josephx23 's review for:

Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

5.0

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I just finished this and wow. What a storyteller. I found this in the Horror section of my local used bookstore. The stories did have some shocking moments, but this doesn’t really fit in the genre. I’m not sure why it was shelved there, but I don’t know that I would have read it otherwise. Many of the stories are told from the perspective of a millennial professional, which I connected with easily. Because of this rapport, I heard from perspectives different from my own - narrators who are women, narrators who are the children of immigrants from China. There were moments that subverted the conventions of realism, but never so much that I had to uncomfortably suspend disbelief. As someone who struggles with magical realism, that made for a satisfying read. I’m definitely going to check out Severance and keep an eye out for anything new from her.