A review by alyssareadsindc
Oddbody by Rose Keating

challenging dark tense fast-paced

4.0

*babe wake up a new addition to the weird girl lit canon just dropped*

This is an impressive debut collection: ten strange and unsettling stories mostly centering around body horror. I loved the themes of womanhood/girlhood, shame and discomfort around sexuality and the female body, and manifestation of trauma in the physical body. Many of these stories were truly uncomfortable and disturbing, but thought-provoking. 

ODDBODY: 5 stars
  • I wanted to cry, the metaphor is pretty straightforward but it is done well and feels so personal.
SQUIRM: 4 stars
  • "Would you love me if I was a worm?" This was so gross and completely absurd
MOUTH: 3 stars
  • This wasn't my favorite but I loved some of the descriptions of mundane things like "her painted, pointed nails shine like glossy beetle wings"
BELA LUGOSI ISN'T DEAD: 4 stars
  • This wasn't as "out there" as some of the others in this collection, it felt quite tidy and had an interesting depiction of a predator
PINEAPPLE: 3 stars
  • I liked the overall story, but this was gruesome and truly difficult to read. Themes of cleanliness/sterilization, the beauty of gross and unusual things. 
NEXT TO CLEANLINESS: 4 stars
  • A take on toxic wellness cultural and the endless pursuit of enlightenment/perfection/happiness
NOTES ON PERFORMANCE: 5 stars
  • A subversive and humorous take on final girls and the treatment of women in the entertainment industry. 
EGGSHELLS: 3 stars
  • I thought the concept was interesting but it didn't quite hit for me. 
THE TEST: 3 stars
  • This one was more straightforwardly fantastical than some of the others in this collection, it felt a bit out of place, and I don't think I got it lol
THE VEGETABLE: 5 stars
  • I'm still dissecting this story, it was really memorable and where the cover image is derived from. 

Overall I really loved this collection and look forward to more from this author! Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Shuster for the free eARC! This publishes on July 1. 
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