Reviews

Eat the Mouth That Feeds You by Carribean Fragoza

readtotheend's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

Impressive debut of short stories that largely center on the lives of Latinx/Chicanx women. There were many stand out stories and then some were so brief we only got a short time with them. There's some body horror and some magical realism, elements I usually struggle with a bit so it's not surprising that not all the stories held my attention. It's a slim collection so i recommend reading through them all if you enjoy gothic horror type vibes.

rettaroo's review

dark emotional

Strange and fabulist. Standouts for me were the ones that dealt with parent/child relationships like eat the mouth that feeds you and sábado gigante. The vicious ladies was also a gem. 

rubyseemorebooks's review

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.25

Good stories, solid variety and pacing. A better collection than some. 

reneereads's review

challenging dark fast-paced

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

3.0

becandbooks's review

5.0

Trigger warnings:

Spoiler

drug use, drug dealing, cannibalism (metaphorical), teenage pregnancy, abortion, graphic death of a child, domestic abuse resulting in death, fire

An exquisite collection, Fragoza is easily a new favourite author. Each story is full of gorgeous metaphorical writing that is, in its own right, raw and genuine and crackling with emotion. The Latinx and Chicanx culture are rich throughout every single story. Readers are forced to experience the hardships and the forth-coming wisdom of the women throughout the collection.

There were absolutely some stand-out stories within this collection. Lumberjack Mom is a story about an intimate relationship with a tree from one's homeland and a mother losing herself within a 'hobby'. Eat the Mouth That Feeds You is a visceral look at the sacrifices made throughout motherhood and the complexity of ensuring a child knows of their roots. Ini y Fati is a precious, yet heartbreaking, tale of what it means to be a young virgin martyr, the burdens faced by young girls and the strength in protecting one another.

Individual ratings
Lumberjack Mom 4/5
The Vicious Ladies 4/5
Eat the Mouth That Feeds You 5/5
Mysterious Bodies 4/5
Crystal Palace 4/5
Tortillas Burning 2.5/5
Sábado Gigante 3/5
Ini y Fati 3.5/5
New Fire Songs 2.5/5
Me Muero

Note: Review copy (audiobook) received from Libro.FM. This does not impact opinions within this review.

blog • trigger warning database • more links

Happy reading! ❤

catchabody's review

dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

read in preparation for senior thesis; love the prose and story concepts, 

seaofwords's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A

3.5

vastexistence_'s review against another edition

3.0

I liked it decently enough but sometimes, the stories felt a little too metaphorical for me to fully understand. Not sure if that’s because English is my second language or because all of the Latina/Chicana references were unfamiliar to me, but not all the stories landed the way they were intended. Perhaps I am just not the audience for this book — and that’s okay too.

linda_elaine's review

sad tense fast-paced

4.5

horse_oats's review

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

3.25