A review by motherhorror
This House of Wounds by Georgina Bruce

4.0

One of my favorite things about some authors is when they have a very distinct affinity for certain "theme words". As I read Georgina Bruce's luxurious prose, I was taking copious notes for this review.
Some theme words that stand out to me: Blood, Mirrors, Shadows.
Lots of imagery about the female body, slits, slips, openings, velvet...
Themes of Alice in Wonderland, self-discovery, womanhood, reflection...
Dreaming.
Escapism.
Losing one's identity.
Finding yourself.
Objectification and oppression.
Also, plenty of genres here to appeal to a variety of particular readers:
Lyrical prose-almost poetic
Dystopian
Horror
Feminism
Dark Fantasy
Sci-Fi
My favorite stories were: The Lady of Situations which had a very WESTWORLD vibe to me.
Red Queening and White Rabbit
Cat World was devastatingly beautiful and haunting. I shall never forget it.
The book of Dreems & The Shadow Men took some time for me to find my bearings but as soon as I felt like I understood, I really enjoyed them.
There were some stories that I never really could find my footing in while I was reading them. I stumbled through the rich descriptions and language trying to make sense of what I was reading but I never arrived. A few I skipped after reading a few pages. (I'm not smart enough! Waaaah)
Anyhow,
I love Georgina's voice and I hope to read a novel from her soon. I recommend this collection to readers who enjoy strong, feminine themes, richly lyrical prose and a variety of stories.
Potential triggers for sexual abuse.