For most of the book I found this family and its dynamics distressing and uncomfortable. That is a compliment to the writing, in that it so deftly evokes place and characters, but it was challenging. That said, I prefer that to the resolution. There's a turn in family dramas, generally, a moment where things hit a breaking point for the protagonist and they have to have a real conversation / make amends / find a new path. That turn didn't really work for me narratively, it didn't have the depth and the uncomfortable realness of the beginning. That doesn't even mean it's not true and real, just that I didn't feel it. Then again maybe I'd already disconnected from this boundary-less mess. Overall I think a talented writer, and a place and people I'll remember for quite a while. ( )

DNF. Picked up on the recommendation of it being “weird and quirky” had no plot and kept going anyway. With no warning before beginning that there would be animal violence got to the middle where they decided to just start murdering animals just cause… ( )

3.5, really. I'm not sure how to feel about this book, which I wanted to love more than I actually loved. A lot of great things in this book, but something is a little off, so the story beats didn't hit me as deeply as they should. ( )

I don't think I've enjoyed a novel about the trials and tribulations of a disastrous family this much since Douglas Coupland's [b:All Families are Psychotic|3379|All Families are Psychotic|Douglas Coupland|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405992884l/3379._SY75_.jpg|91467]. Kristen Arnett's writing is visceral, down to the most minute detail, characters are so acutely drawn you feel connected to them. ( )

I enjoyed this so much. Made me think so much.

To start this off I want to say this book has a LOT of content warnings, including: minor pedophilia, sexual abuse, coercion, and morally ambiguous relationships.

The main character, Jessa, is so rigid, so broken, that she is reminiscent of the animals that she taxidermies. I loved her - she is so relatable, and once she finally comes into her own, she tries so hard to mend what's broken, even when she doesn't know what she's doing - that she doesn't understand the things that make other happy. It's not a coming of age story, but more of a "coming into one's own" story and I am a huge sucker for it.

The descriptions are so raw, sometimes bordering vulgar, but it's all appropriate, so vivid, so true to life that you can easily see yourself as Jessa, sitting in the Florida sun, thinking about the disgusting parts of life. And the prose flows wonderfully, makes everyone feel as if they're holding their breaths, waiting for the next moment they can come up for air. Love it. ( )