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A review by netflix_and_lil
Gunflower by Laura Jean McKay
4.0
How do you even rate short story collections??
I was pleasantly surprised by Laura Jean McKay's collection after struggling with her debut (which I would like to revisit after a much more academic friend broke down the thesis behind the book) specifically due to the writing style. In this collection you get to see more variety as the author experiments with different styles, genres and perspectives. Some stories were grounded in reality (Twenty Twenty, Smoko) while some were set in a speculative future (Gunflower, Cats At The Firefront) and some were wildly outlandish and unspeakably bizarre (including Flying Rods, my favourite of the bunch; it reminded me of Our Wives Under the Sea in it's exploration of metamorphosis and body horror, and felt like it went the brutal place I wanted The Animals In That Country to go).
While not every story stuck with me, the ones mentioned above definitely left their mark, especially the titular Gunflower, which reflected on the (abominable) decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in the US with a unique perspective and setting. The audiobook was a great way of experiencing these stories with a solid narrator who understood the assignment with every shift in genre and tone.
I was pleasantly surprised by Laura Jean McKay's collection after struggling with her debut (which I would like to revisit after a much more academic friend broke down the thesis behind the book) specifically due to the writing style. In this collection you get to see more variety as the author experiments with different styles, genres and perspectives. Some stories were grounded in reality (Twenty Twenty, Smoko) while some were set in a speculative future (Gunflower, Cats At The Firefront) and some were wildly outlandish and unspeakably bizarre (including Flying Rods, my favourite of the bunch; it reminded me of Our Wives Under the Sea in it's exploration of metamorphosis and body horror, and felt like it went the brutal place I wanted The Animals In That Country to go).
While not every story stuck with me, the ones mentioned above definitely left their mark, especially the titular Gunflower, which reflected on the (abominable) decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in the US with a unique perspective and setting. The audiobook was a great way of experiencing these stories with a solid narrator who understood the assignment with every shift in genre and tone.