"Skin Folk" by Nalo Hopkinson (BR)

[Silvana]

Come and join Gabi, Joelle and I for Skin Folk, a short story collection by Nalo Hopkinson.

Scheduled start is on January 6, 2020.

Please use spoiler tags and mention chapter titles and/or page number/percentage when writing your impressions.

[Gabi]

Aw, perfect, Silvana! Thank you! I already forgot about this BR. A perfect way to start the year in combination with the short stories challenge.

[Meagan]

I will be joining! and I also decided to do the short story challenge as well as read more authors of color. So this is perfect!

[Dawn F]

I’m im!

[Anthony]

I loved a lot of these stories and am eager to see others’ impressions.

[Carolyn]

Just checked out the ebook from Hoopla as it sounds fascinating. I look forward to reading others comments!

[Monica]

Anthony wrote: "I loved a lot of these stories and am eager to see others’ impressions."

I read this a couple of years ago and echo Anthony's comments. It was my first Hopkinson and it has me clamoring for more...

[Silvana]

Starting a bit early - I need sometime to immerse myself apparently.

[Joelle.P.S]

I started this last February :-O and read several stories before getting sidetracked by other book deadlines :-(
Last month I used this buddy read (& the read-short-fiction challenge!) to inspire my return to this collection & was totally wowed by several stories, including "Glass Bottle Trick" and "Fisherman" :-D
I finished today & look forward to hearing others' thoughts! :-)

[Silvana]

I read the first story and was confused LOL

(view spoiler)[so the narrator is a wolf or what? The door knock at the end got me thinking (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

I just saw that the price of the ebook is high enough that it warrants the audiobook. So I can start as well.

[Jemppu]

"Fisherman" is one of the stories from this collection I recall having read previously, and have been curious to continue with the rest.

[Gabi]

Silvana wrote: "I read the first story and was confused LOL

[spoilers removed]"

I listened to it two times … I'm not sure (view spoiler)[ It felt like a coming of age story told by the grandmother shortly before her dying … But you're right. The knocking at the door at the end could mean something else but death (that was my first thought) (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Money Thee: (view spoiler)[ Here I liked it that the ending is so open. (hide spoiler)]

Something to Hitch Meat to: (view spoiler)[ Yeah, my fav mystical being (hide spoiler)]

[Silvana]

I love Money Thee but (view spoiler)[the ending surprised me because it was so abrupt and weird. So she was basically hallucinating on the pool, right? (hide spoiler)]

Something to Hitch Meat to was nice.

[Silvana]

Snake (view spoiler)[was creepy! Argh looking from a rapist/pedo POV was not comfy but I LOVE that ending, how the seemingly fragile old people rose up to save the girl. (hide spoiler)]

Under Glass(view spoiler)[very interesting...I was not really feeling the story (the two POVs felt distant) until it was explained but wow, great apocalyptic world building. (hide spoiler)]

The Glass Bottle Trick (view spoiler)[another fantastic entry. If not downright effin scary! Ghost story with women with their wombs open (or anything to do with childbirth/pregnancy) always scares me since I was little since we have a tale like that in Indonesia. Brrr. (hide spoiler)]

[Silvana]

Joelle wrote: "I started this last February :-O and read several stories before getting sidetracked by other book deadlines :-(
Last month I used this buddy read (& the read-short-fiction challenge!) to inspire ..."

I love Glass Bottle Trick too! Can't wait to read Fisherman.

[Carolyn]

I have struggled with this one a bit. My fave stories so far are Snake and Glass Bottle Trick, the ones that come with a trigger warning in many reviews! I also really enjoyed Habit of Waste. Riding the Red and Under Glass just confused me.

[Silvana]

Have you finished, Carolyn?

I have six stories left.

Finished these today:

Slow Cold Chick
(view spoiler)[Liked the concept but it just was okay at the end. I kinda hoped she would be besties with the cockatrice but nope. (hide spoiler)]

Fisherman
(view spoiler)[Nice feel good story. How sweet most of people were. I think there was only one arse, the Lennie dude. My first fisting (that's what it's called, right?) story too haha (hide spoiler)]

Tan-tan and Dry Bone
(view spoiler)[This one is a miss for me. Could not connect. (hide spoiler)]

[Bill]

For Tan-Tan and Dry Bone I think it works much better in the context of the novel. on its own it lost a lot of the impact because you don't know the girls backstory.

