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Caution: Contains Small Parts
Caution: Contains Small Parts is an intimate, unsettling collection from award-winning author Kirstyn McDermott.
A creepy wooden dog that refuses to play dead.
A gifted crisis counsellor and the mysterious, melancholy girl she cannot seem to reach.
A once-successful fantasy author whose life has become a horror story - now with added unicorns.
An isolated woman whose obsession with sex dolls takes a harrowing, unexpected turn.
Four stories that will haunt you long after their final pages are turned.
‘Kirstyn McDermott’s prose is darkly magical, insidious and insistent. Once her words get under your skin, they are there to stay.’ - Angela Slatter, British Fantasy Award-winning author of Sourdough and Other Stories
Table of Contents
Introduction
What Amanda Wants
Horn
Caution: Contains Small Parts
The Home for Broken Dolls
What Are the Twelve Planets?
The Twelve Planets are twelve boutique collections by some of Australia’s finest short story writers. Varied across genre and style, each collection offers four short stories and a unique glimpse into worlds fashioned by some of our favourite storytellers. Each author has taken the brief of four stories and up to 40 000 words in their own direction. Some are quartet suites of linked stories. Others are tasters of the range and style of the writer. Each release will bring something unexpected to readers.
Nightsiders by Sue Isle
Love and Romanpunk by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Thief of Lives by Lucy Sussex
Bad Power by Deborah Biancotti
Showtime by Narrelle M Harris
Through Splintered Walls by Kaaron Warren
Cracklescape by Margo Lanagan
Asymmetry by Thoraiya Dyer
Caution: Contains Small Parts by Kirstyn McDermott
Secret Lives by Rosaleen Love
The Female Factory by Lisa L. Hannett and Angela Slatter
Cherry Crow Children by Deborah Kalin
A creepy wooden dog that refuses to play dead.
A gifted crisis counsellor and the mysterious, melancholy girl she cannot seem to reach.
A once-successful fantasy author whose life has become a horror story - now with added unicorns.
An isolated woman whose obsession with sex dolls takes a harrowing, unexpected turn.
Four stories that will haunt you long after their final pages are turned.
‘Kirstyn McDermott’s prose is darkly magical, insidious and insistent. Once her words get under your skin, they are there to stay.’ - Angela Slatter, British Fantasy Award-winning author of Sourdough and Other Stories
Table of Contents
Introduction
What Amanda Wants
Horn
Caution: Contains Small Parts
The Home for Broken Dolls
What Are the Twelve Planets?
The Twelve Planets are twelve boutique collections by some of Australia’s finest short story writers. Varied across genre and style, each collection offers four short stories and a unique glimpse into worlds fashioned by some of our favourite storytellers. Each author has taken the brief of four stories and up to 40 000 words in their own direction. Some are quartet suites of linked stories. Others are tasters of the range and style of the writer. Each release will bring something unexpected to readers.
Nightsiders by Sue Isle
Love and Romanpunk by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Thief of Lives by Lucy Sussex
Bad Power by Deborah Biancotti
Showtime by Narrelle M Harris
Through Splintered Walls by Kaaron Warren
Cracklescape by Margo Lanagan
Asymmetry by Thoraiya Dyer
Caution: Contains Small Parts by Kirstyn McDermott
Secret Lives by Rosaleen Love
The Female Factory by Lisa L. Hannett and Angela Slatter
Cherry Crow Children by Deborah Kalin
173 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
443 people want to read
About the author
Kirstyn McDermott
50 books93 followersKirstyn McDermott is an Australian author of two award-winning novels, Madigan Mine and Perfections, as well as a collection of short fiction, Caution: Contains Small Parts. Until recently, she produced and co-hosted a literary discussion podcast, The Writer and the Critic, and is currently undertaking a creative PhD at Federation University with a research focus on retold fairy tales.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 25, 2013
Just because my wife wrote it, doesn't mean these stories don't kick arse. Very proud of this collection.
October 16, 2013
Caution: Contains Small Parts is one of the series of Twelve Planets, collections of short fiction by female writers produced by Twelfth Planet Press.
I'd like to take a moment here to congratulate Twelfth Planet (helmed by Alisa Krasnostein) for the consistently high quality of the books they publish, in particular the Twelve Planets published to date. Not only are the books themselves slick productions (I am, in particular, looking forward to having a complete collection of the Twelve Planets on my shelf), but the quality of the writing is absolutely superb. Krasnostein and the crew behind Twelfth Planet have an amazingly astute eye for fiction and are seriously producing some of the best quality stuff in Australia (and in the world) at the moment.
That said, I am going to make absolutely no bones about the fact that Kirstyn McDermott is one of my favourite authors (and just a damn nice person, too, but that's tangential to this review). McDermott is usually classed as a horror writer, which I think makes some people hesitate to read her work (and all power to those who choose not to read horror as a genre, but I do think they miss out on some stellar and insightful work). There are absolutely horror elements in McDermott's work, but I never feel like they are the central axis of said work. McDermott writes characters who live and breathe, who experience pain, who are human, even if they are, technically, inhuman. Her prose is invariably gorgeous, too, making every sentence an absolute pleasure to read.
All of the stories in this collection highlight these elements of McDermott's work admirably. The opening story, and perhaps the most outstanding in the collection, is What Amanda Wants. I don't want to spoil any of this story for anyone who's planning on reading the collection. Suffice to say that I think McDermott taps into some of the darkest corners of the human psyche in this powerful story. It is one that deserves to be included in Year's Best anthologies and shortlisted for awards, and I am going to mighty cranky if it isn't recognised.
Horn, a take on both the unicorn mythos and the life of a writer, follows. There is something jarring about this story - in a good way, I have to hasten to add. Reality and fantasy flow together until it's hard to tell what's real and what isn't. Which is probably a really good way to describe the mental space one has to get into to write.
The titular Caution: Contains Small Parts is the third story in the collection. Beautifully creepy, it is an example of just how well McDermott uses small details in her stories to create something truly unsettling.
The final piece in the collection is a novella, The Home for Broken Dolls. McDermott makes mention in the acknowledgments about the research she had to do for this piece (without spoiling: the story involves sex dolls) and I kind of dread to think what she read! The protagonist of this piece, Jane, is a wonderful character, and her "broken dolls" are hauntingly memorable. Another example where reality and fantasy blur together and create something unsettling, but insightful into the human condition.
I also need to make note of the cover of this collection. Twelfth Planet Press has opted for a very distinctive look with the Twelve Planets series, with simple but effective covers. I adore the cover for this volume in particular (though the creepy dog head kind of needs to be pointed away from me after reading the story it refers to!).
