What do you think?
Rate this book
The Octopus Has Three Hearts: Short Stories
To the outside world, Roxanne seems terribly her husband Earl has passed away, and her daughter Linda was murdered. What people don’t understand is that Earl and Linda are still keeping Roxanne company, reincarnated in the forms of a wiener dog and standard poodle. But this relationship—not idyllic, it’s true, but at least relatively harmonious—is disrupted when Roxanne accidentally hits a pit bull with her car. On the precipice of having the dog put down, she recognizes the eyes of her daughter’s killer, Helmut. Should she choose retribution, or forgiveness?
This is the highly original set-up of “You’re Home Now,” the opening story in Rachel Rose’s debut work of fiction. These are clever, engaging stories with a compelling the characters, generally living on the fringes of society for some reason or another, all have better relationships with animals than with other humans. There’s a diverse range of creatures, with stories featuring a parrot, an octopus, rats, a chameleon, a pig (Francis Bacon), deer and bats, as well as the more traditional dogs and a pair of kittens named Yin and Yang.
The stories in The Octopus Has Three Hearts combine vivid characters and original premises with Rose’s trademark combination of whimsy and irony to explore universal elements of the human condition, from parenthood to sexuality, identity to fidelity. It is a collection that will appeal to animal lovers, readers of literary fiction and anyone looking for their place to belong.
This is the highly original set-up of “You’re Home Now,” the opening story in Rachel Rose’s debut work of fiction. These are clever, engaging stories with a compelling the characters, generally living on the fringes of society for some reason or another, all have better relationships with animals than with other humans. There’s a diverse range of creatures, with stories featuring a parrot, an octopus, rats, a chameleon, a pig (Francis Bacon), deer and bats, as well as the more traditional dogs and a pair of kittens named Yin and Yang.
The stories in The Octopus Has Three Hearts combine vivid characters and original premises with Rose’s trademark combination of whimsy and irony to explore universal elements of the human condition, from parenthood to sexuality, identity to fidelity. It is a collection that will appeal to animal lovers, readers of literary fiction and anyone looking for their place to belong.
263 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 24, 2021
14 people are currently reading
346 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Rose
7 books39 followersRachel Rose is the author of The Octopus Has Three Hearts, longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2021. As well, she is the author of four collections of poetry, including Marry & Burn, which received a 2016 Pushcart Prize, and was a finalist for a Governor General’s Award. Her memoir, The Dog Lover Unit: Lessons in Courage from the World’s K9 Cops, was shortlisted for the 2018 Arthur Ellis award for best non-fiction crime book. A former fellow at The University of Iowa’s International Writing Program, she is the Poet Laureate Emerita of Vancouver and Co-Director of Vancouver Manuscript Intensive (https://vancouvermanuscriptintensive.... )
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
November 3, 2021
I was fairly certain I might have a problem with this collection when I saw the first page with a quote, “For anyone who has ever loved a beast”, followed by Mr. Rogers, “There isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love once you’ve heard their story.”
I was right.
Not reading the blurb was A Mistake. But I did try to accept each story for what it was. I made it 80 pages in and it turns out not only is this messaging not actually what the story collection seems curated for (you should read the blurb); it hinges on animal-human connections rather than a human empathy configuration. It’s very odd. It also reads as very white, and very performative throughout.
Every story seems literally curated to tug on your heart strings such that it feels like the conceit of each is a fugazi gem. There is no craft in terms of the buttressing needed to present the unfailingly unearned endings. Highly emotive language, myopic, and no context for the desired emotional impact.
Anyone who isn’t pulled by the siren call of animals loving people that ostensibly shouldn’t be loved because various people shun them for varied reasons will find this lacking substance. Those that are really into the concept might pull through. This whole concept feels like a foregone conclusion.
Perhaps people who can’t find sympathy with animals will be lifted by this curated collection? but otherwise the start sets up the completely wrong expectations and the premise wears very, very thin at even 3 stories in. It also conflates genuinely shitty people, some of whom don’t want to improve in any way, with actual victims who get comfort from animal companionship. Somehow weighing them equally, deserving of the same formula.
