Review of 'Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories. Unexpected, eerie, with the ring of truth to them.
Paperback, 220 pages
English language
Published Jan. 31, 2022 by Tin House Books.
In the twelve unforgettable tales of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, the strange is made familiar and the familiar strange, such that a girl growing wings on her legs feels like an ordinary rite of passage, while a bug-infested house becomes an impossible, Kafkaesque nightmare. Each story builds a new world all its own: a group of children steal a haunted doll; a runaway bride encounters a sea monster; a vendor sells toy boxes that seemingly control the passage of time; an insomniac is seduced by the Sandman. These visions of modern life wrestle with themes of death and technological consequence, guilt and sexuality, and unmask the contradictions that exist within all of us.
Mesmerizing, electric, and wholly original, Kim Fu’s Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century blurs the boundaries of the real and fantastic, offering intricate and surprising insights into human nature.
Thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories. Unexpected, eerie, with the ring of truth to them.
I almost gave this an extra star just for the "Tine Cubes" story - a very clever exploration of aging - but most of the rest of the collection felt familiar and tropey. I will be recommending the first two stories, but the collection over all wasnt as interesting as Ii was hoping for after the first two.