Title: Cat Person and Other Stories
Author: Kristen Roupenian
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Format: Digital ARC provided through NetGalley
Synopsis:
A compulsively readable collection of short stories that explore the complex–and often darkly funny–connections between gender, sex, and power across genres.
“Cat Person” and Other Stories brilliantly explores the ways in which women are horrifying as much as it captures the horrors that are done to them. Among its pages are a couple who becomes obsessed with their friend hearing them have sex, then seeing them have sex…until they can’t have sex without him; a ten-year-old whose birthday party takes a sinister turn when she wishes for “something mean”; a woman who finds a book of spells half hidden at the library and summons her heart’s desire: a nameless, naked man; and a self-proclaimed “biter” who dreams of sneaking up behind and sinking her teeth into a green-eyed, long-haired, pink-cheeked coworker.
Spanning a range of genres and topics–from the mundane to the murderous and supernatural–these are stories about sex and punishment, guilt and anger, the pleasure and terror of inflicting and experiencing pain. These stories fascinate and repel, revolt and arouse, scare and delight in equal measure. And, as a collection, they point a finger at you, daring you to feel uncomfortable–or worse, understood–as if to say, “You want this, right? You know you want this.”
Where to Buy:
Barnes and Noble | Powell’s Books| Third Place Books
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review: Utterly enthralling, compulsive, can’t put down collection.
This short story collection was impossible to put down and is perfect for readers who loved Her Body and Other Parties.
In this collection Roupenian explores the darker, inner dialogues we all have with ourselves, whether we want to admit to them or not. Exploring relationships between families, friends, lovers, strangers, Roupenian shows her readers that they are not alone in their darkest thoughts or imagined scenarios. Not every story will resinate with every reader, but this collection has something for everyone within its pages.
Risky, deeply imaginative and thought provoking, Cat Person will stick with you long after you finish the last page.
Note: This collection of stories has been perviously published as You Know You Want This. This new edition under the new title contains an additional story,
Just a short review today. I often have difficulty writing reviews for short story collections so the reviews tend to be shorter.
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