Ratings5
Average rating4.2
I didn't know it was possible to love EVERY story in a short story collection but I really, really did. Honestly, it shouldn't be a surprise that Nino Cipri is the one who finally accomplished it for me, since I've also loved their novellas.
Mostly sci-fi, some horror but also love and hope. Final story in particular is heart-warming and hilarious. (It might be my own grad school experience that biases me towards it.)
Part of what makes me love their writing so much is the completely natural inclusion of gender expression/exploration in various narratives; then there is the almost casual magical realism/sci-fi/creature elements sprinkled among the day-to-day lives of the characters.
The variety of story telling styles/formats at play here makes it even more fun to read as a collection.
The stories' dealing with themes of gender and queerness (as well as characters of colour) realistically, sadly, include characters encountering hate and prejudice, but there's something so gentle and proud in the characters facing such, this clearly conveyed message that having difficulty with the truth of one's identity is something the other person will have to work through and maybe one day they'll be forgiven for having the wrong/oppressive/offensive mindset/attitude.
⚠️ Transphobia, homophobia, racism