This must be the most solipsistic collection of short stories I have ever read. Nothing feels real. All of it feels designed to be palatable, which means it will be well received.
I was right.
Not reading the blurb was A Mistake. But I did try to accept each story for what it was. I made it 80 pages in and it turns out not only is this messaging not actually what the story collection seems curated for (you should read the blurb); it hinges on animal-human connections rather than a human empathy configuration. It’s very odd. It also reads as very white, and very performative throughout.
Every story seems literally curated to tug on your heart strings such that it feels like the conceit of each is a fugazi gem. There is no craft in terms of the buttressing needed to present the unfailingly unearned endings. Highly emotive language, myopic, and no context for the desired emotional impact.
Anyone who isn’t pulled by the siren call of animals loving people that ostensibly shouldn’t be loved because various people shun them for varied reasons will find this lacking substance. Those that are really into the concept might pull through. This whole concept feels like a foregone conclusion.
Perhaps people who can’t find sympathy with animals will be lifted by this curated collection? but otherwise the start sets up the completely wrong expectations and the premise wears very, very thin at even 3 stories in. It also conflates genuinely shitty people, some of whom don’t want to improve in any way, with actual victims who get comfort from animal companionship. Somehow weighing them equally, deserving of the same formula.
This must be the most solipsistic collection of short stories I have ever read. Nothing feels real. All of it feels designed to be palatable, which means it will be well received.
October 4, 2021
This is probably the best book I've read this year. Period. These vivid characters will stay with me for a long, long time.
February 10, 2022
4.5 stars. Wow! What can I say? This collection is not for the faint of heart. The writing is wonderful. The stories terrible happenings told in a bizarrely humorous way. All have an edge to them. Hold no punches. Brutal in places. Not sure I can say ‘I liked’ some of them, but they are so different, and well written. My ‘favourites’ are Of Rats and Men, Revolting Beasts…, and A Toss Through Time, with the title —Octopus story— coming top of the list. The one I found most disturbing, and which stopped me in my tracks a couple of times was Troll. I had to leave it for a while before coming back to it, and needed to read in small doses. So yeah, these stories made an impact on this reader.
Porco Dio —intense and heart breaking. The writing is stellar.
Jericho — 3 year old Isaiah goes missing at a Folk Festival.
The Glass Eye — gruesome
Wings On Pigs — powerful, poignant, devastating. About a young police officer who makes a fatal mistake.
The Octopus Has Three Hearts — the title story, well this was a surprise relief from the disturbing intensity of all the foregoing stories. This one is entertaining and funny. I needed the break.
Karma — the intensity of feeling revealed here for the mother of a severely autistic child leaves the reader drained and overwhelmed. The author evokes such vivid details of the agony of the mother’s daily life with her disturbed and unresponsive son.
A Toss Through Time — another brilliant banter through the author’s macabre imagination. The humour is wonderful, and I don’t know how Rachel Rose is able to so astutely convey the depths of suffering and misery when for me, mere words would be beyond my grasp. Struggling writers will be able to relate to Jael, the main character and her need to create a great book.
And how’s this for an opening:
“When Bill left me for the nanny, Coco, I went completely numb. I felt nothing, I shed no tears. I was flash-frozen hard as a blueberry.”
A couple more quotes:
“You’re Home Now” — “It’s a good thing we don’t know how far we’re going to fall before it happens or we’d never get out of bed.”
“My soul is a chameleon? “That’s why you have problems” (says Charlie the chameleon, in whose cage the spaced out Sarah is on a drug trip and hears the lizard speak to her.)
“You are slow and beautiful,” says Charlie, “ and change everything about yourself according to the company you keep.”
And from the fifth story in this collection: Revolting Beasts and Those Who Love Them, a sad and moving tale about a young drug addict. When Mike, her boyfriend, meets his untimely death she takes over the care of his unlovely animals — snakes, lizards, a chameleon and other rodents. “He died doing what he loved, getting high. Sarah says. She envies him, at times feels she could join him.”
