Odd & Disturbing Reads

Tender is the flesh -Marcos works at a local processing plant where he slaughters humans for meat, a grim profession necessitated by a virus rendering all animal meat poisonous. His personal life is in shambles with his wife having left him and his father succumbing to dementia. Despite the disturbing nature of his work, which became legal during the rapid government-initiated "Transition," Marcos focuses on the technical aspects to cope. However, his outlook begins to shift when he receives a high-quality live specimen and, despite the severe prohibition against personal contact, starts treating her as a human. This burgeoning empathy leads him to grapple with the moral decay of his world and contemplate the remnants of humanity worth saving.

The Wasp factory - Meet Frank Cauldhame. Just sixteen, and unconventional to say the least:

Two years after I killed Blyth I murdered my young brother Paul, for quite different and more fundamental reasons than I'd disposed of Blyth, and then a year after that I did for my young cousin Esmerelda, more or less on a whim. That's my score to date. Three. I haven't killed anybody for years, and don't intend to ever again. It was just a stage I was going through.

Earthlings - As a child, Natsuki feels out of place in her family, where her parents favor her sister, and her best friend is a talking plush hedgehog named Piyyut from the planet Popinpobopia. During a summer vacation in Nagano with her cousin Yuu, Natsuki convinces herself that she must be an alien, which explains her sense of alienation. As an adult living a quiet life with her asexual husband, she remains haunted by her past and ultimately decides to escape society's pressures to uncover the universe's vast mysteries, believing only she can find the answers. "Earthlings," dreamlike and shocking, explores happiness in a restrictive world and solidifies Sayaka Murata as a master of depicting outsider experiences.

I'm thinking of ending things - In "I'm Thinking of Ending Things," the protagonist grapples with a persistent thought of wanting to end things, a notion that refuses to dissipate. Through Jake's observation that thoughts often reveal truth more accurately than actions, the narrator confronts the desire to escape their current existence. Iain Reid's debut novel delves into the complexities of the human mind, probing consciousness, free will, the significance of relationships, fear, and the isolating nature of solitude. Drawing comparisons to works by Jose Saramago, Michel Faber, and Lionel Shriver, Reid crafts a tense, atmospheric thriller that captivates with its psychological depth and delivers a twisty narrative culminating in a breathtaking conclusion.

The salt grows heavy - You may think you know how the fairy tale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes. On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three “saints” who control them. The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruelest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive.

A certain hunger - In "A Certain Hunger," food critic Dorothy Daniels revels in her expertise, possessing a keen palate and intellect that rivals even the chefs she critiques. Alongside her passion for food is an equal enthusiasm for sex, though she struggles to find a partner who matches her intensity. As Dorothy embraces her unique essence, she unveils a chilling aspect of herself, culminating in a shocking act of violence. From her wholesome upbringing to her culinary success and eventual embrace of her darker nature, Dorothy's story serves as a satire of early food culture, a commentary on gender norms, and a testament to virtuosic storytelling. Chelsea G. Summers crafts a compelling narrative, introducing readers to a captivating yet unsettling protagonist and establishing herself as a promising voice in fiction.

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