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A review by kyrad4983
Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Minor: Vomit
As many other reviews have mentioned - this book is not for the faint of heart. I felt nauseated, dreadful, disgusted - while the taxidermy scenes were difficult to stomach at times it was the raw chicken cooking scenes that broke me. I wanted to scream “WASH YOUR FUCKING HANDS OH MY GOD” Babes - everyone in this narrative is getting salmonella.
The text oozes with grime, artfully mirroring the nasty coils of grief entangling this family. However, in the book’s attempts to raise the stakes on the gross, it runs out of steam handling the implications of said actions. Jessa brings up the point that murdering animals is anti-social behavior and neither she nor the narrative returns to this again. The resolution sees Bastien outsourcing his “dirty deeds” but not stopping them, or contending with what that predilection might mean
It was hard to root for the characters but perhaps that says more about me than the writing itself. This is not a light read - by the time things were tied up, I had recoiled too many times to feel truly satisfied by the ending.
I did appreciate the eviscerating self-reflection peppered throughout - Jessa processing the weight of her father’s death, her mom’s dildo and latex fettered grief process and the magnitude of distance created by avoidance.
I would’ve loved to relish in the queerness of this book and it’s meandering path to a happy ending but I really just needed a shower.