The characters in these tales will stay with me for a long time.
Porco Dio —intense and heart breaking. The writing is stellar.
Jericho — 3 year old Isaiah goes missing at a Folk Festival.
The Glass Eye — gruesome
Wings On Pigs — powerful, poignant, devastating. About a young police officer who makes a fatal mistake.
The Octopus Has Three Hearts — the title story, well this was a surprise relief from the disturbing intensity of all the foregoing stories. This one is entertaining and funny. I needed the break.
Karma — the intensity of feeling revealed here for the mother of a severely autistic child leaves the reader drained and overwhelmed. The author evokes such vivid details of the agony of the mother’s daily life with her disturbed and unresponsive son.
A Toss Through Time — another brilliant banter through the author’s macabre imagination. The humour is wonderful, and I don’t know how Rachel Rose is able to so astutely convey the depths of suffering and misery when for me, mere words would be beyond my grasp. Struggling writers will be able to relate to Jael, the main character and her need to create a great book.
And how’s this for an opening:
“When Bill left me for the nanny, Coco, I went completely numb. I felt nothing, I shed no tears. I was flash-frozen hard as a blueberry.”
A couple more quotes:
“You’re Home Now” — “It’s a good thing we don’t know how far we’re going to fall before it happens or we’d never get out of bed.”
“My soul is a chameleon? “That’s why you have problems” (says Charlie the chameleon, in whose cage the spaced out Sarah is on a drug trip and hears the lizard speak to her.)
“You are slow and beautiful,” says Charlie, “ and change everything about yourself according to the company you keep.”
And from the fifth story in this collection: Revolting Beasts and Those Who Love Them, a sad and moving tale about a young drug addict. When Mike, her boyfriend, meets his untimely death she takes over the care of his unlovely animals — snakes, lizards, a chameleon and other rodents. “He died doing what he loved, getting high. Sarah says. She envies him, at times feels she could join him.”
The characters in these tales will stay with me for a long time.
November 28, 2021
Rose has put together a quirky and splendid collection of short stories united the the common theme, as the blurb indicates, of the relationships humans share with animals. This is more or less the underpinning of all the stories, but those in which it is “more” present are the stories that shine. The titular story as well as the both the first and last one in the collection are particularly good at portraying the way in which human emotions are impacted by the creatures with whom we share the planet. There is a lot of suffering and sadness within this collection, within its human characters. It’s interesting, and perhaps a bit troubling, to see how they lean on their animal companions or project their own feelings onto these animals.
Read this is you love: Animals, collections that have an overarching thread, character-driven conflict
Overall: 3.8/5
Read this is you love: Animals, collections that have an overarching thread, character-driven conflict
Overall: 3.8/5
April 23, 2021
"Three weeks after he started grade four, Cedar Wilsen came home from school and took out his sister's left eye with a screwdriver. I was in the bow of The Dreamer when I first heard Rose scream. Everything happened very slowly and very fast. Red was leaking everywhere, and Rose's screams flew into our clothes, into our ears, like hornets."~Pg. 83
•
🌿
Thoughts ~
A beautiful, inviting collection! I knew from the first story I was going to enjoy this book. I could have read this in one sitting, it was so dam good! These stories focus on characters who are flawed, damaged and felt so human and raw, in one way or another. Their lives have been touched by some sort of tramatic circumstances, whether they were a witness or they played a part and are now trying their best to cope, and live their lives. Every story was well done. Most of these characters had an intriguing connection with animals, like an overly chatty, singing parrot, or dogs reincarnated as loved ones. I loved how the narrator in each story was such a distict voice, and I was happy to see LGBTQIA represention in these characters as well. Being immersed in these characters minds was so emotional. I felt their anger, love, grief, longing, desperation, sorror and bargaining so intently. Rose's prose pulled me in like a tight hug, I didn't dare let go!
Highly reccomend this Canadian short story collection!
Thank you to @douglasmcintyre2013 for sending me this book, opinions are my own.
