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lori85 's review for:
Black Mouth
by Ronald Malfi
I've read other Malfi before, so I know muted, melancholy slow burn is his thing, but there was no tradeoff here. Just an abrupt fall into some kind of fantasy mess that didn't match the rest of the story at all.
Also, there was way too much emphasis placed on the physical bodies of disabled characters, to an extent that felt othering without any sort of point about othering being made. (I'm referring to the MC's first-person narration, not the POV and dialogue of various antagonists, in which case it's inevitable.) Do we need to constantly be reminded of how big and lumbering Dennis is? Or that Clay has vitiligo and sure is funny-looking? Not sure one of the villains needed to have a grotesque birth defect either.
Also, there was way too much emphasis placed on the physical bodies of disabled characters, to an extent that felt othering without any sort of point about othering being made. (I'm referring to the MC's first-person narration, not the POV and dialogue of various antagonists, in which case it's inevitable.) Do we need to constantly be reminded of how big and lumbering Dennis is? Or that Clay has vitiligo and sure is funny-looking? Not sure one of the villains needed to have a grotesque birth defect either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Murder