by Becky Rocksteady

Released by Trepidation Publishing

This book doesn't just dance with uneasiness, it lets it move in and sleep in the guest room.

Uneasiness - There is a quote at the front of the book. The short version of that quote is "My mission in life is to make everybody as uneasy as possible." Edward Gorey. In a word that is the simplest definition of this book.

This collection rips your heart out through a mix of realistic and more abstract stories about postpartum depression, body image themes, ancient sexual sacrifice, and various forms of trauma. That's ok though, because it rips its own heart out as well and exchanges it for yours. You get to live. The book sets your blood back to pumping but you are left forever carrying a piece of it with you.

Max Booth called it "Anxiety personified". Chad Lutzke says, "The taboo subjects people don't write about? They’re in here."

What got me throughout my read through, was that even if a story was abstract and I wasn't sure where Betty was taking me, I was rapt. I am supposed to come up with better descriptions, but I kept thinking over and over, "This is damn good writing", "This is damn good writing".

20 stories across 188 pages are going to leave you shook, rubbing at that little bump on your leg, checking the corner for the first signs of an insect infestation and second guessing that cat you brought home from the pound a week ago. Uneasy.

I will briefly touch every story in my video review, but my top 4 were
#4 The Backwards Path To Limbus - A mother who has lost her son joins a book club.
#3 Larva, Pupa, Moth - Keep rubbing that bump on your leg, does it tingle? Pins and needles?
#2 These Beautiful Bones - A woman moving away from her ex, out on her own, finds one hell of secret in the basement of her new pad.
#1 Postpartum - an uncomfortable subject for sure, A young mother seeks to lessen the depression through taxidermy. There is SO much more to this (all of them) - I am being vague on purpose.

You will want more Rocksteady. I guarantee that. 

4 Stars

Purchase on Amazon

Review by Well Read Beard
Twitter: @WellReadBeard

I purchased this book.