•
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
•
🌿
Thoughts ~
A beautiful, inviting collection! I knew from the first story I was going to enjoy this book. I could have read this in one sitting, it was so dam good! These stories focus on characters who are flawed, damaged and felt so human and raw, in one way or another. Their lives have been touched by some sort of tramatic circumstances, whether they were a witness or they played a part and are now trying their best to cope, and live their lives. Every story was well done. Most of these characters had an intriguing connection with animals, like an overly chatty, singing parrot, or dogs reincarnated as loved ones. I loved how the narrator in each story was such a distict voice, and I was happy to see LGBTQIA represention in these characters as well. Being immersed in these characters minds was so emotional. I felt their anger, love, grief, longing, desperation, sorror and bargaining so intently. Rose's prose pulled me in like a tight hug, I didn't dare let go!
Highly reccomend this Canadian short story collection!
Thank you to @douglasmcintyre2013 for sending me this book, opinions are my own.
•
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
Read
January 3, 2022DNF @ 20%
The writing........wow.
The writing........wow.
November 18, 2023
These are tough and hit like a tonne of bricks, but I kind of loved this collection. Felt a little like eating a spoonful of wasabi and cleaning out my sinuses, if that makes sense ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Trigger warning: violence against kids, dogs, and just general human suffering
Trigger warning: violence against kids, dogs, and just general human suffering
March 27, 2022
If animal abuse makes you ill do not read this book. The writing has no depth and stories are not well developed. I only read the first two but was very underwhelmed with the quality of the writing and the abuse that takes place in the second short story caused me to discontinue reading this book.
September 22, 2021
Stopped reading in second story when she was beating a dog with a shovel. Not my kind of book.
October 27, 2024
I was tempted to Dnf at 47%.
This collection wasn’t good. At first I couldn’t look away. It was like a car crash. I didn’t want to look away, even though it was very disturbing. The description of the book promised to tell tales of humans who are closer to animals than they are their fellow people. This was maybe presented in the first story, but beyond that the animals were shoehorned in. I think some of the stories had an interesting premise, but didn’t fit the theming of the collection. I also have a problem with how in the description it says this book is for people who are looking for their place to belong but most of the characters were disgusting human beings, cheaters, and abusers. So WHO is reading this and going “omg yeah I feel like I belong with this quirky cast of characters!!1!”
Anyways. On to my thoughts of every single story. Spoilers, duh.
Of Rats and Men:
This story tried to cram a lot into such a small amount of pages. I liked when Piper started living like her rats, but the rest of the story really fell short due to the length. When it was revealed that Piper had been raped by her uncle I was stunned. Why are we bringing this up just for the story to end? It really didn’t have any bearings on her trying to live like a rat. I think being stabbed was enough! If this was a longer novel/novella, then yeah I could see adding more. But it felt like it was shoehorned in the story to try and flesh out a too small world.
You’re Home Now:
I wish Helmut and the other dogs had hit Roxanne with the shovel <3. I hated this story. I am never going to get the mental image of an injured Helmut licking Roxanne to try and make her nice to him and I’m the kind of person who can’t picture things in my head!
Troll:
What the hell. I don’t really get why this story was included in a collection that focuses on characters who have better relations to animals than they do humans. It was more about a man who has (sexually?) abused kids and is now hanging with some monks. The dogs were just filler to pad the runtime if anything.
Warhol:
This one felt more animal centric. The plot only picks up BECAUSE of the parrot. Again, it felt too short to really be anything of substance.
Revolting Beasts and Those Who Love Them:
This was my favourite so far. I still feel that the animals are an afterthought, but I did like how they were used in this story to mirror the characters being seen as the “revolting beasts” of society for having addictions. Some of the dialogue felt silly, though.
The Glass Eye:
There was nothing to tie the themes of animals and people in this one. Upon finishing, this is my new favourite of the collection so far. I would read a novel with these characters. I feel like there was too rich a history for it to have been used for a short story.
Jericho:
The author really went “aw shit. I forgot I have to add an animal to this” and then just tossed some kittens in a box. Also why are these two people fucking with their CHILD in the same bed as them!!
