Scan barcode
A review by ps_stillreading
Welcome to Your Body: Lessons in Evisceration by Ryan Marie Ketterer
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
I recently discovered that I enjoy reading body horror. Something about the genre scratches a specific itch in my brain in the best way possible. So when a friend recommended "Welcome to Your Body" I decided to read it right away. I felt squeemish, I gagged, I screamed (internally). "Eugh! Brother, eugh!!" audio on repeat. I was making all sorts of weird faces. I wanted to throw my phone across the room, but I also couldn't stop reading. I wanted to read body horror, and this book gave me such a delicious selection of short stories. Yes, I said delicious. No regrets. Cravings satisfied.
Welcome to Your Body: Lessons in Evisceration is a collection of 17 short stories divided into four sections: The Head, The Limbs, The Middle, and The Rest. With each story featuring a different part of the body, you really begin to see how the human body is both beautiful and horrific. Yes, there is gore, mutilation, body modification, sickness, and violence. That's a given. But what I found most compelling is how these fictional horrors are paired with horrors that a lot of us are familiar with in our daily lives. A horrible boss. Job insecurity. Changing yourself to fit someone else's romantic standards. Bitchy fake friends. Your medical concerns not being taken seriously because you're a woman. Mom-guilt. A man wanting to control your uterus. A mediocre man copying and profiting off of your ideas. The skillful weaving of all these themes and ideas made me so emotionally invested while reading. This book was a wild and intense ride, and I loved every second of it.
My favorites:
ππ»ββοΈ A Relationship in Four Haircuts - I'd rather be alone than sink that low for a man.
π―οΈAn Unspeakable Burden - Loved the gothic vibes.
π«’ Early Adopter - Oh gahd, I felt this in my stomach
π Deeper - Oh gahd, I felt this in my stomach pt.2
πͺ Wandering but Not Lost - This made me so angry!!! Very satisfying ending π€π½
ππΌ Vincent is a Poseur Asshole - The absolute best way to close a short story collection. Absurd and a little funny, with a splash of body parts.
Thank you Book Sirens and Salt Heart Press for the free ARC β¨
Welcome to Your Body: Lessons in Evisceration is a collection of 17 short stories divided into four sections: The Head, The Limbs, The Middle, and The Rest. With each story featuring a different part of the body, you really begin to see how the human body is both beautiful and horrific. Yes, there is gore, mutilation, body modification, sickness, and violence. That's a given. But what I found most compelling is how these fictional horrors are paired with horrors that a lot of us are familiar with in our daily lives. A horrible boss. Job insecurity. Changing yourself to fit someone else's romantic standards. Bitchy fake friends. Your medical concerns not being taken seriously because you're a woman. Mom-guilt. A man wanting to control your uterus. A mediocre man copying and profiting off of your ideas. The skillful weaving of all these themes and ideas made me so emotionally invested while reading. This book was a wild and intense ride, and I loved every second of it.
My favorites:
ππ»ββοΈ A Relationship in Four Haircuts - I'd rather be alone than sink that low for a man.
π―οΈAn Unspeakable Burden - Loved the gothic vibes.
π«’ Early Adopter - Oh gahd, I felt this in my stomach
π Deeper - Oh gahd, I felt this in my stomach pt.2
πͺ Wandering but Not Lost - This made me so angry!!! Very satisfying ending π€π½
ππΌ Vincent is a Poseur Asshole - The absolute best way to close a short story collection. Absurd and a little funny, with a splash of body parts.
Thank you Book Sirens and Salt Heart Press for the free ARC β¨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail