Tannery Bay

by Steven Dunn, Katie Jean Shinkle

Enter a world where time stands still and summer never ends. In the enchanted town of Tannery Bay, it’s July 37, and then July 2 again, but the year is a mystery. Trapped in an eternal loop, the residents embark on an extraordinary journey of self-discovery, unity, and defiance against the forces that seek to divide them.

Otis and Joy, intrepid siblings, work with their family and friends to oppose a formidable The Owners. These cunning and ruthless old men, driven by insatiable greed, hold the town hostage, exploiting its resources and dividing its people.

In this powerful #OwnVoices narrative, Tannery Bay is a captivating tale of Black Joy and Queer Joy and the ways in which family is both biological and chosen, where love transcends boundaries, and where art is a vehicle for change.
 

Genres: Fiction, Queer, Magical Realism, LGBT, Novels

216 pages, Paperback

Published February 15, 2024

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’ll warm the cockles of your heart

Once upon a time two novelists put their heads together and decided to write a book. One is a Black man, the other a lesbian woman (I know, that’s overkill, I shoulda edited out woman but inspired by their book imma write however I feel like even if it involves repetition and what my youngest baby child might call appropriation).
Anyway, you all should read this here book. It’s poetic. It’s funny. It’s rich in sensual detail and language. You care for the characters. You find yourself drawn into a crazy-ass new world that makes perfect nonsense in a sensible way….
Full discloser: one of these writers helped me learn to write. The other writer helped him learn how to. And what’s your art, reader? What’re you gonna start doing—or keep doing—that’s beautiful and weird and lovely and caring and gives you life and helps you find yourself again every time you do it? That’s not only your art, it is—or is meant to be—your gift to the world. And if we weren’t all so caught up in the machine-like humdrummery of a capitalist world where our money is being sucked away by a few billionaire-ass crooks and shit, there’d be more justice in the world. Not to mention more fun.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Authors,

Your book made me smile, many times. Your book made me laugh, over and over. Your book made me feel normal, as any queer man can.

Thank you for writing such a beautifully poetic, magical tale about a town on a purple bay, with pink fog, ghosts, laughter, love, community, and hope.

Yours truly,
J. D. McCoughtry

A big thank you to NetGalley and University of Alabama Press for allowing me to read such a wonderful book.

[abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

gonna be generous with my rating because the world needs more black queer stories

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tannery Bay feels like a dream, a fable for our time with its characters doing their best in a pink-sky, polluted world run by caricatures of power. But as our many heroes begin drawing tighter together to form connections, and accepting more people, even the Woman in Waders, they find a way for art to encircle them all and weave a spell with the power to free them. Ludicrous in the best way, funny and haunting, welcome to Tannery Bay.

[eiei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tannery Bay invites readers into an enchanting world where time loops like a stubborn cassette tape. In this mysterious town, it’s July 37, then suddenly July 2 again, but the year remains elusive. The prose hums with immediacy and timelessness, unraveling secrets that cling to the air like summer heat. Characters—rich, lovable, and haunting—navigate a landscape shaped by place and memory. Yet, despite its brilliance, the novel occasionally stumbles in pacing, preventing a perfect 5-star rating.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful little ghost story that emphasizes #queerjoy , #blackjoy , #enviornmentalactivism , #anticapitalism , and #artasresistance while harnessing elements of humor and magical realism. Dunn and Shinkle use a unique collaborative writing process utilizing #ownvoices to enrich this tale that offers hope and connection in the bleakest of circumstances.

[Sydney Curran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was able to read this via an ARC on NetGalley!

What a beautifully haunting story that painted so many incredible and frightening pictures with a great cast of characters. You can feel the synergy between the two authors and their source material so much in each sentence that my eyes were glued to my Kindle for the whole read.

[Andrew Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic magical realism! This book is full of wonder: a man’s gregarious laugh echoes for miles, a woman’s art comes alive and inspires people to resist the oppressive forces of oligarchy in the small community of Tannery Bay. The characters are wonderfully drawn and we come to care about them as if they’re oir neighbors or family. You won’t want to put it down.

[Andrew Neely · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a magical-realist Ocean’s 11 about environmental racism.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art. 🧑‍🍳💋

[Alex Niederberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ghost story primary focused on Black and queer joy? Hell yeah.

[William Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely little mystery ghost story featuring exquisite characters! During such trying times, books featuring black and queer love and joy are needed and have always been needed.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very strange book! Get the actual book. There are a few newspaper graphics that I couldn’t read on my Kindle and I feel like I may have missed some important info.

[Zach · Rating 2 out of 5]

An earnest, well-meaning attempt at experimental fiction that didn't work for me. Despite being in agreement with most of what it is saying, I couldn't actually connect with it much at any place.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cool book! Tannery Bay read like a Coen brothers movie with its cinematic magical realness. It’s also always a big bonus when a story includes so much casual black queerness. It doesn’t always have to be a major plot point or the crux of the books conflict and this book really showcased that.

Thank you to Fiction Collective 2 for proving this ARC via NetGalley

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Tannery Bay" offers a surreal reading experience that combines magical realism and elements of speculative fiction within a Black and queer community.

It took me some time to get into the writing style, which had a distinctive style different from my usual reads. However, while the writing challenged me at times, it also strangely added to the feeling of this town where nothing really makes sense: pink fog, ghosts, July on repeat. It's funny, haunting, and highlights the importance of collaboration and community.

While there were some parts that did not quite work for me, the concept and the synergy between the two authors tipped the scale, making it overall an enjoyable experience.

Tannery Bay is a book that must be experienced to be fully understood.

Thank you to Fiction Collective 2 for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[So (Much) for Media · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Tannery Bay, every day is July, and it's been that way for years. Once a nice place to live, as soon as it was taken over by rich white men, things started to change, and not for the better. This is a story about black queer people, and the family (both found and biological) that loves them taking their city back and changing things for the better.

Although I didn't love the writing, I found the story so charming that I was able to overlook what I didn't like about it. There's a very strong atmospheric element to this book that is both dark, and whimsical. I found myself hooked by this story in the same way a mystery would, except I wanted to know that the characters were able to find their way out of their situation.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a little light in a dark time.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the earc of this book.

[Tal]

DNF at 40%

The premise of this book sounds so interesting, but either I'm completely missing out on undertones it might have, or the storytelling style of having many small moments and a very slow main plot is just not for me.

But I would tell anyone who's intrigued by the synopsis to give it a try.

[Lauren Samblanet · Rating 4 out of 5]

tannery bay reminded me that hope is found in imagination, art, community and collaboration. this book is a fun read but goes beyond fun to deeper truths about how we can come together to escape oppressive conditions.

[Lucy Loudon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the experimental, magical setting and community but the pacing threw me off a little.