Porco Dio:
This *was* my favourite until the main character hooked up with a teenage transgender hooker. You’re right, main character whose name I have forgotten, God *is* a sadist. But not for the reasons you think. He’s a sadist for making me hate dnf-ing books so here I am, suffering with this book for his Holiness.
Wings on a Pig:
Why the fuck was this story about a white cop who killed a black man. Why was this included. This literally has nothing to do with the theme of the collection! Sure. Yes. Whatever. There was a dog. The dog is why he got shot. Why did he reach for a puppy in his back seat? Why was this the only way the author could think to make David reach out of the cops view? Why did the cop steal the dog? If you took the dog out of the story, nothing would fundamentally change. Cop Guy spends the story going “damn if I was racist I would probably be happy to have killed a black guy. Sucks I’m not!” which is genuinely insane. What the fuck! Cop Guy didn’t have a deep enough connection with the dog for this to be in here. It was dumb. This whole one was dumb.
The Octopus has Three Hearts:
What was the point of Mica lying and telling the guys she was pregnant. What kind of “test” was that. Also why as a poly couple are you more threatened by an octopus and not each other? Cmon now.
Karma:
I couldn’t care less about this one.
Will You Accept These Charges:
This bitch is crazy. This could be an interesting longer story. Reminds me of the premise for Yellowface (I have not read that yet so I am making an assumption here). I hope Fina gets a gun to protect herself!
A Toss Through Time:
I’m not even done this story as I write this but here’s a big fat trigger warning for got god rape. This was the most out of pocket story. A woman had to be raped by Pan, the goat god, in order to find inspiration to write a book. Sure. She owned goats. Blah blah. Theme is Theme-ing. Also this is a fiction collection. Why are we adding fantasy in the second to last story!?!?
White-Nose Syndrome:
This collection of stories contains a lot of cheating and a lot of assault and rape. I felt bad for Jorge since his wife was fucking everyone - including their couple councillor - but then there was a throwaway line about him raping her one night. Why!
This collection wasn’t good. At first I couldn’t look away. It was like a car crash. I didn’t want to look away, even though it was very disturbing. The description of the book promised to tell tales of humans who are closer to animals than they are their fellow people. This was maybe presented in the first story, but beyond that the animals were shoehorned in. I think some of the stories had an interesting premise, but didn’t fit the theming of the collection. I also have a problem with how in the description it says this book is for people who are looking for their place to belong but most of the characters were disgusting human beings, cheaters, and abusers. So WHO is reading this and going “omg yeah I feel like I belong with this quirky cast of characters!!1!”
Anyways. On to my thoughts of every single story. Spoilers, duh.
Of Rats and Men:
This story tried to cram a lot into such a small amount of pages. I liked when Piper started living like her rats, but the rest of the story really fell short due to the length. When it was revealed that Piper had been raped by her uncle I was stunned. Why are we bringing this up just for the story to end? It really didn’t have any bearings on her trying to live like a rat. I think being stabbed was enough! If this was a longer novel/novella, then yeah I could see adding more. But it felt like it was shoehorned in the story to try and flesh out a too small world.
You’re Home Now:
I wish Helmut and the other dogs had hit Roxanne with the shovel <3. I hated this story. I am never going to get the mental image of an injured Helmut licking Roxanne to try and make her nice to him and I’m the kind of person who can’t picture things in my head!
Troll:
What the hell. I don’t really get why this story was included in a collection that focuses on characters who have better relations to animals than they do humans. It was more about a man who has (sexually?) abused kids and is now hanging with some monks. The dogs were just filler to pad the runtime if anything.
Warhol:
This one felt more animal centric. The plot only picks up BECAUSE of the parrot. Again, it felt too short to really be anything of substance.
Revolting Beasts and Those Who Love Them:
This was my favourite so far. I still feel that the animals are an afterthought, but I did like how they were used in this story to mirror the characters being seen as the “revolting beasts” of society for having addictions. Some of the dialogue felt silly, though.