In summary, McDermott's collection is knife sharp, filled with beautiful prose and unsettling worlds and characters who provide much insight and reflection on the darknesses in humanity. Even if you don't tend to read horror, I recommend this collection highly (as well as all of McDermott's work).
(Review cross-posted to my blog)
I'd like to take a moment here to congratulate Twelfth Planet (helmed by Alisa Krasnostein) for the consistently high quality of the books they publish, in particular the Twelve Planets published to date. Not only are the books themselves slick productions (I am, in particular, looking forward to having a complete collection of the Twelve Planets on my shelf), but the quality of the writing is absolutely superb. Krasnostein and the crew behind Twelfth Planet have an amazingly astute eye for fiction and are seriously producing some of the best quality stuff in Australia (and in the world) at the moment.
That said, I am going to make absolutely no bones about the fact that Kirstyn McDermott is one of my favourite authors (and just a damn nice person, too, but that's tangential to this review). McDermott is usually classed as a horror writer, which I think makes some people hesitate to read her work (and all power to those who choose not to read horror as a genre, but I do think they miss out on some stellar and insightful work). There are absolutely horror elements in McDermott's work, but I never feel like they are the central axis of said work. McDermott writes characters who live and breathe, who experience pain, who are human, even if they are, technically, inhuman. Her prose is invariably gorgeous, too, making every sentence an absolute pleasure to read.
All of the stories in this collection highlight these elements of McDermott's work admirably. The opening story, and perhaps the most outstanding in the collection, is What Amanda Wants. I don't want to spoil any of this story for anyone who's planning on reading the collection. Suffice to say that I think McDermott taps into some of the darkest corners of the human psyche in this powerful story. It is one that deserves to be included in Year's Best anthologies and shortlisted for awards, and I am going to mighty cranky if it isn't recognised.
Horn, a take on both the unicorn mythos and the life of a writer, follows. There is something jarring about this story - in a good way, I have to hasten to add. Reality and fantasy flow together until it's hard to tell what's real and what isn't. Which is probably a really good way to describe the mental space one has to get into to write.
The titular Caution: Contains Small Parts is the third story in the collection. Beautifully creepy, it is an example of just how well McDermott uses small details in her stories to create something truly unsettling.
The final piece in the collection is a novella, The Home for Broken Dolls. McDermott makes mention in the acknowledgments about the research she had to do for this piece (without spoiling: the story involves sex dolls) and I kind of dread to think what she read! The protagonist of this piece, Jane, is a wonderful character, and her "broken dolls" are hauntingly memorable. Another example where reality and fantasy blur together and create something unsettling, but insightful into the human condition.
I also need to make note of the cover of this collection. Twelfth Planet Press has opted for a very distinctive look with the Twelve Planets series, with simple but effective covers. I adore the cover for this volume in particular (though the creepy dog head kind of needs to be pointed away from me after reading the story it refers to!).
In summary, McDermott's collection is knife sharp, filled with beautiful prose and unsettling worlds and characters who provide much insight and reflection on the darknesses in humanity. Even if you don't tend to read horror, I recommend this collection highly (as well as all of McDermott's work).
(Review cross-posted to my blog)
November 25, 2014
I don’t read much horror and wonder if I’d realised beforehand this was billed as horror whether I would have picked it up. No matter: I read it and it was good. Eerie and creepy rather than outright horrifying, these stories are woven into everyday suburban life and tell of goings-on that the neighbours probably didn’t even realise were happening (‘but this is such a quiet street!’ they might have said to the reporter when the story of the home for broken dolls hit the news). I enjoyed the thread of vengeance that stretched through each story: vengeance that wasn’t always justified but was pretty satisfying nonetheless. If you like feminist stories, don’t mind a bit of non-gratuitous nastiness, and like being a bit creeped out, give this a go. It made me want to read the rest of Twelfth Planet’s ‘Twelve Planets’ series, and to hold each of the clever little paperbacks in my hand (I read the ebook version of this particular volume). Sadly, they are sold out.
Edit May 5: Turns out they're not sold out after all - buy them!
Edit May 5: Turns out they're not sold out after all - buy them!
July 16, 2013
A powerful and disturbing collection. 5 stars each for the mercilessly observant opening pair of stories, “What Amanda Wants” and “Horn”. Dropping down to 3 for the third story, “Caution: Contains Small Parts,” which was very well executed but trod a path marginally too familiar.
And then...I need to work out how I feel about the final (novella-length?) story, “The Home For Broken Dolls.”
While all four stories contain violence against women, it seemed, as I was reading it, like McDermott had finally discovered what shade of dark was too dark for me. From the second page, I felt like I was crossing a line, but I suspect much of what was in the story was what I brought to it, which means...that I am too dark for myself? Or maybe I thought I was hardened to reality, but then...not so much?
Of course, the harshest of realities are handled with such skill by McDermott that despite my queasiness, there is very little to criticise. I was thrown out of the story a little bit by the fact that Beryl, the ‘angry’ activist sex doll, though dumped in modern-day Australia, speaks African American Vernacular. Why? Agnes is the American doll. Is it necessary for Beryl to say ‘This ain’t no half-baked rebellion, honey’ [p167], to make sure we understand the metaphor, and could that metaphor be hurtful to some?
Apart from that, the story is written with a searing, unflinching honesty that is at once very readable and painful to read, but perhaps not to be consumed without fair warning. Fans of "Tender Morsels," this is your territory.
I would say the first three stories are for all spec fic fans, so even if you don’t like your waking nightmares quite so vivid, buy the book because the first two are spectacular and worth the price of admission.
And then...I need to work out how I feel about the final (novella-length?) story, “The Home For Broken Dolls.”
While all four stories contain violence against women, it seemed, as I was reading it, like McDermott had finally discovered what shade of dark was too dark for me. From the second page, I felt like I was crossing a line, but I suspect much of what was in the story was what I brought to it, which means...that I am too dark for myself? Or maybe I thought I was hardened to reality, but then...not so much?
Of course, the harshest of realities are handled with such skill by McDermott that despite my queasiness, there is very little to criticise. I was thrown out of the story a little bit by the fact that Beryl, the ‘angry’ activist sex doll, though dumped in modern-day Australia, speaks African American Vernacular. Why? Agnes is the American doll. Is it necessary for Beryl to say ‘This ain’t no half-baked rebellion, honey’ [p167], to make sure we understand the metaphor, and could that metaphor be hurtful to some?