[Silvana]

Ah right, I have not read Midnight Robber.

[Anna]

Oh Nalo, why do you do this to me?! Talking about Snake (and Midnight Robber). I read Falling in Love with Hominids last year, and I can't remember it having any stories that made me this anxious.

So far Riding the Red is my fave from this collection.

[Carolyn]

@silvana I still have the last 2 stories to finish, which I will get to tonight. This wasn’t an easy read for me by any means, but I’m glad this buddy read introduced me to her.

[Carolyn]

Fisherman felt like pure erotica to me...enjoyed it but it did seem to be the “fish out of water” in terms of stories in this collection. :)

[Silvana]

Carolyn wrote: "Fisherman felt like pure erotica to me...enjoyed it but it did seem to be the “fish out of water” in terms of stories in this collection. :)"

Yeah it is rather sweet, not scary or making me anxious. But it is a good thing though, if only to balance it all out and give readers another taste. I only read one Hopkinson novel so far, The Salt Roads and Fisherman is probably the closest in tone.

Anna wrote: "Oh Nalo, why do you do this to me?! Talking about Snake (and Midnight Robber). I read Falling in Love with Hominids last year, and I can't remember it having any stories that made m..."

What was your take on Riding the Red? 😆

[Gabi]

Silvana wrote: "Snake [spoilers removed]"

Oh yes! (view spoiler)[ This made me extremely anxious. Each day I'm grateful when my boys made it home from school safely, so "Snake" talked to my wildest fears. I was so relieved when the ending turned out positive. The elderlies were the hit! (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

Silvana wrote: "What was your take on Riding the Red?"

(view spoiler)[ Well, it's the most explicit take on Red Riding Hood I've ever read! I like how you can read it in a more innocent way, too, if you want to, I guess. (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Loved "Under Glass"! Beautiful prose and such an interesting take on (view spoiler)[ the Snow Queen fairy tale (hide spoiler)].

I think I've already read "The Glass Bottle Trick". That's the (view spoiler)[ Blubeard story (hide spoiler)], isn't it?

ETA: "Slow Cold Chick". I had to laugh. This is the result when Nalo Hopkinson tries to restrain? Yeek!

[Silvana]

Hahaha, I love that reaction, Gabi!

And yes is the answer re. Glass Bottle.

I am gonna finish tonight I guess. BRB.

[Silvana]

Finished. I was oscillating between 3 and 4 stars but since my calculations shows 3.5 then I rounded it up.

The rest of the stories that made an impression:

Greedy Choke Puppy
(view spoiler)[holy hell that was another creepy one and I liked it. (hide spoiler)]

A Habit of Waste
(view spoiler)[definitely one of the strongest stories - LOVED it. It was also kind of poignant. Oh we humans who are never satisfied and longing for something else while we already have so much within and around us (hide spoiler)]

Ganger
(view spoiler)[the end when the suit got crazy was scary-gross! I was immediately reminded of that skin tight suit thing in Annihilation movie. Not sure if I like the story. (hide spoiler)]

Precious
(view spoiler)[another great entry. Loved the modern take. (hide spoiler)]

I am so happy I have buddies to read this book. I got it from a bulk buy and almost decided to throw it away.

[Gabi]

Fisherman: (view spoiler)[ Yes, it was sweet. But as a story it was a bit lacking. (hide spoiler)]

Tan-Tan and Dry-Bone: agreed, it worked better in the context of Midnight Robber.

Greedy Choke Puppy: This was cool! (view spoiler)[ I didn't see the twist coming. (hide spoiler)]

[Silvana]

Gabi wrote: "

Greedy Choke Puppy: This was cool! [spoilers removed]"

I guessed it right about (view spoiler)[the granddaughter being the vampire but did not predict the grandma's action at the end (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Silvana wrote: "Gabi wrote: "

Greedy Choke Puppy: This was cool! [spoilers removed]"

I guessed it right about [spoilers removed]"

I totally not (view spoiler)[ got it that it was the granddaughter. This surprise worked perfectly for me. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Silvana]

You know what, I just found out that I enjoyed (view spoiler)[POVs who are supernatural beings (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

A Habit of Waste: LOVED this one! (view spoiler)[ Such a melancholic and hopeful mood (hide spoiler)]

Silvana wrote: "You know what, I just found out that I enjoyed [spoilers removed]"

Me too.
And with Nalo Hopkinson it is the same as with Nnedi Okorafor: their works are not the top of what I love in stories, but I feel so comfortable in their worlds, with their characters and their blunt, human writing.