The Glass Eye:
There was nothing to tie the themes of animals and people in this one. Upon finishing, this is my new favourite of the collection so far. I would read a novel with these characters. I feel like there was too rich a history for it to have been used for a short story.
Jericho:
The author really went “aw shit. I forgot I have to add an animal to this” and then just tossed some kittens in a box. Also why are these two people fucking with their CHILD in the same bed as them!!
Porco Dio:
This *was* my favourite until the main character hooked up with a teenage transgender hooker. You’re right, main character whose name I have forgotten, God *is* a sadist. But not for the reasons you think. He’s a sadist for making me hate dnf-ing books so here I am, suffering with this book for his Holiness.
Wings on a Pig:
Why the fuck was this story about a white cop who killed a black man. Why was this included. This literally has nothing to do with the theme of the collection! Sure. Yes. Whatever. There was a dog. The dog is why he got shot. Why did he reach for a puppy in his back seat? Why was this the only way the author could think to make David reach out of the cops view? Why did the cop steal the dog? If you took the dog out of the story, nothing would fundamentally change. Cop Guy spends the story going “damn if I was racist I would probably be happy to have killed a black guy. Sucks I’m not!” which is genuinely insane. What the fuck! Cop Guy didn’t have a deep enough connection with the dog for this to be in here. It was dumb. This whole one was dumb.
The Octopus has Three Hearts:
What was the point of Mica lying and telling the guys she was pregnant. What kind of “test” was that. Also why as a poly couple are you more threatened by an octopus and not each other? Cmon now.
Karma:
I couldn’t care less about this one.
Will You Accept These Charges:
This bitch is crazy. This could be an interesting longer story. Reminds me of the premise for Yellowface (I have not read that yet so I am making an assumption here). I hope Fina gets a gun to protect herself!
A Toss Through Time:
I’m not even done this story as I write this but here’s a big fat trigger warning for got god rape. This was the most out of pocket story. A woman had to be raped by Pan, the goat god, in order to find inspiration to write a book. Sure. She owned goats. Blah blah. Theme is Theme-ing. Also this is a fiction collection. Why are we adding fantasy in the second to last story!?!?
White-Nose Syndrome:
This collection of stories contains a lot of cheating and a lot of assault and rape. I felt bad for Jorge since his wife was fucking everyone - including their couple councillor - but then there was a throwaway line about him raping her one night. Why!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2022
...we twirled through our long days and nights, scattering straw, spinning, spinning in our room, spinning one direction while the Earth spun on another trajectory, distant from the gravity of human pain, shifting from light to dark, still constant in its orbit, still intact. p11
from the story Of Rats and Men
In each of these 13 stories, Rachel Rose, with warmth and immediacy, plunges the reader without fuss or whining, into just that gravity of human pain, with an extra layer of absurdity and bleak humour that allows us to somehow relate to situations that might otherwise remain grotesque.
Being in a shelter, you have nothing that belongs to you. Nothing but your soul. It strips you down to your true self, not having a home or a family....
You make assumptions, it makes an ass of you. p212
from the Story Will You Accept the Charges?
Each story expands on the nature of animal/human relationship. Of course there are dogs and goats and pigs but also, as one story is entitled, Revolting Beasts and Those Who Love Them.
One story stands out for the frightening normalcy of its crises, losing your kid in a crowd. This has happened to me, in the same place and similar crowd of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. RR describes the scene so perfectly it could have been lifted from my memory.
You can drive yourself crazy, looking for the reason, the one true reason. You can invent a whole new religion and you will still be deluding yourself. p133
from the story Porco Dio
The only way to see is to be still. p163
from the title story
from the story Of Rats and Men
In each of these 13 stories, Rachel Rose, with warmth and immediacy, plunges the reader without fuss or whining, into just that gravity of human pain, with an extra layer of absurdity and bleak humour that allows us to somehow relate to situations that might otherwise remain grotesque.
Being in a shelter, you have nothing that belongs to you. Nothing but your soul. It strips you down to your true self, not having a home or a family....
