The Psychology of Animals Swallowed Alive: Love Stories

by Kirsty Logan

Embark upon these twenty short, scrumptious flights of fancy from the unmistakable pen of Scott Prize-winning author Kirsty Logan, and you will be astounded, titillated, disturbed, amused, heartbroken, and above all, astonished.

Genres: Short Stories, Short Story Collection, Ebooks, LGBT, Fiction, Romance

35 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2016

About the author

Kirsty Logan is a professional daydreamer. She is the author of two novels, The Gloaming and The Gracekeepers, and two story collections, A Portable Shelter and The Rental Heart & Other Fairytales. Her fifth book, Things We Say in the Dark, will be published on Halloween 2019.

Kirsty lives in Glasgow with her wife and their rescue dog. She has tattooed toes.

Reviews

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this little collection in one sitting. To me, this is lo-fi Logan, and a lot more up my alley than her fairytale-centric writing. Some of these stories were more in the flash fiction range, and they all focused on love and passion in the darkest of terms.

I didn't like all of the stories, granted, and they weren't long enough to really sink your teeth into, but they were raw and bleak and full of beautiful images and real emotion. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Queer, quirky, creative; dark, bleak, strange. There seem to be two sides to each of these tiny masterpieces, and I found myself marvelling both at what was said, and what was unsaid. Logan is a fantastic author, who creates so much heady atmosphere in just one or two sentences. Highly recommended.

[Mikaila Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I rise slowly—a flower opening— with the book held holy as a veil.”
“You will make walls with words; you will build up this little cell.”
This book is not a sanctuary or a temple. This is the ghost of a battlefield. The ruins of an arena. The writer is working through pain and loss and struggle with weapons as sharp and cutting as any knife. I read this in a frenzy, a late-night crazed bloodlust for this tumbling catharsis. Some books of prose and poetry I read for the feeling of safety or warmth I get from them, but this is not one of those books. I read this, and I will re-read this for the maddening hunger with which Logan writes. It’s palpable and violently delightful. My favorites in this collection were Pancakes Are For Television Boys, dear god, Dear Creatures, The Gold In Her, Life! Death! Wonder! Danger!, A Guide to Identifying Sea-Creatures, and my favorite, Seal-Blood Soup. If I could recommend one specific story to read (although it would be a crime to only read one), it would be this one. I cannot explain the power of this page, but I know you’ll feel it too.

[Alan (the Lone Librarian rides again) Teder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short Short-Stories

There may be some sort of minimum-length retention barrier for short story memorability. While most of these 1 page stories (they were 2-3 pages each in the chapbook format that I read) were dramatic on first sight and reading, several days afterwards I don't really recall any of them. But the feeling left behind was still intriguing and mysterious.

I was disappointed in the chapbook printing though. For something marketed as a numbered, limited edition you would expect a bit of quality care and assurance. The pages 15 & 16 and 21 & 22 were left unbound and as loose sheets in my copy however.

[Morgan Fitzsimmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the layout of the book. Having multiple short stories made it a quick read and also easy to go back and re-read the ones I didn’t quite understand the first time. Some of the stories I’m still confused about, but the writing throughout the entire book was beautiful. My favorite stories were Lee Dark Blue 28”/32”, dear god, and The Gold In Her.

[Cassandra Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

ORIGINALLY POSTED: https://bibliomantics.com/2018/01/12/...

Logan’s lyrical prose shines in this eBook anthology, which contains 20 flash fiction stories about the many forms that love takes. From romantic love to one night stands, the love between a human and their pet, and the love found on the other end of a Dream Phone, this collection of super short love stories has it all. Yes, even mermaids.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely (and well-titled) mini-collection. Favorites: The Highwayman Teaches Me About Sex and Death, Sacred Heart Basement, Del Rio, 1997, and The Gold in Her.

[Richard Kettlewood · Rating 5 out of 5]

RA

The unusual title drew me to this slim volume. Kirsty Logan's stories (if that's what they are) are very brief, but very intense: like sexually charged prose poems. I loved the image of the sign of the cross: "I crossed her with kisses: nipple to nipple, throat to belly." A huge amount of feeling - passion! - can be captured, distilled, in a short compass, as in Life! Death! Wonder! Danger! Each story is like a little, but powerfully intoxicating, sip.

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting while waiting for something that didn't end up happening. These short stories read more like free-verse poetry (and I mean that as a compliment). I think I have officially read everything that I can find by Kirsty Logan and look forward to more. A great little collection!

[Colten Hoot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fragmented moments of the lives of someone else scraped together to tell, loosely, that we all consume love from our own unique perspectives. Love that hurts. Love that just is. Love that is supplemental to our hearts understanding of what it means to be human. I think. It was very abstract and I like that it made me think.

[Hanneleele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ekstra lühikesed lühilood ja mõnes neist täitsa on midagi, aga enamus mööduvad kiirelt nagu kala selg. Loetud rohkem kogumiskirest (olla lugenud järjekordse autori iga viimast kui teost) kui millestki muust, aga ega kahetseda pole midagi. Ehk mõni kujutluspildike jääb.

[J.A.Birch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little collection of short stories, most do not exceed one page. Each describing a variation on love.

I enjoy Kirsty Logan's writing style and find it very pleasing to read, almost poetical in her choice of words and structure of each tale.

These would be beautiful read aloud!

[Elaine Ruth Boe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful beautiful writing and evocative descriptions. Logan is at her best when she's describing bodies in detailed, disarming, and true ways. I wanted there to be more in each story, they were so rich in backstory and promise.

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed most of theses flash stories. I like flash fiction that feels a step away from poetry, like these. I’ve been working on flash and so these were nice inspirations, but a couple were a tad too abstract for me, the narrative too buried.

[lorin ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like every other piece of Kirsty Logan’s writing, this is queer, dark and wonderful. Loved it.

[Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not as good as her other works, but there were some recognisable pearls of her writing style here and there hence 'it was okay'.

[Elou Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and mostly not sweet. Often very strange, always beautifully written. I got through this one quickly, and I wish it were longer.

Fab title.

[Bridget · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was very descriptive, just not my cup of tea. I wanted to download the author's other book which sounds amazing calledA Portable Shelter, but it was not available for Kindle. I'll continue reading this author because I think she may have some greatness in her.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Callum McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirsty Logan's prose is poetry to my heart. I wish my teenage self could thank her for writing 'dear god'.