Mostly Dead Things
Mostly Dead Things – Kristen Arnett
As a literary term, “Black Humor” makes me think of Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida, whether that play is black humor? The play was performed and published before the term came into existence, so I’m not sure. But it fits, in my mind.
The book’s title alone would indicate that there is a chance of the really darkly comic material herein.
“They were both women who’d break your heart and smile afterward.” Page 51.
One word: Southern.
Or, to some? “My people.”
Although not too heavy-handed, the symbolism of taxidermy and stuffing a dead animal, then mounting it, runs concurrent with grief.
Interesting premise.
This is one of those eloquently evocative tales, a fine piece of literature knitted together with prose and depth of description that paints an image of the rural South, that bit of real estate that’s not “The South,” but more more souther: Florida. The tale is eerily reminiscent of the greats, and bears consideration.
Mostly Dead Things – Kristen Arnett