Scan barcode
A review by meganzc
Man V. Nature by Diane Cook
4.0
Original, fun, horrifying, put-you-in-your-place, fascinating.
5 stars to four stories: The Way the End of Days Should Be, Somebody's Baby, MAN V. NATURE, and The Mast Year. 3-4 stars to the rest.
I think this collection is more about "man v. his own nature" than "man v. nature as in Mother Nature." I love the way that Cook's absurd universes explore some of the uglier parts of that nature.
"The Way the End of Days Should Be" features a man almost entirely unwilling to help anyone in spite of his abundance, while "The Mast Year" features a woman who is generous to a fault. The two stories together made me reflect on social expectations for and perceptions of giving.
"MAN V. NATURE" focuses on a man who is annoying in small ways and infuriating in large ways, and yet I found myself rooting for him and against his far more likable, more reasonable friends.
"Somebody's Baby" imagines a world in which it is considered odd to try to prevent your children from being snatched (and in which there is a constant threat of it). The woman who rebels against these societal expectations discovers that she was probably wrong to fight it. Society's arbitrary rules are ultimately self-justifying.
5 stars to four stories: The Way the End of Days Should Be, Somebody's Baby, MAN V. NATURE, and The Mast Year. 3-4 stars to the rest.
I think this collection is more about "man v. his own nature" than "man v. nature as in Mother Nature." I love the way that Cook's absurd universes explore some of the uglier parts of that nature.
"The Way the End of Days Should Be" features a man almost entirely unwilling to help anyone in spite of his abundance, while "The Mast Year" features a woman who is generous to a fault. The two stories together made me reflect on social expectations for and perceptions of giving.
"MAN V. NATURE" focuses on a man who is annoying in small ways and infuriating in large ways, and yet I found myself rooting for him and against his far more likable, more reasonable friends.
"Somebody's Baby" imagines a world in which it is considered odd to try to prevent your children from being snatched (and in which there is a constant threat of it). The woman who rebels against these societal expectations discovers that she was probably wrong to fight it. Society's arbitrary rules are ultimately self-justifying.