shorter, it took me a bit to read. I wanted to stay with these stories. I couldn’t read them back to back. I had to pause after each story and sit with it.

These stories focus on an array of topics including familial relationships and traumas, identity, infidelity, miscarriage, healing, love. These stories end leaving you wanting more but in the best way possible.

I can’t recommend this short story collection enough. I tandem read this with the audiobook and also would recommend the audio version! I’m excited to see what Dantiel W. Moniz releases next!

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just_one_more_paige's review

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’ve had great luck with short story collections this year, having read and loved The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and The Office of Historical Corrections. And actually, looking at those, let me be even more specific and say that short story collections by black women authors have rocked my 2021 so far. So really, seeing the reviews of this debut collection talking about how fire it was turned grabbing it from the library into a no brainer. Plus, I loved having the audiobook version to listen along to (thanks, Libro.fom for the ALC) – the narrator was fantastic for bringing these stories to spoken life.

As always with collections, here are my thoughts/reactions to each individual story:

Milk Blood Heat – What an opener! This titular short story starts the collection off with a dark, sort of oppressive (like, in the way that super warm, humid weather feels heavy) bang. The personification of the peculiar emotionality and morbid curiosity of puberty that seems forever and overwhelming when you’re inside it is just stellar, in the most perfect, almost perverse but not quite, way. It’s that period of ominous “growing up” that most of us get through, but some of succumb to, as decisions that are meant only to test the boundaries have unintended permanent consequences (because while the emotions guiding the actions are strong and present, the ability to see further ahead isn’t yet developed). Whew. “Before thirteen, she hadn’t realized that empty was a thing you could carry. But who put it there? Sometimes she wonders if she will ever be rid of it, and sometimes she never wants to give it back. It is a thing she owns.”

Feast – Oh this is a tough one, topically. Major content warning for miscarriage. And the way Moniz writes about the pain and disassociation and (self) guilt and (self) blame and, in this case, the mental derailing after a loss like that, of a loss of something so deeply anticipated and wanted and connected to, of not having any idea how to get back/get over/get through, is wrecking. And I am not sure I can articulate why, but the imagery with the octopus at the end, the idea of self-devouring to erase the damage, was incredibly visceral to read. So powerfully, horribly, well written.

Tongues – Oh I was into this story. A sort of modern-day reforming of the myth of Eve as the fall of man, that pinning of blame on the “fallen woman,” the “temptress,” the seductress to be feared because the power she has is so great as to be impossible to resist. And so, she becomes the devil in the stories. But here, though there are arguments to be made that perhaps some of Zey’s acts are truly…devilish? immoral?...I love the way she takes back and wields and owns that female power. F that religious BS and the fear inherent in it that turns so quickly/easily to hate and oppression and suppression. Plus, I have a very large and very personal soft spot for intensely protective older sisters. “It is the nature of light to illuminate, and she can’t, like so many forget what she’s seen.”

The Loss of Heaven – This was a little built of a slower, more subtle build than the first stories and felt like it had all the hallmarks of a classic tragedy. Our MC is basically hitting an emotional rock bottom in all sorts of ways, as onlookers give that sort of lip service to empathy while internally seeming to just be grateful it isn’t happening to them (and, perhaps, judging the way it’s being handled…). There’s just a loneliness in the pages of this story that is stark and stabbing. Also, there is a handling of end of life/terminal illness, of an inability to deal with emotional reactions to impending loss (and speeding up the loss itself, as a result), of finding oneself truly alone in the world, that is heartbreaking.

The Hearts of Our Enemies – This mother-daughter relationship focused story really delves into the two as separate people, making their individual judgements and mistakes in regards to the other. There’s a great moment from each, one as the mother realizes the real moment to protect the daughter slipped by as she was trying to atone for a lesser moment, and one as the daughter let’s go of the derision towards her mother as she realizes she’s just a person living her own life for the first and only time, that were particularly authentic for me as a reader. And there’s some petty revenge that doesn’t actually fix a disgusting and inappropriate action in any way, but was very satisfying in the way only petty revenge can be and I did love that. This was a tough read in a subtle-leaning way, but perhaps more powerful for that. “Frankie wonders if […] this near universal disdain a daughter can feel for a mother might be necessary for the appreciation that comes later, if this is what it takes to love.”

Outside the Raft – Oh there was some real darkness in this one, the darkness that children have and exhibit, knowing perhaps that they’re stepping over lines but not having that ability or wherewithal to pull back. It’s a step over the line that some adults, when it comes down to a split-second decision or a decision made under duress, still absolutely make, with that basic instinct of youth and survival. Anyways, there was a real tensity and shadow in this one, with an allusion to the future effects of the many forms that childhood traumas can take. “She must have known that light could not exist without darkness; no good without evil. How might it have been if we’d told her you could be both things and still be loved?” / “I don’t know how to apologize for wanting to save my own life.”

Snow – The way that, sometimes, a chance encounter with a stranger that mixes things up is exactly what it takes to make you realize what you might have/be overlooking in your own life. And this little supernatural spin on it, not for real, but that sort of “knowing” insight from that stranger, seeing something you think you’re hiding and making you take it out and examine it, was so well-written here. Also, a very recognizable vibe for anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant. “Harder was facing that I was too impatient or lazy to understand the work of love; behind that, my glowing fear, my almost certainty, that I wasn’t worth the effort.”

