rmnedder's reviews
88 reviews

Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I can absolutely see why Notes of a Crocodile is a queer cult classic. It's deeply introspective, cutting and emotional and surprisingly funny at times. Miaojin's prose is so interesting in its construction, though I do feel like the translation made things feel a bit clunkier than they were intended to be. All of her characters feel so real; they remind me of the real, strange, traumatized queer kids I knew (and was) in college. The crocodile metaphor is also such a striking through-line in the story. 
There were moments where I felt a little confused--I was unsure what exactly was happening, or who was speaking, or when we were--but I didn't hate it; this book has nailed the disorientation that comes with self-discovery and interrogating your own queerness, so I was okay with being confused a bit.

This book was bittersweet from cover to cover. It left me feeling like a raw nerve. 
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Tenderloin by Joy Sorman

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dark reflective 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

3.75

Tenderloin is a fever-dream. The prose is fast and fractured, a somewhat disjointed stream-of-thought that I really enjoyed. There's something interesting about the narrative style; it feels almost like an urban legend, which parallels the interludes nicely. I did feel some distance from the main character, but I do think it's a side-effect of the narrative style. There are some lovely secondary themes in this book - questions about the ethics of butchery and meat consumptions, the relationship between sex and meat, butchery and desire - that I feel are unfortunately underutilized. If they had been worked in more cohesively with the central story, I think it would have made the novella on a whole far more compelling, and particularly strengthened the ending. 
Tenderloin is a strange, strange book that, even if slightly undercooked, was still definitely worth the read. Pun intended.
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Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda

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challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of the most disturbing, beautifully written books I've ever read. The prose is profound and profane and evocative in all its weirdness, the characters are complex and deeply appalling (which makes them all the more likable), and the narrative mosaic of times and formats and styles creates a patchwork quilt that keeps the dread and tension simmering the whole way through. It's a brilliantly perverse meditation on change and adolescence and desire, and I Will be thinking about it for ages to come. Definitely read the content warnings on this one. 
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Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

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I'm actually really enjoying this so far, but I've been SO busy that it's gotten away from me. I will be returning to her at a later date once I've got more free time. 
Of Cattle and Men by Ana Paula Maia

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dark reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What a deeply disturbing little book! Despite its short length, Of Cattle and Men is incredibly atmospheric, full of beautifully done prose (which is a stark and welcome contrast to the casual brutality everywhere). The slow crawl of dread towards the inevitable end is masterfully done. There are some questions I wanted answers to that went unanswered, but I'm not necessarily upset about that! 

Come for the abattoir animal horror, stay for the insightful reflections on humanity, morality, and death.  As always, read the content warnings.
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Fear and His Servant by Mirjana Novaković, Terence McEneny

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dark funny tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was not expecting a book about vampires and 18th century aristocrats to be this funny! Fear and His Servant is equal parts ominous and funny, an atmospheric story with all sorts of intrigue. The narrative voice(s) are clear and incredibly witty, and the horror aspect (along with the accompanying character lore) is such an interesting and refreshing take on vampires. I will admit, I found the story confusing at times; it was hard to tell who was talking at tines, or how we got where we were, but it was never so bad that I couldn't get back on track.

Fear and His Servant is definitely a worthy addition to the gothic vampire canon. 
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

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dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

God, what a devastating, beautiful, tragic read. The prose is gorgeous; Maggie O'Farrell paints such vivid, specific pictures. The past and present are interwoven with such care and craft, tipping back and forth between a younger Agnes and her present self. 

I don't really have a lot of words for this one. It's such a striking portrayal of grief, of love and devotion and the absence that is formed from loss. It's just hit me in such a way. 
The Hunger by Alma Katsu

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challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I love the Donner Party incident, and I love a good historical horror, so I had high hopes for this book. And unfortunately, I was let down. I will admit, the horror element of this book is intriguing, if a bit under-developed, and the inclusion of so many key players in the actual Donner Party was refreshing. However, there were so many things happening - so many secrets and so much interpersonal conflict - that the melodrama of it all actually eclipsed the horror. The plot crawls forward; any tension built up for the horror is immediately dissipated by the many strangely-placed interludes and frequent perspective changes. It's a little jarring and more than a little disjointed. 

It's a fine enough choice if you want a spooky Donner Party fiction novel (copious historical inaccuracies aside), but if you're looking for something true to history, or something genuinely thrilling, I'd skip this one. 
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Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I have mixed feelings about this one. Conceptually, this book is fantastic - the folklore is woven into the story so well, the atmosphere is well-crafted, and the ending is strong. Cassandra Khaw’s weird, elegiac prose is actually beautiful; her descriptions are so specific, but they feel very tonally at odds with the stakes of the story - lots of description at moments it’s not necessarily warranted. I feel like we were always kept at arms length from everyone except the narrator (which makes sense, all things considered, but it stripped us of chances to find connection). 

This book is a great quick-and-dirty horror story - conceptually great, even if it left something to be desired in its execution.
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The Finite Canvas by Lee Mandelo

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dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What a brutal, beautiful work. Despite its brevity, The Finite Canvas is full of brilliant world building, with such a haunting atmosphere. The way the layers peeled back to reveal more and more at play was fantastic. 

I will be thinking about this one for a while to come. 
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