Apart from that, the story is written with a searing, unflinching honesty that is at once very readable and painful to read, but perhaps not to be consumed without fair warning. Fans of "Tender Morsels," this is your territory.
I would say the first three stories are for all spec fic fans, so even if you don’t like your waking nightmares quite so vivid, buy the book because the first two are spectacular and worth the price of admission.
May 19, 2014
CAUTION: Contains Small Parts by Kirstyn McDermott is the most recent (just, the next is due to come out soon) addition to the Twelve Planets collections being put out by Twelfth Planet Press. So far, this collection has been shortlisted for the Norma K Hemming Award, made the Ditmar ballot — both as a collection and the first and last stories individually — and was shortlisted for Aurealis Awards as a collection and for Best Horror Short Story for, again, the last story. As far as Ditmar voting goes, I'm going to have difficulty deciding how to rank the two stories — "What Amanda Wants" and "The Home for Broken Dolls" — against each other, let alone against the other stories (which I intend to read soon).
CAUTION: Contains Small Parts contains three shorter (but not short!) stories and a novella. Aside from all dealing with the darker sides of human nature, there's not a huge amount of similarity between them. They fit together well in the collection, but beyond that, they're probably best treated individually. I'm not even sure which one I like best and I don't have a least favourite one. Looking below, it's clear I had the most to say about "Horn" but it wasn't the one I enjoyed reading the most. The only sensible conclusion is that CAUTION: Contains Small Parts is a very strong collection, which it is.
I highly recommend CAUTION: Contains Small Parts to fans of horror and contemporary fiction. For those scared of genre fiction, the stories could all be taken as magical realism, if that's what you prefer to think you read. All the stories, as I said, deal with the darker side of humanity and none of them are excessively gory (unless you count damaged and dismembered sex dolls as gory; it's kind of a grey area), though some parts might make you cringe. This is an excellent collection and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to most people.
~
What Amanda Wants — a counsellor with the power to lessen her patients’ trauma. That is, until she meets Amanda, a girl whose problems she can’t figure out. A dark tale, but a satisfying one. Some of the stories within the story aren’t for the faint of heart but then the faint of heart probably shouldn’t’ve picked up this collection to begin with.
Horn — This story is a bit less straightforward. On the surface, it’s a story about a male fantasy writer whose success is overshadowed by personal loss (which he blames on himself and his writing). But when you look at the details, there's a lot more subtext there. For a start, the writer is named Dermott Mack, although, I'm not really sure what Kirstyn McDermott was saying with that detail (perhaps indicating the gender-flip in the story? There are several possible interpretations). The most interesting parts, to me, were the discussion of Dermott Mack masculinising the fantasy genre with his best selling series about violent unicorns. To me this is either a reference to Australia's "female-dominated" fantasy scene (y'know, for a given value of "dominated"), or to the sort of reception female fantasy writers are likely to receive on a more global (well, UK/US) level. And yet, even as we are treated to a scholarly analysis of Mack's masculine work in a feminine world —
“In his efforts to redress a very real gender imbalance, Mack imbues the genre with a fresh, masculine vitality that has been sorely missing from the output of mainstream publishing mills.”
— we're presented with a fan letter that makes mention of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, hardly overly feminine works. Is this addressing the ongoing "discussion" of the masculine and violent nature of grimdark fantasy and whether women can write it (they can)? Or is it a grim gender-flipped parody of the kind of comments female fantasy authors can expect to have thrown their way? I also couldn't help but notice some ironic parallels between this story and another novella by the same name written by Peter M Ball and published by the same publishing house. "Horn" gives this reader much to ponder.
CAUTION: Contains Small Parts — a creepy story and a sad one. The protagonist is sent a toy dog-on-wheels one day for no apparent reason. As he soon learns, it’s not an ordinary toy dog and what he experiences is not a random haunting. It turned out to be less horrifying in the end than I expected to be.
The Home for Broken Dolls — This is probably the most talked-about story (well, novella) in the collection, or at least the one I'd heard most about before reading. At the book's launch — back in June 2013 at Continuum 9 — McDermott read an excerpt which was definitely creepy and horrifying. But it was an excerpt that squicked me out a lot more back then than it did yesterday when I read it in context. I think probably because I was prepared — and it only got a little bit worse than that — and because my mental voice doesn't have the same creepy tone as Kirstyn's did at the launch. Anyway, the story is about a woman who fell into collecting and repairing sex dolls. The kind of dolls that resemble real women (or at least pornstar women) and are as anatomically correct as silicone can be. The passage I mentioned above, describes in loving detail the severe damage a particular doll had suffered when Jane, the main character, first encounters her. There are two main stories here. There's Jane's, who is a “Girl to Whom a Very Bad Thing Happened Once”, and there's the dolls who turn out to have lives of their own (minor spoiler). It's all very sordid, especially the parts about what's been done to the dolls — and the implicit questions of why and what kind of people might do such things — but the main thing that squicked me out upon reading was part of an interaction Jane had with another person, rather than with a doll (details are spoilery, I think). This isn't the kind of horror to make you sleep with the light on or check under the table for errant toys. More the kind that reminds you how unsavoury some people can be.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
CAUTION: Contains Small Parts contains three shorter (but not short!) stories and a novella. Aside from all dealing with the darker sides of human nature, there's not a huge amount of similarity between them. They fit together well in the collection, but beyond that, they're probably best treated individually. I'm not even sure which one I like best and I don't have a least favourite one. Looking below, it's clear I had the most to say about "Horn" but it wasn't the one I enjoyed reading the most. The only sensible conclusion is that CAUTION: Contains Small Parts is a very strong collection, which it is.
I highly recommend CAUTION: Contains Small Parts to fans of horror and contemporary fiction. For those scared of genre fiction, the stories could all be taken as magical realism, if that's what you prefer to think you read. All the stories, as I said, deal with the darker side of humanity and none of them are excessively gory (unless you count damaged and dismembered sex dolls as gory; it's kind of a grey area), though some parts might make you cringe. This is an excellent collection and one I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to most people.
~
What Amanda Wants — a counsellor with the power to lessen her patients’ trauma. That is, until she meets Amanda, a girl whose problems she can’t figure out. A dark tale, but a satisfying one. Some of the stories within the story aren’t for the faint of heart but then the faint of heart probably shouldn’t’ve picked up this collection to begin with.
