Scan barcode
lanais's review against another edition
5.0
Full Review at World Literature Today:
https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/blog/book-reviews/tara-isabel-zambranos-destination-desire-lily-blackburn
https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/blog/book-reviews/tara-isabel-zambranos-destination-desire-lily-blackburn
bookishends's review against another edition
5.0
Zambrano is a phenomenal storyteller. I was hooked by the first story alone as her writing is provocative and thought provoking. So many times I would sit there after finishing one like "wow what did I just read?" The desire theme was very strong in this collection and the sexual element of many of the stories really brought them to another level and made me think deeper about what Zambrano was trying to say. The death theme came in many forms such as parent loss, a miscarriage, and death of dreams. My favorite story is probably "Poison Damsels in Rajaji’s Harem, 1673" because of the way Zambrano effortlessly conveyed the feelings of loneliness and want in the characters. Overall, I am stunned and amazed by what I read, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read this collection.
*Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC. All opinions are my own*
*Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC. All opinions are my own*
literaryelephant's review against another edition
4.0
This slim set of flash fiction (short short stories ranging from 2-9 pages, in this case) manages to check both boxes I look for in short story collections- it is packed with bizarre details that effectively further a point about the human experience, and each of the stories stand alone well, though the style and themes are consistent throughout the book, linking them all loosely together. Thus, it was easy to put the book down at any point my schedule required, and feel quickly re-immersed upon returning.
The stories here tend toward the sapphic, though there are a fair amount of hetero exceptions. Zambrano doesn't shy away from sexual descriptions in the relationships that unfold across these pages, which I liked in principle but occasionally found overbearing in practice. The characters are diverse or unspecified, which gives the set a very inclusive and limitless aura. As the title indicates, most of the stories focus on death or desire in some form; there are many losses and longings in these pages, endings and false starts. Many also include some sort of otherworldly element, infusing the work with a hallucinatory quality. For example: A widow believes her husband, upon death, has become one with their house. A poisonous courtesan who can kill with a kiss but not feel love becomes entangled with a girl even more deadly than she. A woman who goes for a bikini wax would rather forget about her husband and enjoy the touch of the esthetician. One girl removes the heart from her chest in order to get to know it properly.
What I liked most about these stories is that each one digs into a particular emotion that is easy to comprehend and relate to, never mind the fact that the characters include aliens, snakes, ghosts, and more. Zambrano writes evocatively about the nuances of the human heart, with an exciting otherworldly slant to it all. Her writing is full of unusual imagery, especially involving the body and weather/atmosphere, and her metaphors are always thought-provoking even if sometimes challenging to decipher. Though some descriptions contain impossibilities, they paint clear and intriguing ideas, each one a rabbit hole thought experiment the reader can't resist falling into:
"The shining dust from the rubble streams in and mixes with your breath. Like a fish swimming to the surface for oxygen, you open your mouth wide, eat the day slowly."
All of these stories are separate and complete in themselves, though none of them seem mutually exclusive, and small details (like a particular animal or object or personality) popping up casually later on gives the whole collection a beautiful sort of flow. I'd call these stories speculative overall, though there's a timelessness to them that makes appearances of modern devices (like iPhones) and futuristic scenarios (like weddings on the moon being commonplace) feel shocking in the reminder that these narratives are grounded in real possibilities- in essence, if not in details.
I think there will be a particular sort of reader best suited to this collection; so much of it is melancholy and possibly triggering (CW: miscarriage, death of a loved one, cheating, mild body horror), the writing is gorgeous but oblique, and the reader needs a certain willingness to accept things that don't make literal sense. It's dreamy and wondrous, but also relentlessly strange. I know this won't be to every reader's taste, but for the right reader I think there's a lot to love in this collection and in Zambrano's style.
"Abandoned, I hold on to the shape her body has left behind in me, part home, part grave."
So much about this collection was just perfectly tailored to my short story tastes, and I had a delightfully sad and angsty time reading it. Though there are too many stories for me to say I'll remember them all individually, I can already tell that the broader topics and emotions will stick with me for a long time.
I received an eARC; it's possible that quotes and details could be different in the final version of this book.
The stories here tend toward the sapphic, though there are a fair amount of hetero exceptions. Zambrano doesn't shy away from sexual descriptions in the relationships that unfold across these pages, which I liked in principle but occasionally found overbearing in practice. The characters are diverse or unspecified, which gives the set a very inclusive and limitless aura. As the title indicates, most of the stories focus on death or desire in some form; there are many losses and longings in these pages, endings and false starts. Many also include some sort of otherworldly element, infusing the work with a hallucinatory quality. For example: A widow believes her husband, upon death, has become one with their house. A poisonous courtesan who can kill with a kiss but not feel love becomes entangled with a girl even more deadly than she. A woman who goes for a bikini wax would rather forget about her husband and enjoy the touch of the esthetician. One girl removes the heart from her chest in order to get to know it properly.
What I liked most about these stories is that each one digs into a particular emotion that is easy to comprehend and relate to, never mind the fact that the characters include aliens, snakes, ghosts, and more. Zambrano writes evocatively about the nuances of the human heart, with an exciting otherworldly slant to it all. Her writing is full of unusual imagery, especially involving the body and weather/atmosphere, and her metaphors are always thought-provoking even if sometimes challenging to decipher. Though some descriptions contain impossibilities, they paint clear and intriguing ideas, each one a rabbit hole thought experiment the reader can't resist falling into:
"The shining dust from the rubble streams in and mixes with your breath. Like a fish swimming to the surface for oxygen, you open your mouth wide, eat the day slowly."
All of these stories are separate and complete in themselves, though none of them seem mutually exclusive, and small details (like a particular animal or object or personality) popping up casually later on gives the whole collection a beautiful sort of flow. I'd call these stories speculative overall, though there's a timelessness to them that makes appearances of modern devices (like iPhones) and futuristic scenarios (like weddings on the moon being commonplace) feel shocking in the reminder that these narratives are grounded in real possibilities- in essence, if not in details.
I think there will be a particular sort of reader best suited to this collection; so much of it is melancholy and possibly triggering (CW: miscarriage, death of a loved one, cheating, mild body horror), the writing is gorgeous but oblique, and the reader needs a certain willingness to accept things that don't make literal sense. It's dreamy and wondrous, but also relentlessly strange. I know this won't be to every reader's taste, but for the right reader I think there's a lot to love in this collection and in Zambrano's style.
"Abandoned, I hold on to the shape her body has left behind in me, part home, part grave."
So much about this collection was just perfectly tailored to my short story tastes, and I had a delightfully sad and angsty time reading it. Though there are too many stories for me to say I'll remember them all individually, I can already tell that the broader topics and emotions will stick with me for a long time.
I received an eARC; it's possible that quotes and details could be different in the final version of this book.
tnbbc's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
More...