Mostly Dead Things

Captures the mundane insanity of family life, and does so with unique voice and brilliant pacing. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Morbid, sad, ugly, vile and disturbing, the novel nevertheless contains passages that are evocative, compassionate and powerfully rendered, especially when Arnett shows her protagonist Jessa in one-to-one encounters with her father, her mother, her brother, her nephew and her niece. In fact, it is in these quieter segments that the novel soars and is significant. If you can get past the ugliness and the pain and the terrible sadness that radiates from all the taxidermied animals, you might discover something poignant about family relationships that knocks at the heart. Arnett's diction, imagery and descriptive writing are oddly interesting. Ultimately, I came away with the feeling that I had read an important novel.

Mostly Dead Things is a story about a woman who's dealing with the aftermath of her father's suicide. She takes over his taxidermy business in lieu of his death as he entrusted in her to take care of the family after he was gone. The story centers around a love triangle, loss (of life and love), and troubled family dynamics.This is one of those books that I wanted to like more than I did. I follow Arnett on Twitter and have read some of her articles so I enjoy her writing style, however, this book just didn't do it for me. She writes well. I enjoy her voice and tone. However, the plot just wasn't there for me. I actually prefer character driven narratives as opposed to plot driven ones, but this book felt relatively pointless. We see the protagonist struggling with holding her family together, dealing with her failed romances, and coming to terms with her father's suicide, but not a lot happens. Every other chapter is a flashback which I don't mind, but not a lot was revealed through them other than what her relationship was like with the woman she loved. Perhaps if over time we were revealing the relationship itself it might have been different, but we learn very early on about the relationship and the strangeness of it. Everything after is just giving us a sense of what it was like between them which frankly was a lot less interesting than the salaciousness of the love triangle. I didn't really feel like the character changed at all other than maybe understanding her mom better. Perhaps she wasn't interesting enough for me to care that much.One thing that I appreciate about this book is that the protagonist is unapologetically queer. Her sexuality isn't a plot point, it simply is who she is. That's refreshing, of course not surprising for Arnett who frequently writes and tweets about her sexuality.Overall this book just wasn't for me I guess. There's something I really liked about it. It's very honest and "real" despite its oddities, but it didn't do enough to hold my interest or make me ponder anything more than what it is. I would definitely read other books by Arnett as I think she's a good writer and an interesting, funny person, but this one was a bit of a miss for me.

wow, what a find. thank you to Tin House for being such a reputable publisher; i know that pretty much anything i pick up with their name on it is going to be great, and Mostly Dead Things is quite truly fantastic. i wouldn't hesitate to say that it's easily one of the best books i've read in years.a deeply strange slice of life novel set in the almost otherworldy state of Florida, Mostly Dead Things centers on Jessa, a third-generation taxidermist determined to keep the family business afloat after the sudden suicide of her father. Jessa herself and the supporting characters refuse to be painted with a broad brush of any kind; i found myself transfixed as each one formed on the page and then evolved before my very eyes, dashing my initial assessments as i read on. Arnett weaves a very tight narrative: each chapter feels almost self-contained in a way, pushing toward a larger plot and character arc. each sentence so beautifully constructed, not a single word is wasted, and the pacing is pitch perfect. the use of metaphor is breathtaking in some places; i found myself putting the book down on multiple occasions to really think about the way she utilizes language to convey certain emotions and tone. Arnett is a true master of her craft. as an aspiring writer myself, this novel has informed so much of what i want to convey to readers of my own work. i can't wait to read more of her work.while a majority of the novel is quite intense and at times depressing--right out the gate the book tackles suicide, grief, poverty, family dysfunction, and yes, very graphic details of the grizzly art of taxidermy--what really sealed my love for this book is how Arnett balances that depressing content with what i consider to be a very hopeful, fitting ending. Arnett seems unafraid of letting her heroine triumph in the end, a result of tangible growth that is earned. in my academic career, i've found that many literary novels opt to take a pessimistic route with their narratives; while i intellectually understand the intent of many of these texts for doing so, i personally find nihilistic philosophy tired and exhausting to read. so, without spoiling the end, i will say that i was pleasantly surprised with how Arnett wraps up the final few chapters, and how she positions Jessa in the last few paragraphs. to me, it is beautiful and resonant, and Jessa's strength shines radiantly as the strong queer woman protagonist i've until now only dreamed of reading about.

I was surprised when I got to the core of the story about her family , especially her father. Her relationship with him determined her life and much of her story. Arnett was honest and she shared parts of this life of a family that might seem shocking, but interesting and certainly entertaining, which help to keep the reader involved, anxious to see what comes next. Best part for me was Arnett's characterization of each individual. They felt like people I have knownIn my own life at some time in the 50's. You won't be sorry for reading this one.

Just couldn't get into it. Situations and characters unfortunately just didn't grab my atention

A great read!! Weird, wonderful and touching. Would highly recommend

A weird and wonderful journey through the life of a taxidermist in Florida and the many complications of her life. Very interesting story.

Initially I didn't think I you take to this book, it's description is wonderful and vivid.. Even in relation to taxidermy. However it is very beautifully written and well worth your time

Not the most comfortable read due to the graphic nature of the material, however it is truly unique.The most of the characters are creatively flawed in different ways. The bizarre relationships, with each other, death, sex & taxidermy fashion a black comedy that made me cringe & laugh out loud.