You make assumptions, it makes an ass of you. p212
from the Story Will You Accept the Charges?
Each story expands on the nature of animal/human relationship. Of course there are dogs and goats and pigs but also, as one story is entitled, Revolting Beasts and Those Who Love Them.
One story stands out for the frightening normalcy of its crises, losing your kid in a crowd. This has happened to me, in the same place and similar crowd of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. RR describes the scene so perfectly it could have been lifted from my memory.
You can drive yourself crazy, looking for the reason, the one true reason. You can invent a whole new religion and you will still be deluding yourself. p133
from the story Porco Dio
The only way to see is to be still. p163
from the title story
March 15, 2023
This is the best collection of short stories I've read in a long time, featuring interesting characters, highly imaginative scenarios, and yes, non-human creatures of all kinds: dogs and cats, sure, but also sugar gliders, snakes and chameleons, a pot-bellied pig, plenty of goats, a few rats, and the much-loved octopus that provides the collection with its name.
The human characters occupy unexplored margins of society. Drug addicts, the unsheltered, a prison inmate, the polyamorous, LBGTQ individuals, and hippies living on the apparently fictional Honey Island. The stories take place in settings throughout Canada, but the Vancouver-based Rachel Rose is at her best when she's describing the New Age hippies of Honey Island.
Every one of the stories in the collection is substantial, with superb opening and closing lines, and characters cared about as much as the animals. How's this for an opening line (from the Glass Eye): "Three weeks after he started Grade Four, Cedar Wisen came home from school and took out his sister's left eye with a screwdriver."
In this collection, the relationships between humans and animals are close. This is not just a concept of adding mentions of animals. In each story, the non-human creatures are inextricably linked with their human counterparts and the stories' themes.
The human characters occupy unexplored margins of society. Drug addicts, the unsheltered, a prison inmate, the polyamorous, LBGTQ individuals, and hippies living on the apparently fictional Honey Island. The stories take place in settings throughout Canada, but the Vancouver-based Rachel Rose is at her best when she's describing the New Age hippies of Honey Island.
Every one of the stories in the collection is substantial, with superb opening and closing lines, and characters cared about as much as the animals. How's this for an opening line (from the Glass Eye): "Three weeks after he started Grade Four, Cedar Wisen came home from school and took out his sister's left eye with a screwdriver."
In this collection, the relationships between humans and animals are close. This is not just a concept of adding mentions of animals. In each story, the non-human creatures are inextricably linked with their human counterparts and the stories' themes.
May 2, 2022
The Octopus has Three Hearts by Rachel Rose
Is disturbing.
Which is an excellent review for a book that opens quoting Stephen King and and Mr Rogers. A book of short stories, that verge on the disturbed to outright animals abuse, physical abuse, self abuse, the legacy of abuse and drug abuse.
It’s a honest and truthful representation of life. Every store and character one could believe was base on an actual person, which is not something often possible. Although they were short stories all the stories were fleshed out, and great.
But it is disturbing. One story had a beating of a dog because the main character believe it was the incarnation of her dead abusive son-in-law. It was challenging because one understood this poor woman’s need to release her grief, pain and anger towards her son-in-law but also she’s hitting an innocent dog with a shovel who thinks this woman is everything! The lack of help and safe guards for both of them, animal abuse and a person who is clearly mentally unstable was heartbreaking.
There were some stories I just could not read, it was too real, to disturbing. Similar to how the news is sometimes too much.
This book is for anyone interested in well written short stories of a disturbing and abusive nature.
Is disturbing.
Which is an excellent review for a book that opens quoting Stephen King and and Mr Rogers. A book of short stories, that verge on the disturbed to outright animals abuse, physical abuse, self abuse, the legacy of abuse and drug abuse.
It’s a honest and truthful representation of life. Every store and character one could believe was base on an actual person, which is not something often possible. Although they were short stories all the stories were fleshed out, and great.
