Every Drop Is a Man's Nightmare

i tend to want to look up every word i don't recognize when reading, a holdover of terrible academic study habits, so i deliberately relaxed my eyes and let the stories wash over me and i think it worked out.

this collection was... interesting. the melding of folklore, cautionary tales, and body horror in the opening pages made me think i was in for a spooky ride, which isn't generally my thing, but fear and terror simmered much more gently than maybe i wanted in the end? also hell, reading about nonstop vaginal bleeding while on my period was hilarious timing.

i want to say something real smart about sexuality throughout being stripped of any and all e(x/r)oticism and fleshy bellies and compulsory motherhood and insincere narrators and girls with their hands in their underwear (“groping around like a physician giving a pelvic exam,” 53) but i'm too dumb for that so all goodreads gets from me is word salad. you're welcome.