[Dawn F]

Gabi wrote: "A Habit of Waste: LOVED this one! [spoilers removed]

Silvana wrote: "You know what, I just found out that I enjoyed [spoilers removed]"

Me too.
And with Nalo Hopkinson it is the same as with Nned..."

That's how I feel too. I wasn't particularly keen on these stories, plotwise (especially Fisherman, (view spoiler)[I absolutely don't care to read explicit sex about characters I don't know and feel nothing about (hide spoiler)]), but I love how they both write, the direct, unsentimental style, the inclusion of the supernatural and mythological as something to be accepted and acknowledged. There is no shying away from difficult topics either, and no apology. I love being in their worlds.

[Gabi]

That's a good description, Dawn. Hopkinson takes the people in their wholeness without prudery. For me explicit description of sex belongs to this as well. Sometimes I have to gulp, like in Slow Cold Chick, but even the topics I'm uncomfortable with belong to the whole.

That's why I'm going for 4 stars as well. In matter of pure narration there were only two stories that wowed me ("Under Glass" and "A Habit of Waste"), but the whole concept of fairy tale retelling, mixing of mythology and the mundane and the overarching 'in one's skin' topic made this collection a great round experience.

I'll be reading more of her works (so far I've read "Midnight Robber" and "Brown Girl in the Ring"), cause I feel so comfortable with her writing.

[Silvana]

Gabi wrote: "I'll be reading more of her works (so far I've read "Midnight Robber" and "Brown Girl in the Ring"), cause I feel so comfortable with her writing."

which one did you like better?

[Gabi]

Silvana wrote: "Gabi wrote: "I'll be reading more of her works (so far I've read "Midnight Robber" and "Brown Girl in the Ring"), cause I feel so comfortable with her writing."

which one did you like better?"

Both were good, but I liked "Brown Girl in the Ring" better, cause in "Midnight Robber" there was a topic that makes me extremly uncomfortable, (view spoiler)[ sexual abuse by one's own parent (hide spoiler)].

"Midnight Robber" has more SF elements, whereas "Brown Girl in the Ring" is more of a UF with Caribbean folklore.

[Silvana]

Well, since I am now calling my cat doux doux so I'll go with Brown Girl in the Ring first :D

Thanks, Gabi.

[Anna]

There's a lot of doux-doux darling in Midnight Robber, which in my opinion is the far superior of those two, despite the tough subject. Brown Girl is on the shelf though, if that matters. Robber has a BR.

[Gabi]

doux-doux is so cute, isn't it?

[Anna]

I rated this one 3 stars on GR, although it's a 3.5 really. I think I've rated most of Nalo 4 or 4.5 stars, and since this was my least favorite, I thought I might as well let it show. But I might change it to 4 later, when I forget some of the uncomfortable feels I had while reading some of these.

I agree with everyone, I continue to enjoy her writing, and will definitely keep reading her stories, even though I usually need a hot shower and some brain bleach afterwards.

[Silvana]

Gabi wrote: "doux-doux is so cute, isn't it?"

Oui!

Anna wrote: "There's a lot of doux-doux darling in Midnight Robber, which in my opinion is the far superior of those two, despite the tough subject. Brown Girl is on the shelf though, if that matters. Robber ha..."

Sold, I'll read both, whichever comes my way first...

[Gabi]

Anna wrote: "I agree with everyone, I continue to enjoy her writing, and will definitely keep reading her stories, even though I usually need a hot shower and some brain bleach afterwards. ..."

I feel you! Some authors are hard to read, even though one likes to read them. I mean … I'm a great Octavia Butler fan, but I totally understand that there are folks who want never ever to touch one of her books again.