Rating: 
Summary: A Mixed Bag of Animal Crackers
Review: This book is fairly typical of most debut collections - a couple of stories that really shine, a couple that go "clunk" from the beginning, and a couple that keep you reading, but by the next day you have a hard time remembering them. The title story is one of the real keepers of the year so far, and gives me hope that Ms. Tinti will produce something special in the future. The other good pieces, notably "Bloodworks" and the one about the rabbit (can't remember the title) have the same eerie capability to expose violence hidden (most of the time) just under the skin in a way that seems uncomfortably familiar.
This effect is obvious not easy to create, and when it doesn't work, such as in "Gallus Gallus" or "Preservation", the story often seems forced and heavyhanded. All in all, it's worth exploring, if only for the title story.
Rating:
Summary: A Mixed Bag of Animal Crackers
Review: This book is fairly typical of most debut collections - a couple of stories that really shine, a couple that go "clunk" from the beginning, and a couple that keep you reading, but by the next day you have a hard time remembering them. The title story is one of the real keepers of the year so far, and gives me hope that Ms. Tinti will produce something special in the future. The other good pieces, notably "Bloodworks" and the one about the rabbit (can't remember the title) have the same eerie capability to expose violence hidden (most of the time) just under the skin in a way that seems uncomfortably familiar.
This effect is obvious not easy to create, and when it doesn't work, such as in "Gallus Gallus" or "Preservation", the story often seems forced and heavyhanded. All in all, it's worth exploring, if only for the title story.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant Short Stories That Entertain and Scare You
Review: Tinti uses animals in a clever way to reveal something fundamentally human about all of the characters that inhabit the magical and beautiful stories in her collection. The stories evoke an emotional response deeply disturbing because they arise from events created by well developed characters that have a piece of us in them. My recommendation is to read the stories and then hold up a mirror -- Tinti will grab you in her web of literary precision.
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