Horn — This story is a bit less straightforward. On the surface, it’s a story about a male fantasy writer whose success is overshadowed by personal loss (which he blames on himself and his writing). But when you look at the details, there's a lot more subtext there. For a start, the writer is named Dermott Mack, although, I'm not really sure what Kirstyn McDermott was saying with that detail (perhaps indicating the gender-flip in the story? There are several possible interpretations). The most interesting parts, to me, were the discussion of Dermott Mack masculinising the fantasy genre with his best selling series about violent unicorns. To me this is either a reference to Australia's "female-dominated" fantasy scene (y'know, for a given value of "dominated"), or to the sort of reception female fantasy writers are likely to receive on a more global (well, UK/US) level. And yet, even as we are treated to a scholarly analysis of Mack's masculine work in a feminine world —
“In his efforts to redress a very real gender imbalance, Mack imbues the genre with a fresh, masculine vitality that has been sorely missing from the output of mainstream publishing mills.”
— we're presented with a fan letter that makes mention of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, hardly overly feminine works. Is this addressing the ongoing "discussion" of the masculine and violent nature of grimdark fantasy and whether women can write it (they can)? Or is it a grim gender-flipped parody of the kind of comments female fantasy authors can expect to have thrown their way? I also couldn't help but notice some ironic parallels between this story and another novella by the same name written by Peter M Ball and published by the same publishing house. "Horn" gives this reader much to ponder.
CAUTION: Contains Small Parts — a creepy story and a sad one. The protagonist is sent a toy dog-on-wheels one day for no apparent reason. As he soon learns, it’s not an ordinary toy dog and what he experiences is not a random haunting. It turned out to be less horrifying in the end than I expected to be.
The Home for Broken Dolls — This is probably the most talked-about story (well, novella) in the collection, or at least the one I'd heard most about before reading. At the book's launch — back in June 2013 at Continuum 9 — McDermott read an excerpt which was definitely creepy and horrifying. But it was an excerpt that squicked me out a lot more back then than it did yesterday when I read it in context. I think probably because I was prepared — and it only got a little bit worse than that — and because my mental voice doesn't have the same creepy tone as Kirstyn's did at the launch. Anyway, the story is about a woman who fell into collecting and repairing sex dolls. The kind of dolls that resemble real women (or at least pornstar women) and are as anatomically correct as silicone can be. The passage I mentioned above, describes in loving detail the severe damage a particular doll had suffered when Jane, the main character, first encounters her. There are two main stories here. There's Jane's, who is a “Girl to Whom a Very Bad Thing Happened Once”, and there's the dolls who turn out to have lives of their own (minor spoiler). It's all very sordid, especially the parts about what's been done to the dolls — and the implicit questions of why and what kind of people might do such things — but the main thing that squicked me out upon reading was part of an interaction Jane had with another person, rather than with a doll (details are spoilery, I think). This isn't the kind of horror to make you sleep with the light on or check under the table for errant toys. More the kind that reminds you how unsavoury some people can be.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
September 27, 2016
Caution: Contains Small Parts, is the ninth book in the Twelve Planets series, released by Twelfth Planet Press, which showcase the talent of female Australian authors. There is now to be a thirteenth in the series, but that's a review for another time. The brief given to authors was to write 4 short stories of up to 40,000 words in total. The stories could be separate, discrete narratives or linked through character, setting or theme.
This collection contains four short stories that aren't connected other than the same dark tone of their nature, and the mild horror elements - you can tell it's Kirstyn's writing throughout, but each is totally individual and unique, showing her versatility and why Australia is so lucky to have such a strong speculative fiction base.
What Amanda Wants
Helen is a councillor at a crisis centre, and it’s here she meets Amanda Fisher. The girl comes in to see her once, twice… and what she says or more importantly, what she doesn’t say, leads Helen compelled to discover the rest of this girl’s story. Helen’s heard and seen it all throughout her career and has a canny ability to draw correct conclusions from the barest of details… but from Amanda, she gets nothing. And eventually, she discovers that there’s a very good reason for that.
This short story was so easily read that the pages just flew by. This is a short story of forgotten and cold lunches as you ignore it – despite how hungry you may be – to read on. McDermott manages to introduce you to characters both simply and in-depth, and it’s glorious to read, even as it involves disgusting and horrid details of some truly awful lives. The plot is balanced perfectly, and you can’t help but feel entirely guiltily satisfied at the outcome.
Horn
A fantasy author struggles to cope because he feels his status as an author is the reason why his life has taken such a terrible turn. We see him struggle through life, struggle to keep his life somehow continuing what with various commitments, and the annoying fan letters he still receives from possibly well-meaning and yet still insensitive ‘fans’. With a similar name as Kirstyn (Dermott Mack being the name in the short story), one has to wonder what Kirstyn is hinting at, as well as using the title of Horn like the novella by Peter Ball (also published by Twelfth Planet Press) and the many references to the unicorns, being usually feminine creatures, being masculine through their use of their horns for bloody sports. There’s a lot to think deeper on for this one, but it’s also just too depressing for me to want to spend much longer on it.
Caution: Contains Small Parts
One of the creepier tales, a man received a wooden toy in the post with no clue who it came from, or why it's been sent to him. With a slightly eerie bob to its head and a chewed section that looks like wherever it came from, it had serious teeth, he doesn't give it much thought other than to get it out of his house as soon as possible... only for it to return that very night, in the dark, as he's woken by a strange sound and overcome with thirst.
The plot is a slightly overdone tale - the creepy, possessed child's toy - but McDermott wrestles it into something entirely her own, and wins completely. It's the right amount of creepy - utterly believable and yet you can see why those around him think he's over-reacting or going insane - from the outside it seems harmless yet to actually live it would be completely unnerving.
The ending of this one is possibly, somehow, even more satisfying than the first short story in the collection, which I really loved.
The Home for Broken Dolls
The last piece in this collection is novella length, and takes up almost half of the book. Jane has a home for broken dolls, like the title says. One morning she comes across another new arrival that's been left against her agapanthus, crushing the not-yet-bloomed buds. As I read this one I realised I'd read it before, though I can't remember if it was from the launch where McDermott read an excerpt, or through reading for Ditmas voting... either way, this story is still creepy and packs a punch as it unfolds. The research McDermott put into this story shows, and it works effectively to make you need a good shake and some daylight for a while.
McDermott is certainly one of our stronger authors in the Australian Speculative Fiction gang, and this collection is the perfect place to start if you're new to her work.
This collection contains four short stories that aren't connected other than the same dark tone of their nature, and the mild horror elements - you can tell it's Kirstyn's writing throughout, but each is totally individual and unique, showing her versatility and why Australia is so lucky to have such a strong speculative fiction base.
