During a classic late-night spiral down an internet hole, I happened upon the trailer for the not-yet-released movie based on this book. The trailer appeared to follow the same depressing arc we accept in film as As Good As It Gets For Us, but the book was available at my local library, and the carefully-skimmed-to-avoid-spoilersRead More
Ren reviews Alice Isn’t Dead by Joseph Fink
This novel was a delight. I’m a big fan of Welcome to Night Vale, and so I was over the moon to discover that creator Joseph Fink had written a book about a trucker in search of her missing-presumed-dead wife. I expected dark wit. I expected oddities galore. I expected to laugh. And while I did experienceRead More
Ren reviews Great by Sara Benincasa
TW: Suicide Every summer, Naomi Rye leaves her home in Chicago to spend her holidays with her mother in East Hampton; a condition of her parents’ messy divorce. Her ambitious mother Anne built a multi-million-dollar cupcake empire from nothing, and now Anne climbs the ranks of the social elite with the same drive. Anne alsoRead More
Ren reviews We Were Witches by Ariel Gore
TW: self harm, violence against women, sexual assault ‘Beautiful’ does not even begin to encompass the captive, rhythmic style Ariel Gore possesses. I found it difficult to read quickly despite it being a relatively short work; every few pages there would be a line simple in structure but devastating in truth. I would be leftRead More
Ren reviews Caged by Destiny Hawkins
TW: PTSD, mental abuse, physical abuse, domestic abuse, gun violence, and mentions of sexual assault. At the beginning of the story, main character Rose is eight years old and recently abducted. Our antagonist Arnold runs a child fighting ring, and Rose makes him money. The details involving the collapse of the fighting racket, the rescueRead More