A review by jfaberrit
Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett

4.0

Even with the arresting title and the unusual choice of subject matter, this is actually a much more conventional literary novel than one might suspect, but a strongly written one that really does work. It does stand out as the most sensuous novel I've seen in years, one where everything has a small and texture and a feel and sometimes even a taste. It's definitely a Florida novel, populated by Florida Men and Florida Women, but the more lower-cased versions of them in some cases -- florida man and florida woman? I think the balance was actually pretty great: it's funny, but not in the Carl Hiaasen/Tim Dorsey/Dave Barry in your face way; it was a little gross in places, but nothing worse than your typical Hospital-based TV show; it had some pain and grief, but is hardly melodramatic or a tearjerker. Instead, it's a very personal story of a protagonist who is feeling lost and trying to find her way amidst other semi-lost people trying to make their way too, with humor and occasional grace.