Synopsis:
A woman desperate to achieve the life she’s always dreamed of orders an AI baby online. Mounting workplace misogyny helps an introvert unlock her innate power. A woman obsessed with skincare goes to great lengths to rid her face of imperfections. A frat boy looking to score gets much more than he bargained for when a sexy coed turns the tables on him. Seeking relief from the pressures of everyday life, a woman checks into a hotel that caters to her dark predilections.
Equal parts heartbreaking and grotesque, How Lovely To Be a Woman: Stories and Poems explores the everyday horrors of womanhood and delights in the monstrous ways women adapt, evolve, fight back, and survive.
Edition:
Signed paperback direct purchased from the author
My Thoughts:
Tiffany Michelle Brown is an incredibly friendly person. Over the years I have interacted with her a fair amount via Twitter (I’m not there anymore, but I still follow her on Instagram). I preface with this because it makes the contents of this collection even more wonderful. It proves this theory I have that no matter how kind, how supportive, how lovely, there is not a femme person on this planet who feels all the way good about the way the world treats them. And I am here for everyone who wants to explore that.
I have read some of Tiffany’s work in anthologies previously – Nightmare Sky (which I plan to review sometime in the near future), and Slashertorte. I have always enjoyed what I read. But there is something about reading piece after piece written by her that made me truly appreciate just how talented a writer she truly is. There is not a single weak piece to be had here. Every single story, every poem, they’re all absolute bangers.
I have chosen a few particular favorites to highlight:
- The Price of Motherhood – A woman who struggles with infertility decides to “adopt” an AI baby, but soon realizes the price of motherhood might be more than she can pay. This story is absolutely gut-wrenching. It really taps into the woman+children value equation, but also the lengths people will go to for validation and acceptance. It’s just a really poignant story.
- Something Black – Algorithms, birdies, and the reality of being a woman who knows some shit in the workplace. You know, how nobody wants to hear your idea unless it’s parroted through the mouth of your male colleague? Yeah, that.
- The Girl Who Lost Herself – A girl who can turn into whatever others want from her finds out the cost of doing so. I’m sure you can imagine what the cost is. It’s a little creepy, and incredibly sad.
- Heartless – A poem about how much we socialize girls/women to change themselves to accommodate the needs and wants of boys/men, and the toll that takes.
- Murder Memory – Remember that woman who checks into the hotel from the synopsis? Yeah, this is that one. And it is transcendent.
Rating:
Is this book going to be for everybody? No. You probably won’t like it if you’re a certain type of weirdo (“Go woke, go broke” ringing any bells for ya?). But if you aren’t totally delulu, and you recognize that women are not exactly treated with the same level of care and respect that men are – this is the collection for you.
How Lovely to be a Woman By Tiffany Michelle Brown Self Published Published: May 1, 2023 ISBN: 9798218193799 Paperback, E-book
