A review by sshabein
In the House Upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods by Matt Bell

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

2.0

Though this is excellently written, I don't think this was for me. I was curious enough to see how it all ended, but it is not my preferred flavor of strange. The animal and body imagery are quite gross (your mileage may vary), and it all revolves around "man's pain damages woman from the point-of-view of the man." Even with the surreal way the story leads to the ending, that's a topic I find myself less interested in. I do respect the ambition and innovation happening within the writing, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed myself.
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