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A review by leeglenwright
Cows by Matthew Stokoe
2.0
Reading this novel wasn't a pleasure, it was an experience.
I had heard so much about Cows, the controversial debut novel from Matthew Stokoe, that I figured I had two options: avoid it like the plague, or challenge myself. Despite not being that much of an expert on so-called 'extreme horror,' I decided on the latter.
There is satire within the pages, along with - dare I say it - allegory. But that allegory is buried pretty damn deep, almost hidden away in a morass of squalor, degradation and violence. The aforementioned satire is pitch black, and literally smothered in blood, viscera, shit, and all manner of vileness. To use the word 'violent' would be a gross understatement. In my own writing, I tend to focus on squalor and degradation, this however, is a whole other level. Believe everything you might have heard (or should that be herd?). At times, my fevered imagination likened Cows to a deranged version of Animal Farm, if it was rewritten by Terry Gilliam and John Waters, whilst tripping on LSD. It is not for the faint hearted.
I had heard so much about Cows, the controversial debut novel from Matthew Stokoe, that I figured I had two options: avoid it like the plague, or challenge myself. Despite not being that much of an expert on so-called 'extreme horror,' I decided on the latter.
There is satire within the pages, along with - dare I say it - allegory. But that allegory is buried pretty damn deep, almost hidden away in a morass of squalor, degradation and violence. The aforementioned satire is pitch black, and literally smothered in blood, viscera, shit, and all manner of vileness. To use the word 'violent' would be a gross understatement. In my own writing, I tend to focus on squalor and degradation, this however, is a whole other level. Believe everything you might have heard (or should that be herd?). At times, my fevered imagination likened Cows to a deranged version of Animal Farm, if it was rewritten by Terry Gilliam and John Waters, whilst tripping on LSD. It is not for the faint hearted.