What Amanda Wants
Helen is a councillor at a crisis centre, and it’s here she meets Amanda Fisher. The girl comes in to see her once, twice… and what she says or more importantly, what she doesn’t say, leads Helen compelled to discover the rest of this girl’s story. Helen’s heard and seen it all throughout her career and has a canny ability to draw correct conclusions from the barest of details… but from Amanda, she gets nothing. And eventually, she discovers that there’s a very good reason for that.
This short story was so easily read that the pages just flew by. This is a short story of forgotten and cold lunches as you ignore it – despite how hungry you may be – to read on. McDermott manages to introduce you to characters both simply and in-depth, and it’s glorious to read, even as it involves disgusting and horrid details of some truly awful lives. The plot is balanced perfectly, and you can’t help but feel entirely guiltily satisfied at the outcome.
Horn
A fantasy author struggles to cope because he feels his status as an author is the reason why his life has taken such a terrible turn. We see him struggle through life, struggle to keep his life somehow continuing what with various commitments, and the annoying fan letters he still receives from possibly well-meaning and yet still insensitive ‘fans’. With a similar name as Kirstyn (Dermott Mack being the name in the short story), one has to wonder what Kirstyn is hinting at, as well as using the title of Horn like the novella by Peter Ball (also published by Twelfth Planet Press) and the many references to the unicorns, being usually feminine creatures, being masculine through their use of their horns for bloody sports. There’s a lot to think deeper on for this one, but it’s also just too depressing for me to want to spend much longer on it.
Caution: Contains Small Parts
One of the creepier tales, a man received a wooden toy in the post with no clue who it came from, or why it's been sent to him. With a slightly eerie bob to its head and a chewed section that looks like wherever it came from, it had serious teeth, he doesn't give it much thought other than to get it out of his house as soon as possible... only for it to return that very night, in the dark, as he's woken by a strange sound and overcome with thirst.
The plot is a slightly overdone tale - the creepy, possessed child's toy - but McDermott wrestles it into something entirely her own, and wins completely. It's the right amount of creepy - utterly believable and yet you can see why those around him think he's over-reacting or going insane - from the outside it seems harmless yet to actually live it would be completely unnerving.
The ending of this one is possibly, somehow, even more satisfying than the first short story in the collection, which I really loved.
The Home for Broken Dolls
The last piece in this collection is novella length, and takes up almost half of the book. Jane has a home for broken dolls, like the title says. One morning she comes across another new arrival that's been left against her agapanthus, crushing the not-yet-bloomed buds. As I read this one I realised I'd read it before, though I can't remember if it was from the launch where McDermott read an excerpt, or through reading for Ditmas voting... either way, this story is still creepy and packs a punch as it unfolds. The research McDermott put into this story shows, and it works effectively to make you need a good shake and some daylight for a while.
McDermott is certainly one of our stronger authors in the Australian Speculative Fiction gang, and this collection is the perfect place to start if you're new to her work.
October 26, 2013
This review forms part of my contribution to the Australian Women Writers 2013 Reading Challenge. All my 2013 AWWC reviews can be found here.
Caution: contains small parts by Kirstyn McDermott is the latest in the Twelve Planets series released by Twelfth Planet Press. It includes the following stories:
What Amanda Wants
Horn
Caution: Contains Small Parts
The Home for Broken Dolls
Kirstyn McDermott is an author who I can rely on to produce excellent quality, lovely prose that creeps me the hell out. I've liked her earlier work (see my previous reviews of Madigan Mine and Perfections if you don't believe me) so it will be no shock to anyone to find out that I really enjoyed Caution: contains small parts as well.
All four stories are in a contemporary setting (as is most of McDermott's work that I've read). The horror elements are subtle - no splatter-punk here. These are generally speaking not high action pieces, rather they twist horror tropes to find interesting ways of exploring characters and merging together the grotesque and the beautiful.
I'm always concerned with describing short story collections/anthologies - often the pieces are too short to describe without giving spoilers. Let me give you the blurb from the book itself.
My favourite of the four stories was the titular story Caution: contains small parts. Without giving anything away, it resonated the most with me. I felt closer to the protagonist than in any of the other stories, and found the ending particularly moving.
The first story, What Amanda Wants, is a very strong piece. A strongly realised protagonist and a mystery that felt solid and resolved satisfactorily (with trademark McDermott creepiness).
Horn contained some very visceral writing and again a strongly realised protagonist. This is the story with added unicorns, in case you were wondering.
The final story (more like novella length) is The Home for Broken Dolls. This was probably my least favourite of the book. Don't get me wrong: it is superbly written, with some well drawn characters and a good arc for the protagonist. However, I found it more intellectually interesting than emotionally engaging. This is probably one of those this-says-more-about-me-than-it-does-about-the-story moments though.
Overall this is another excellent addition to the Twelve Planets series, and a fantastic addition to McDermott's body of work. Highly recommended.
I also reviewed this book on on my website.
Caution: contains small parts by Kirstyn McDermott is the latest in the Twelve Planets series released by Twelfth Planet Press. It includes the following stories:
What Amanda Wants
Horn
Caution: Contains Small Parts
The Home for Broken Dolls
Kirstyn McDermott is an author who I can rely on to produce excellent quality, lovely prose that creeps me the hell out. I've liked her earlier work (see my previous reviews of Madigan Mine and Perfections if you don't believe me) so it will be no shock to anyone to find out that I really enjoyed Caution: contains small parts as well.
All four stories are in a contemporary setting (as is most of McDermott's work that I've read). The horror elements are subtle - no splatter-punk here. These are generally speaking not high action pieces, rather they twist horror tropes to find interesting ways of exploring characters and merging together the grotesque and the beautiful.
I'm always concerned with describing short story collections/anthologies - often the pieces are too short to describe without giving spoilers. Let me give you the blurb from the book itself.
Caution: Contains Small Parts is an intimate, unsettling collection from award-winning author Kirstyn McDermott.
A creepy wooden dog that refuses to play dead.
A gifted crisis counsellor and the mysterious, melancholy girl she cannot seem to reach.
A once-successful fantasy author whose life has become a horror story - now with added unicorns.
An isolated woman whose obsession with sex dolls takes a harrowing, unexpected turn.
Four stories that will haunt you long after their final pages are turned.
My favourite of the four stories was the titular story Caution: contains small parts. Without giving anything away, it resonated the most with me. I felt closer to the protagonist than in any of the other stories, and found the ending particularly moving.
The first story, What Amanda Wants, is a very strong piece. A strongly realised protagonist and a mystery that felt solid and resolved satisfactorily (with trademark McDermott creepiness).
