Paperback, 304 pages
Published Jan. 11, 2022 by Penguin Books.
Sometimes funny, sometimes reflective, and a very feminist short story collection. My favorites are: "Shit That Cassandra Saw That She Didn't Tell The Trojans Because At That Point Fuck Them Anyway" "A Few Normal Things That Happen A Lot" "Jerry's Crab Shack" "Here Preached His Last" and "We Handle It."
It took me a minute to decide how to rate this one. I really enjoyed a few of the stories. At first I was worried that “Shit Cassandra Saw” and “A Few Normal Things that Happen a Lot” (the latter involving a pandemic of women turning into cockroach hybrids, terrorizing men) were a bit aggressively feminist in a way that would turn off a lot of people. Now that I’ve read more of the collection, I think they serve as a good first shock and ease you into some of the more grounded stories that still explore how women navigate contemporary life: where we are still and probably always will be potential victims, but are capable and mostly fearless despite knowing that. “Friday Night”, “Here Preached His Last”, and “Scene in a Public Park at Dawn” were refreshing depictions of women occupying roles men have always taken by default but …
It took me a minute to decide how to rate this one. I really enjoyed a few of the stories. At first I was worried that “Shit Cassandra Saw” and “A Few Normal Things that Happen a Lot” (the latter involving a pandemic of women turning into cockroach hybrids, terrorizing men) were a bit aggressively feminist in a way that would turn off a lot of people. Now that I’ve read more of the collection, I think they serve as a good first shock and ease you into some of the more grounded stories that still explore how women navigate contemporary life: where we are still and probably always will be potential victims, but are capable and mostly fearless despite knowing that. “Friday Night”, “Here Preached His Last”, and “Scene in a Public Park at Dawn” were refreshing depictions of women occupying roles men have always taken by default but are now claiming for themselves, and changing the shape of them in doing so. “Jerry’s Crab Shack” and “An Apology of Sorts to June” explore the same from an (imagined) male perspective. My favorites were “Midwestern Girl is Tired of Appearing in Your Short Stories” and “Marcy Breaks Up With Herself”, as they have the women a stronger sense of vulnerability and culpability, but still gave them room to be themselves, however flawed they may be. That’s probably the strength of this collection. These women aren’t heroes or villains, they’re both at the same time, and it’s nice to see them being given the chance to just exist, because it means all of us can too. Fans of Broad City and The Refrigerator Monologues Catherynne M. Valente will find a lot to like here.