Necessary Bodies – I’m not sure that I’ve ever read something where I’ve identified so much with a narrator, honestly. In a very real way, Billie’s internal debate and dialogue and thought processes about having a child are so recognizable to me. And though there may be some differences in the specifics in some cases, and the reality Billie finds herself in pressed to make a final decision one way or the other, I honestly don’t remember another female character articulating anything even remotely this close to my own feelings about becoming a mother. Just…this story really made me feel seen, internally, about my reasonings/feelings about becoming (or more accurately, not becoming) a mother in a way I’ve never experience before and, even though it was a pretty “normal” life story, it’s going to stick with me a long time because of that…

Thicker Than Water – This story, about two siblings on a road trip to drive their father’s ashes to where he wants them to be buried, started seeming like a pretty straightforward forced-proximity to fix a rift situation. But it takes a very dark turn when you start to realize the rift is not of their own making, but all comes back to the father whose ashes they are traveling with…and it’s a doozy. (CW: references to child physical and sexual abuse.) Both subtle and palpable, this one is tough to read for a number of reasons, but a piece that really got me, that was a less obvious addition to the trauma, came in considering that way this sibling relationship, that could have (should have) been a source of comfort/support, was so drastically ruined and stolen.

Exotics – Ummm, excuse me is this micro-short story about what I think it’s about?! Because if so, holy shit. There’s a social commentary on what too much power/privilege and dehumanization of anyone without it does to a person. Yeeesh. (Also, like, how is this the second story I’ve read in the past year that has or alludes to cannibalism?? I’m looking at you, Earthlings. Hopefully this isn’t a new trend…)

An Almanac of Bones – A meditation on motherhood, girlhood, and learning to live with/as who you are, and who others are, to finish out the collection. Probably not my favorite of the collection, but there is definitely an understated fire in the characters and their relationships with each other that does leave you with some nice heat to close out on. “You learn to be who you are, or you die as someone else. It’s simple.”

Well, while this collection didn’t strike me quite as deeply, overall, as the ones I mentioned in my intro, this was still a really, really good set of stories. It was really interesting that, when taken together, these stories are a fascinating look at moments in time across an entire lifespan, from youth to older middle age; a sort of survey of characters at different points throughout a life. And though no single story is a particular standout as far as plot, at least for me, there was a sort of piercing gaze from each of the slices/moments that exposed the inner turmoil and reality of “normal” that makes a reader (well, this reader, at least) feel very seen within their own everyday-ness. That subtle sort of insight carried a fine power that settled heavily over me as a reader, leaving me trapped inside a dense aura of all the stickiness inherent in real, regular lives. I don’t know if I’m doing a great job explaining it, but I cannot believe that a reader would be able to get through this collection without a clear and vibrant connection to at least one of the stories’ characters. And that representation and authenticity is definitely something to applaud. I really enjoyed this debut and look forward to reading more from Moniz in the future.

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kerrygetsliterary's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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invaderlinz's review

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dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5

Thank you to Libro.fm for this copy!

Content Warnings

surefinewhatever_'s review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A short story collection that explores the complicated nature of imperfect women and girls. The first story absolutely blew me away. The following were a bit hit or miss for me, but that’s exactly how my relationship to short story collections go; I find one stand-out story, then ebb & flow through the rest. Absolutely a worthwhile read.

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deedireads's review

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

Milk Blood Heat is an absolutely fantastic short story collection, sharp and riveting. You should definitely read (or listen to) it.

For you if: You enjoy short stories, or you’re thinking of trying short stories and want to start with something excellent.

FULL REVIEW:

First, thank you to Grove Atlantic and HighBridge Audio for granting me advanced digital and audio copies of this book on NetGalley. I’m a big fan of switching back and forth between print and audio, and also listening along while I read the words. This short story collection is freakin excellent, and the audio production and voice acting was also so, so good.

Milk Blood Heat is everything the title promises it to be: sharp, searing, visceral, and human. It’s hard for me not to compare this to Danielle Evans’s The Office of Historical Corrections, because I read them very close to one another. While of course they’re not the same, I do think that if you liked one, you’ll like the other — both collections are just incredibly written and deal with some overlapping themes.

I think my favorite stories were “Milk Blood Heat” (obviously), about two preteen girls who develop a friendship out of a mutual feeling of drowning in the world; “The Loss of Heaven,” about a man who derives his worth from providing while his wife is dying from cancer; “Snow,” about a bartender whose perspective on marriage is tested by a unique patron; and “Necessary Bodies,” about a woman who is newly pregnant but not sure she wants to keep it in a world like ours.

You won’t regret reading this one!

Content Warnings

mezzano's review

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Milk Blood Heat is exquisitely written, with a tight understanding of language creating an entrancing reading experience. I went into this book blind, as I had heard that this collection of stories were examples of beautiful prose but nothing of its contents. Before I can recommend this book to anyone, be aware that these stories are dark and at times horrific. Moniz's stories deserve to be sipped and ruminated on, rather than read quickly in one sitting.

Although each story is written expertly, it's likely that a couple stories will linger in your mind more than others. The story about a woman grieving after her miscarriage and another woman realizing her child is in a romantic relationship with her teacher in particular stand out a day or two after reading the book. Readers should be warned that while these stories do have a beginning, middle, and end, their resolutions are at times not as clear or complete as some may hope for. (The open ended nature of these stories are part of the reason that each story should be dissected and interpreted by the reader before starting the next one.)

For readers who are fans of horror elements or literary fiction, this book is certain to live up to expectations. For a debut short story collection especially, Milk Blood Heat is a triumph. Despite its taboo elements described in the book, it's clearly capable of hooking its readers.

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