Horn contained some very visceral writing and again a strongly realised protagonist. This is the story with added unicorns, in case you were wondering.
The final story (more like novella length) is The Home for Broken Dolls. This was probably my least favourite of the book. Don't get me wrong: it is superbly written, with some well drawn characters and a good arc for the protagonist. However, I found it more intellectually interesting than emotionally engaging. This is probably one of those this-says-more-about-me-than-it-does-about-the-story moments though.
Overall this is another excellent addition to the Twelve Planets series, and a fantastic addition to McDermott's body of work. Highly recommended.
I also reviewed this book on on my website.
June 12, 2015
Glancing at my Goodreads stats, I began reading Caution well over a year ago. It was going to be one of those quick personal reads you fit in before the review copy starts padding the walls of your cell library.
I may have let it languish longer were it not for the death of my ereader, which prompted the purchase of another ($65 Kobo Touch at Brisbane Airport). I had bought Caution through Kobo and it downloaded as part of the setup process again. The intervening year of not reading hadn’t dulled my memory but I embarked on reading the first 3 stories again.
It struck me on a second reading that this collection does really showcase McDermott’s versatility. All the stories are a mix of dark/weird/horror/fantasy but McDermott gives us something fresh in each of the 4 tales.
Kij Johnson (whose work I also have in the personal reading pile) introduces the collection, outlining the reasons why I continue to enjoy Kirstyn’s work i.e. that Kirstyn isn’t afraid to drag the reader toward big messy uncomfortable themes and bind them together with good story.
What Amanda Wants kicks off the set and presents initially as a fairly straight psychological thriller before edging its way into the weird. Without giving too much away, I enjoyed being manipulated in this story, the build up of dread and the twist.
Horn was a very interesting bit of fun, a thick vein of cultural commentary wrapped up in a good horror story. If you like fluffy tales about unicorns…well ( why would you be reading McDermott) skip this one.
Caution: Contains Small Parts was another wonderful piece of manipulation, playing with genre expectations around possessed childhood toys. I think this would work well as a short film.
The final novella is The Home for Broken Dolls where Kirstyn manages to blend genre tropes, criticism and adult dolls in the one story that should be given so much more critical analysis than this short recommendation will provide. Out of all the stories this one impressed me the most. Horn, What Amanda Wants and Caution are great stories, entertaining stories. The Home for Broken Dolls though managed to really provoke some introspection on top of having the qualities of the stories previously mentioned.
This collection continues Twelfth Planet Press’ wonderful series of female talent. Caution and indeed the entire series should receive wider attention than the usual genre haunts. I encourage readers especially those not fans or readers of genre to try Kirstyn’s collection, to sample what serious topics and themes can be packaged in horror and dark fantasy short story.
So a thumbs up from me.
I may have let it languish longer were it not for the death of my ereader, which prompted the purchase of another ($65 Kobo Touch at Brisbane Airport). I had bought Caution through Kobo and it downloaded as part of the setup process again. The intervening year of not reading hadn’t dulled my memory but I embarked on reading the first 3 stories again.
It struck me on a second reading that this collection does really showcase McDermott’s versatility. All the stories are a mix of dark/weird/horror/fantasy but McDermott gives us something fresh in each of the 4 tales.
Kij Johnson (whose work I also have in the personal reading pile) introduces the collection, outlining the reasons why I continue to enjoy Kirstyn’s work i.e. that Kirstyn isn’t afraid to drag the reader toward big messy uncomfortable themes and bind them together with good story.
What Amanda Wants kicks off the set and presents initially as a fairly straight psychological thriller before edging its way into the weird. Without giving too much away, I enjoyed being manipulated in this story, the build up of dread and the twist.
Horn was a very interesting bit of fun, a thick vein of cultural commentary wrapped up in a good horror story. If you like fluffy tales about unicorns…well ( why would you be reading McDermott) skip this one.
Caution: Contains Small Parts was another wonderful piece of manipulation, playing with genre expectations around possessed childhood toys. I think this would work well as a short film.
The final novella is The Home for Broken Dolls where Kirstyn manages to blend genre tropes, criticism and adult dolls in the one story that should be given so much more critical analysis than this short recommendation will provide. Out of all the stories this one impressed me the most. Horn, What Amanda Wants and Caution are great stories, entertaining stories. The Home for Broken Dolls though managed to really provoke some introspection on top of having the qualities of the stories previously mentioned.
This collection continues Twelfth Planet Press’ wonderful series of female talent. Caution and indeed the entire series should receive wider attention than the usual genre haunts. I encourage readers especially those not fans or readers of genre to try Kirstyn’s collection, to sample what serious topics and themes can be packaged in horror and dark fantasy short story.
So a thumbs up from me.
February 10, 2014
About half an hour before midnight on 31 December I announced on Twitter that the last book I’d read for the year happened to be the best book of 2013. The work in question was the short story collection Caution: Contains Small Parts written by my co host on the Writer and The Critic podcast, Kirstyn McDermott.
Maybe I’m a little biased. But then I’ve been biased about Kirstyn’s work since we first met in 1994 (I know twenty bloody years!). We first met at a meeting of the old Horror Writers Association in a pub in South Melbourne. Kirstyn, without introducing herself, pointed out a story in the latest issue of Bloodsongs (issue three for those who care) and asked me what I thought of it. I told her I loved it, which was a good thing because the story was called ‘And The Moon Yelps… ’ and she happened to be the author. It was an evil and mean thing to do. It was also the start of a beautiful relationship and my love for Kirstyn’s work.
So yes, I’m biased. But the fact is that this small collection of four stories, published by the wonderful Twelfth Planet Press, speaks for itself. The stories here are beautifully written, each word carefully chosen, each sentence builds on the one before, each —
— enough with the cliches.
This collection is visceral, each story provoking a different emotional reaction, whether it’s amazement and shock at the climax of ‘What Amanda Wants’ or gut wrenching sadness at the ending of the titular story. Sex Dolls. The Male Gaze. Fatherhood. Phallic symbols. The desire and need to feel pain. Broken people living broken lives. The Psychology of loneliness. I’m finding it hard to apply the usual platitudes when all I really want to say is that this book is fucking brilliant. And while that might mean a failure on my part as a critic, it doesn’t make the assessment any less true.
The bottom line: Kirstyn McDermott has always been an astonishing writer. This collection only emphasises that. Thank you for Twelfth Planet press for publishing this beautiful looking collection and continuing to publish fantastic short and long fiction from Australian writers.
