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A review by damalireads
Out There by Kate Folk
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"The more someone loves you, the more he'll want to meddle with the most vital parts of you, and vice versa. The only way to not hurt someone is not to love him enough, to remain unmoved by the thought of his organs pulsing beneath a thin layer of skin."
Have you ever read a book that unsettled you, but somehow, you still really enjoyed it?
I never really had an answer to this question until reading Out There by Kate Folk. I have always been optimistic in thinking that I enjoy weird and off kilter books, but honestly, I tend to give up on them because they take a step too far into the absurd for me. Out There is truly a collection of bizarre stories, but each one has a familiar/recognizable human element that somehow makes it a touch believable to me.
For example, the title and closing story explores a world where blots – strikingly handsome but socially inept male robots – have flooded the dating app scene to target vulnerable women for identity fraud. In the midst of this absurd concept, there are a lot of familiar realities – the desire for intimacy even in int’s imperfect forms, the predictable/cyclical nature in the early stages of dating, the fear of the unknown ways someone you like could hurt you.
Other stories I liked include: Heart Seeks Brain (a world where attraction is based on internal organs) Shelter (a woman neglected by her boyfriend finds a new obsession), The Bone Ward (follows a collection of patients with a bone melting disease), Dating a Somnambulist (don’t you hate it when your partner sleepwalks and comes back with a box of poisonous jellyfish?), and the Moist House (this is too weird to even describe lol). Most of the stories include some aspects of eerie warmth mixed in with (slightly grotesque) body horror. As a generally squeamish person, this book was uncomfortable at times but not unbearable.
As wild as these stories may be, Folk also uses humor expertly throughout the stories. I could be horrified and laugh out loud all within the same scene. I did sense some emotional distance in some of the characters, but I found the plots compelling enough that this didn’t bother me. Honestly, I think it worked in her advantage here because it opens the door for the reader to examine the character’s motivations themselves.
This is an absolute standout short story collection. I’m really excited to see what weird tales this author comes up with next.
Have you ever read a book that unsettled you, but somehow, you still really enjoyed it?
I never really had an answer to this question until reading Out There by Kate Folk. I have always been optimistic in thinking that I enjoy weird and off kilter books, but honestly, I tend to give up on them because they take a step too far into the absurd for me. Out There is truly a collection of bizarre stories, but each one has a familiar/recognizable human element that somehow makes it a touch believable to me.
For example, the title and closing story explores a world where blots – strikingly handsome but socially inept male robots – have flooded the dating app scene to target vulnerable women for identity fraud. In the midst of this absurd concept, there are a lot of familiar realities – the desire for intimacy even in int’s imperfect forms, the predictable/cyclical nature in the early stages of dating, the fear of the unknown ways someone you like could hurt you.
Other stories I liked include: Heart Seeks Brain (a world where attraction is based on internal organs) Shelter (a woman neglected by her boyfriend finds a new obsession), The Bone Ward (follows a collection of patients with a bone melting disease), Dating a Somnambulist (don’t you hate it when your partner sleepwalks and comes back with a box of poisonous jellyfish?), and the Moist House (this is too weird to even describe lol). Most of the stories include some aspects of eerie warmth mixed in with (slightly grotesque) body horror. As a generally squeamish person, this book was uncomfortable at times but not unbearable.
As wild as these stories may be, Folk also uses humor expertly throughout the stories. I could be horrified and laugh out loud all within the same scene. I did sense some emotional distance in some of the characters, but I found the plots compelling enough that this didn’t bother me. Honestly, I think it worked in her advantage here because it opens the door for the reader to examine the character’s motivations themselves.
This is an absolute standout short story collection. I’m really excited to see what weird tales this author comes up with next.