Adrián Astur Álvarez reviewed Red Ants by Thomas Bunstead
Review of 'Red Ants' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Extremely well produced book here. I'm impressed with the attention to detail from Deep Vellum Publishing. The book of short stories isn't too shabby, either. This is the first translated literary work originally written in the Sierra Zapotec language and the stories are absolutely haunting. Magical realism dialed up to 11, and the effect is beautiful and dream-like. Unfortunately, the stories are also very easy to forget. Like, total memory wipe as soon as you finish the last page. I think that has to do with the way a reader experiences them and I'm still wrestling with whether that is a bad thing or not because certainly while reading I felt a sense of urgency and exhilaration. Your experience may be different but I do recommend you find out!