Mouthful of Birds: Stories

The stories are all quite short. Most of them read like receiving a deep cut from a very sharp knife: You know something's gone badly wrong but you don't start to really feel it till the end of the story.

I enjoy horror fiction , and love Stephen King...so it's not that I don't like this stuff. I expected more, I guess. These short stories are odd, misdirected (like "mouthful of birds".) With No real explanation- just slices of lives that are grotesque. A teen girl eats birds: no rhyme or reason.... her parents are revolted, the girl just sits there in her school uniform (?), eats raw birds...then Dad goes and procures her one (to prove he loves her?). It’s as if a part of a better, longer story was ripped out. something is missing.Deserted brides sit by the roadside in "nowhere"...they are abandoned by their husbands (why???) by the hundreds. No real resolution- they are still there.Just annoying. I kept looking for the "good" one...gave up.

I really liked the use of different narrators. The stories are really entertaining!

Such a pleasure to read

The stories in the book are eerie and disturbing, but they are not by any means a page turner. It’s the kind of stories that you just want to get it to the end so it can be done and over with, not the kind that you want to get to the end to find out what will happen. The element of excitement is just not there, which I think is a crucial ingredient for books that belong to the horror/ thriller genre.

A few good stories but don't expect to be scared, shocked or amazed. A long way from Kafka or Poe.

Couldn’t put this book down. Adding it to the top of my recommendation list. Eerie, chilling, heartbreaking, thought-provoking. A must read.

these stories gave me exquisite chills all the way through till the end

An accomplished set of quirky stories but nevertheless feeling like creative writing exercises. And the one about bullying a dwarf isn't much of a read. After all the hype, this was a bit of a disappointment. And formulaic despite the inventive subject matter.

I loved the author's novel 'Fever Dream' and really looked forward to reading more by this author. She did not disappoint with this dark, original and challenging collection of short stories! Fascinating.

instantly creates incredible visual narratives in your head - this was recommended in an interview and it doesn't disappoint.

Strange but compulsive read. Was intrigued by each story and it’s hidden messages, although at times found them frustrating.

If you don't love this, there is something wrong with you.