Maybe I’m a little biased. But then I’ve been biased about Kirstyn’s work since we first met in 1994 (I know twenty bloody years!). We first met at a meeting of the old Horror Writers Association in a pub in South Melbourne. Kirstyn, without introducing herself, pointed out a story in the latest issue of Bloodsongs (issue three for those who care) and asked me what I thought of it. I told her I loved it, which was a good thing because the story was called ‘And The Moon Yelps… ’ and she happened to be the author. It was an evil and mean thing to do. It was also the start of a beautiful relationship and my love for Kirstyn’s work.
So yes, I’m biased. But the fact is that this small collection of four stories, published by the wonderful Twelfth Planet Press, speaks for itself. The stories here are beautifully written, each word carefully chosen, each sentence builds on the one before, each —
— enough with the cliches.
This collection is visceral, each story provoking a different emotional reaction, whether it’s amazement and shock at the climax of ‘What Amanda Wants’ or gut wrenching sadness at the ending of the titular story. Sex Dolls. The Male Gaze. Fatherhood. Phallic symbols. The desire and need to feel pain. Broken people living broken lives. The Psychology of loneliness. I’m finding it hard to apply the usual platitudes when all I really want to say is that this book is fucking brilliant. And while that might mean a failure on my part as a critic, it doesn’t make the assessment any less true.
The bottom line: Kirstyn McDermott has always been an astonishing writer. This collection only emphasises that. Thank you for Twelfth Planet press for publishing this beautiful looking collection and continuing to publish fantastic short and long fiction from Australian writers.
April 19, 2022
A great small collection by a new-to-me Australian writer: contemporary horror that focuses as much on the internal psychology of its characters as it does on the external dark and creepy elements.
Each story in the collection takes a different angle on violence against or involving women. While this makes some of the scenes and material confronting it’s not gratuitous and delves into the natural horror in the ideas and themes McDermott is using as the basis for these stories. She’s not afraid to make you really look at what is more commonly overlooked or dismissed.
The stories are also all adept at zigging when you expect them to zag and in completely different tonal and content directions to what had been signalled and set up. The stories are sad, lonely, angry, cruel, hopeful and lonely and the unexpected shifts between these really make the collection.
It was a short collection, so I feel I can make a quick comment on each of the stories individually (somewhat vaguely to avoid spoilers – I’d recommend coming into all of these as blind as you can).
What Amanda Wants – The best sort of surprise and a really strong opening piece. The mystery provides a good hook that leads you to a vicious little heart.
Horn – This one was probably my least favourite of the collection. Dealing with unicorns, loss and the life of a successful writer, I found it really bleak.
Caution: Contains Small Parts – Creepy – possessed toys always are! – this one has a really lonely feel to it, looks at an often overlooked type of abuse within relationships, and includes one of the most interesting emotional turns in the whole book.
The Home For Broken Dolls – The longest piece in the collection offering a nuanced look at women’s bodies in society (how they’re treated, inhabited, discarded, seen and not seen) and the associated emotional responses and coping mechanisms from hiding within expectations, to avoidance, to flat-out rage.
Worth a look even for those who wouldn’t normally consider a horror collection.
Each story in the collection takes a different angle on violence against or involving women. While this makes some of the scenes and material confronting it’s not gratuitous and delves into the natural horror in the ideas and themes McDermott is using as the basis for these stories. She’s not afraid to make you really look at what is more commonly overlooked or dismissed.
The stories are also all adept at zigging when you expect them to zag and in completely different tonal and content directions to what had been signalled and set up. The stories are sad, lonely, angry, cruel, hopeful and lonely and the unexpected shifts between these really make the collection.
It was a short collection, so I feel I can make a quick comment on each of the stories individually (somewhat vaguely to avoid spoilers – I’d recommend coming into all of these as blind as you can).
What Amanda Wants – The best sort of surprise and a really strong opening piece. The mystery provides a good hook that leads you to a vicious little heart.
Horn – This one was probably my least favourite of the collection. Dealing with unicorns, loss and the life of a successful writer, I found it really bleak.
Caution: Contains Small Parts – Creepy – possessed toys always are! – this one has a really lonely feel to it, looks at an often overlooked type of abuse within relationships, and includes one of the most interesting emotional turns in the whole book.
The Home For Broken Dolls – The longest piece in the collection offering a nuanced look at women’s bodies in society (how they’re treated, inhabited, discarded, seen and not seen) and the associated emotional responses and coping mechanisms from hiding within expectations, to avoidance, to flat-out rage.
Worth a look even for those who wouldn’t normally consider a horror collection.
February 18, 2016
The 12 Planets series from Twelfth Planet Press continues to deliver brilliant stories from amazing women writers. (Yes, I know I have a book in that collection. Please excuse the hubris. The company I share in this series makes me giddy with glee!) Kirstyn McDermott’s Caution: Contains Small Parts, the ninth in the series, is another publication of excellence.
McDermott has a real skill for sneaking up on you with her horror, and then for taking you in unexpected directions. Scenarios you think will be full of gore and terror end up strangely sad and sweet; those who seem like victims might just be perpetrators of a different kind; those who seem cruel may simply have a different perspective. Human motivation is complex, so the relationship of an individual and the strange world they inhabit may not be what you think.
I want to avoid spoilers, and sometimes the shift in perspective offered in these stories is subtle, so in this respect I’ll keep my comments short and possibly cryptic. So… the title story, Caution: Contains Small Parts is possibly my favourite for becoming not at all what I expected, and moving me deeply in the process. As a writer, Horn creeped me out the most as a cautionary tale of unintended consequences. The resolution of What Amanda Wants was horrific, and I feel like maybe I’m a terrible person for finding it so satisfying as well. The Home For Broken Dolls is sad and lonely, and the elements of what are superficially horror just feel like a personification of justifiable “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any longer” rage that ends in a wonderful sense of hope rather than destruction.
I’m not sure how useful that is to you, but honestly, the 12 Planets series is good value for money, individually or as a subscription, so I recommend you just go on over to the site and buy this one, then buy the rest, and wait for the tenth to be released.
McDermott has a real skill for sneaking up on you with her horror, and then for taking you in unexpected directions. Scenarios you think will be full of gore and terror end up strangely sad and sweet; those who seem like victims might just be perpetrators of a different kind; those who seem cruel may simply have a different perspective. Human motivation is complex, so the relationship of an individual and the strange world they inhabit may not be what you think.
