Review by libraryoflanelle - Of The Flesh

A review by libraryoflanelle
Of The Flesh by Susan Barker, Adorah Nworah, Irenosen Okojie, Mariana Enríquez, Emilia Hart, Bridget Collins, Lucy Rose, Lionel Shriver, Robert Lautner, Michel Faber, Evie Wyld, JK Chukwu, James Smythe, Lewis Hancox, Lavie Tidhar, Francine Toon, Louisa Young, Ainslie Hogarth

3.0

This anthology was quite a mixed bag, to the extent that several stories felt out of place. I enjoyed a few stories significantly more than others and intentionally skipped a few. When I requested this ARC, I recognised a few of the authors' names and was intrigued by the overall premise of the anthology. However, I have since learned that Lionel Shriver and Lavie Tidhar are authors whose views and actions do not align with mine, and therefore, I prefer not to consume or promote their work.

As mentioned, many of the stories were enjoyable enough but ultimately forgettable, and not compelling enough to make me want to dive into the authors’ other works.

Three stories, however, stood out significantly and have made me eager to explore these authors' backlists. These were: Adorah Nworah’s ‘The Smiling African Uncle’, Irenosen Okojie’s ‘Rosheen’ and Lucy Rose’s ‘Carcinisation’. For these three stories alone, I’m glad I persisted with the collection rather than DNFing early on. I’m excited to explore more of their writing.

A number of stories in this collection should come with a long list of trigger warnings. I would recommend avoiding this anthology if body horror, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, and the death of a loved one are triggering for you. While overarching trigger warnings are included in my StoryGraph review, there are a few I'd like to highlight here.

The third story ‘The Fruiting Body’ by y Bridget Collins’, although well-written ond a good horror story overall, contained some very jarring intimate partner violence, which is a recurring theme throughout the piece. Michel Faber’s ‘The Broccoli Eel’ was easily one of my least favourites. It is filled with child abuse, gaslighting, and intimate partner violence. The entire story revolves around a traumatic lie told to a young child, and I would not recommend it to anyone.

Overall, I’m grateful to have read this anthology, if only because I discovered three new-to-me authors whose work I’m excited to explore further.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

Content Warnings