A review by mayonessa
Cows by Matthew Stokoe

dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The other goodreads reviewer was right when they said this book is about a man who hates his mom and shits, farts, pisses, and cums at the same time. That review made me laugh harder than any amount of poorly attempted humor that this story had.

The thing that took me out between Stokoe's boring attempts to be as shocking as possible were the great small glimpses of prose that he springs on you after using the word cunt or glit for the umpteenth time. Under the hand of a better writer, this could have been a better book, one that could have been a great exploration of toxic masculinity and the other supposed themes the book was trying to get at. Instead we get scenes so outrageously surreal and trying too hard to be gross that the book's potential is wasted in its lack of substance.

I feel like this sets the precedent of books in the extreme horror genre forgetting that they are actually supposed to be telling a story rather than authors just compiling multiple scenes that are attempting to be as gross and shocking as possible to trick readers into thinking they have actually created something that is even worth reading.