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renreads2much's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listened to my partner read this book out loud to me :) It was really nice. The book was interesting with their characters and writing style, it’s cool to talk about as well. Possibly a cool book club book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
scholarschism's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Bleak. Weirdly sexual throughout, like way more than I would have guessed. Complex representations of queer attraction but few people are actually gay? Some moments of interesting prose, but it was ultimately a chore to finish. I don’t think I will find myself looking back on these stories much, but maybe they’ll take on more interest in hindsight? I wonder if I just don’t “get it”… there were moments of resonance, but it overall felt mostly flat, to me
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Animal death, and Pedophilia
calybe's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Normally I love short stories, but these were too off-putting and seemed sexually explicit without any reason (in a really tryhard way). Not my kind of weird. I feel like the stories were written as if there is supposed to be some deeper meaning, but lacks the ability to do so. Personally, I did not enjoy it, but it might be for someone elses taste.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
maekay's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.25
Short story collections tend to have a few great stories, a few bad ones, and a lot of meh ones. This collection has two good ones and the rest was a flaming pile of uncomfortable sh*t. The few gems in this collection can't save it from the blatant attempt at provocation/edgy-ness that relies on borderline incest, ephebophilia, exclusively abusive queer relationships, and Asian racism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Stalking, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Animal death
marrrk's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Incest
sofilduarte's review
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
Minor: Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
cheye13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I didn't enjoy these at all. I liked the penultimate story "Birthmark" best, and yet it was still a 2-3 star. The longer stories seemed to drone and the short ones ended too abruptly, as if the stories should trade structures.
The writing itself is decent, but I couldn't get beyond the content. Nearly every story involved some kind of sexual taboo, ranging from infidelity to incest. The topics alone don't necessarily ruin stories for me, but the taboos seemed to be more for shock than function. This collection likely went over my head. With focus, I can maybe see where this may function as a catharsis for sexual traumas (perhaps the normalized portrayal of traumatic experiences makes one feel less alone?), but it didn't hit that button for me.
Before reading, I specifically researched content warnings and found none, which is probably why this was a let down. I feel I may have been able to "get" the stories a little more had I been prepared for the challenging content. As far as synopses go, theres quite a gulf between "old man is socially awkward" and "old man is only sexually interested in teenagers."
The writing itself is decent, but I couldn't get beyond the content. Nearly every story involved some kind of sexual taboo, ranging from infidelity to incest. The topics alone don't necessarily ruin stories for me, but the taboos seemed to be more for shock than function. This collection likely went over my head. With focus, I can maybe see where this may function as a catharsis for sexual traumas (perhaps the normalized portrayal of traumatic experiences makes one feel less alone?), but it didn't hit that button for me.
Before reading, I specifically researched content warnings and found none, which is probably why this was a let down. I feel I may have been able to "get" the stories a little more had I been prepared for the challenging content. As far as synopses go, theres quite a gulf between "old man is socially awkward" and "old man is only sexually interested in teenagers."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
There's a lot of nuance with taboo topics in this collection, so labeling sensitive content gets a little tricky, and so does sorting them into intensity levels. And while these challenging topics aren't portrayed in a positive manor, they're not strictly "challenged" either. A general note – if you find certain content triggering or troubling but you're determined to read this anthology, proceed with caution.
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