Kristina's Reviews > Mouth: Stories

Mouth is a collection of eleven weird and sometimes wonderful short stories. Many of them involve interactions between humans and animals and otherworldly occurrences. A young woman finds herself enamored by a fellow figure skater, who may or may not be human. Another goes to a party and meets a man with yellow hair who sees emerging holes in the world that already have taken his girlfriend. A physical and metaphorical autopsy of a previous girlfriend and their relationship are detailed. While short story collections are a mixed bag, this was rather strong, and a few stories in particular stood out. In Leaving Things, a woman is living in a town where most of the population, including her boyfriend have fled as wolves have taken over. On her way home, she encounters an interesting creature and brings it home to unexpected results. In Supergiant, we meet a popstar after her last performance. Why can she not touch anyone except her assistant? The world that Ghosh builds in Persimmons is fascinating and I wish it could have been expanded out further. For fans of weird and interesting short stories, I would recommend this collection.

Thank you to Astra House via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.