October was a busier month for me, so was only able to read a few books, unfortunately. But here they are, and what I thought of them.
Michael Cisco — Animal Money
Animal Money is about four economist who introduce a new currency (animal money) to replace the world’s currency. Then, strange, surreal, mind-melting madness ensues.
It seems Animal Money, while a masterpiece of Weird/bizzaro fiction and a well-crafted and fluently written story, is a book that’s for you or not for you.
Unfortunately, I’m in the latter group.
Kathe Koja — The Cipher
The Cipher is about a man and a woman who found a hole (the “Funhole”) in the storage room in the man’s apartment complex. The woman soon becomes obsessed about its sounds, smells, its strangeness; and the man wants the woman, so he dejectedly follows her… Until a physical altercation happens and his hand falls into the Funhole.
A classic of weird fiction, The Cipher was on my to-buy list for quite a while. Thankfully (bless Meerkat Press) it was re-printed, and I quickly bought it. I enjoyed the book, though the prose took a few pages to get use to but once you catch Koja’s literary stride, you’re sucked into the story as though its your own Funhole.
Oddly, one thing I liked about the book is that no one is the really the good guy, no one is really likable, either. Almost all the characters are fucked up in a fucked up situation unable to stop themselves from continuously fucking up by remaining within the orbit of the Funhole and the protagonist.
Overall, I’m glad I was able to purchase this and finally read it.
Megan Miranda — The Perfect Stranger
The Perfect Stranger is a thriller about two roommates who leave New York City and rent a home in a small town in western Pennsylvania. Soon, a woman’s found nearly dead by the lake near their home, and the drama she left behind in New York comes rushing back.
The book is fast-paced, and Miranda’s prose is straight forward, cutting out the filler. It’s likened to Gone Girl, but The Perfect Stranger seems to lack “the bite” Gone Girl has.
I did enjoy the book, but it left me wanting a bit more from the story.
Micah Castle 