I want to avoid spoilers, and sometimes the shift in perspective offered in these stories is subtle, so in this respect I’ll keep my comments short and possibly cryptic. So… the title story, Caution: Contains Small Parts is possibly my favourite for becoming not at all what I expected, and moving me deeply in the process. As a writer, Horn creeped me out the most as a cautionary tale of unintended consequences. The resolution of What Amanda Wants was horrific, and I feel like maybe I’m a terrible person for finding it so satisfying as well. The Home For Broken Dolls is sad and lonely, and the elements of what are superficially horror just feel like a personification of justifiable “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any longer” rage that ends in a wonderful sense of hope rather than destruction.
I’m not sure how useful that is to you, but honestly, the 12 Planets series is good value for money, individually or as a subscription, so I recommend you just go on over to the site and buy this one, then buy the rest, and wait for the tenth to be released.
July 24, 2016
Another excellent Twelfth Planet collection. McDermott's stories are dark, often verging into horror, but always with a keen eye on the psychology of her characters.
What Amanda Wants involved me from the start, leading me along to a conclusion I'm surprised I didn't see coming. Satisfying in its unsatisfactoryness, if that makes any sense. It also involves a very well-handled weaving in of subtle supernatural elements.
Horn made me smile with its black satirical take on a successful fantasy author, though it is so dark that smile would often have the floor dropped out from under it. Best to read it, as with the others, without knowing anything about them, I think.
Caution: Contains Small Parts is a little less shattering. An evocative and creepy tale, to be sure, but none of its beats took me aback or caught me unaware. Once again, however, McDermott gets you right inside the narrator's mind.
The Home for Broken Dolls is by far the longest story in the collection, and to my mind the most fully formed. Each of the many characters is so fully-formed, in fact, that each interaction carries a strong weight. There's a general sort of punchiness to the story, as speculative fiction does one of its best things: provide a framework to make comment on our society, as well as provide an engaging story. This story, along with the others in the collection, delivers in spades.
What Amanda Wants involved me from the start, leading me along to a conclusion I'm surprised I didn't see coming. Satisfying in its unsatisfactoryness, if that makes any sense. It also involves a very well-handled weaving in of subtle supernatural elements.
Horn made me smile with its black satirical take on a successful fantasy author, though it is so dark that smile would often have the floor dropped out from under it. Best to read it, as with the others, without knowing anything about them, I think.
Caution: Contains Small Parts is a little less shattering. An evocative and creepy tale, to be sure, but none of its beats took me aback or caught me unaware. Once again, however, McDermott gets you right inside the narrator's mind.
The Home for Broken Dolls is by far the longest story in the collection, and to my mind the most fully formed. Each of the many characters is so fully-formed, in fact, that each interaction carries a strong weight. There's a general sort of punchiness to the story, as speculative fiction does one of its best things: provide a framework to make comment on our society, as well as provide an engaging story. This story, along with the others in the collection, delivers in spades.
June 15, 2014
Caution: Contains Small Parts is modern Australian suburban gothic at it's best. McDermott's writing is taunt and evocation from the first page, gripping and compelling the reader through the four tales of broken bodies, relationships and toys. The opening two stories, stark in their desolation are counterbalanced with the bittersweet hope inherent in the final two.
The title story, "Caution: Contains Small Parts" leads with the creep factor of a mystery toy dog that won't disappear and segways beautifully into an unexpected ending of love and redemption that is worthy of a Golden Tissue box.
"Horn", a partial epistolary story, is McDermott at her finest, inhabiting and weaving the multiple voices and mediums into a seamless story of utter and senseless devastation. It reminds us of our capacity every day, every hour and minute to consciously and subconsciously create monsters. And what we stand to lose once we unleash them.
The title story, "Caution: Contains Small Parts" leads with the creep factor of a mystery toy dog that won't disappear and segways beautifully into an unexpected ending of love and redemption that is worthy of a Golden Tissue box.
"Horn", a partial epistolary story, is McDermott at her finest, inhabiting and weaving the multiple voices and mediums into a seamless story of utter and senseless devastation. It reminds us of our capacity every day, every hour and minute to consciously and subconsciously create monsters. And what we stand to lose once we unleash them.
June 7, 2015
This is one of the Twelve Planet series of short fiction collections and in my opinion the best so far. Although I was a little wary of this book as I am not really a horror reader this collection blew me away. I think these stories are best described as creepy and disturbing rather than scary. Of the four stories here the first "What Amanda Wants" was my favourite. But the final novella "The Home for Broken Dolls" is one of the most powerful pieces of short fiction I have read in a long time. I can't say it was enjoyable as it was too disturbing to rate that sort of description but it was a very deeply thought provoking examination of many feminist issues. I found it stayed with me a long time after finishing it and I often think about the themes and ideas it puts forward.
This is the first book by Kirstyn McDermott I have read but I will be seeking out more of her work in the future.
This is the first book by Kirstyn McDermott I have read but I will be seeking out more of her work in the future.
May 18, 2015
I just love Kirstyn's writing, I've never once disappointed by her, and Caution: Contains Small Parts is no exception. My favourite stories in this short collection were the opening and closing ones, "What Amanda Wants" and "The Home For Broken Dolls", both of these were incredibly original and fascinating, with deeply flawed yet strangely empathetic protagonists and solid emotional cores that hit hard. Absolutely excellent, I can't recommend this book highly enough.
April 27, 2014
I received "Caution: contains small parts" free in exchange for an honest review. I started this book 9/10/2013 and finished it on the 12/10/2013. As you can see from the quick turn around, it is a lovely brief read. Short, crisp stories that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you are looking for something that you can read in a train ride and actually get to the end, and enjoy, this is your book.
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February 19, 2014The titular story wasn't for me, but the rest was amazing. I particularly liked was particularly struck by "What Amanda Wants". I was a bit leery starting this collection as horror is a pick-and-choose sort of genre for me, but I'll definitely be reading McDermott again. (Perfections is sitting on my Kobo calling for me...)
January 19, 2014
Definitely not night-time reading for horror wusses (like me). In the clear light of day I can say that this is a wonderful little collection, finely written and delightfully quirky, that most definitely did not freak me out at all. Not at all.
June 9, 2014
I read this almost in one sitting... the stories are compelling and drew me in instantly, and the writing is superb. I don't give 5 stars easily these days, but there was nothing that reduced my enjoyment of these stories. Loved it loved it loved it.
July 22, 2015
WOW. This was so good. There are only four stories, so it's a quick read, but very much worthwhile.
July 26, 2017
Full review here: http://www.thirteenoclock.com.au/caut...
June 13, 2014
A collection of seriously creepy short stories - particularly the final one, "The Home for Broken Dolls", which was my favourite.
March 3, 2015
My new favorite short story writer
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