But it is disturbing. One story had a beating of a dog because the main character believe it was the incarnation of her dead abusive son-in-law. It was challenging because one understood this poor woman’s need to release her grief, pain and anger towards her son-in-law but also she’s hitting an innocent dog with a shovel who thinks this woman is everything! The lack of help and safe guards for both of them, animal abuse and a person who is clearly mentally unstable was heartbreaking.
There were some stories I just could not read, it was too real, to disturbing. Similar to how the news is sometimes too much.
This book is for anyone interested in well written short stories of a disturbing and abusive nature.
June 9, 2022
The Octopus Has Three Hearts is a collection of fourteen short stories; the thread of continuity that runs through each of them is described in the book’s synopsis as the relationship between people and animals. Having never read anything by Rachel Rose before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Her story-telling style is like nothing I’ve ever read before, and I’m not exactly sure that’s a good thing. I felt a little bamboozled by the supposed overarching premise of the collection. Sure there are animals in some capacity in each story, but their inclusion feels more like an afterthought to keep true to the theme of the collection rather than fully centering on the relationships between man and beast. The stories that do actually center them are sometimes violent and off-putting to read. While the stories themselves are well-rounded and filled with highly believable characters, the content of each story left me feeling a little haunted. If Rose’s prose wasn’t so powerful and engaging I would’ve put the book down after a few stories. As it is, reading this book was an experience I’d rather not repeat.
August 20, 2022
This is an excellent set of stories, all: they are broken, tender, weird, and evocative, and they thematically link the kinds of spiritual and emotional aching that loved or incidental animals sometimes accentuate or fill.
I don't have the book on me now, and it's been a few days since I finished it, which means specifics are elsewhere; but the writing draws from much knowledge about animals, insects, and water creatures, life on hippie islands in BC, and the author's own large humor and store of irony and love of language, as well as plain-faced discussions of violence and sexuality.
One story about a woman who leaves a man, moves to an island, and tries to raise goats had me thinking about the humor and tenderness of Betty MacDonald's The Egg and I; but then that "ancient goat fucker" Pan showed up and happily assaulted another goat and then the narrator--and maybe I shouldn't say anything else except this was not The Egg and I.
These stories are absolutely unique--spinning us through often unlikable characters to get to questions and places of healing, creativity, and wonder.
I don't have the book on me now, and it's been a few days since I finished it, which means specifics are elsewhere; but the writing draws from much knowledge about animals, insects, and water creatures, life on hippie islands in BC, and the author's own large humor and store of irony and love of language, as well as plain-faced discussions of violence and sexuality.
One story about a woman who leaves a man, moves to an island, and tries to raise goats had me thinking about the humor and tenderness of Betty MacDonald's The Egg and I; but then that "ancient goat fucker" Pan showed up and happily assaulted another goat and then the narrator--and maybe I shouldn't say anything else except this was not The Egg and I.
These stories are absolutely unique--spinning us through often unlikable characters to get to questions and places of healing, creativity, and wonder.
December 20, 2021
I like to read short story collections when feeling out a different author. I feel like short stories can really demonstrate the skill of a writer. Whereas novels have pages and volumes to flesh out their characters and plots, short stories have to flesh out their characters and plots very quickly and authentically. In this way I found and fell in love with authors like Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, and even JRR Tolkien.
I just didn’t like any of this.
I can appreciate the attempt. Each story involves an animal of some sort, a human protagonist, and the bond/relationship between said beings. I’ll give it to her that each story was different and original, some stories intersected but never quite crossed paths. An interesting concept.
But this was bizarre, weird, and bewildering. One story in particular I found kind of unsettling and I almost didn’t finish it.
Maybe some would call her storytelling as “quirky” but I don’t know, I guess I just didn’t vibe with some of her stories.
I just didn’t like any of this.
I can appreciate the attempt. Each story involves an animal of some sort, a human protagonist, and the bond/relationship between said beings. I’ll give it to her that each story was different and original, some stories intersected but never quite crossed paths. An interesting concept.
But this was bizarre, weird, and bewildering. One story in particular I found kind of unsettling and I almost didn’t finish it.
Maybe some would call her storytelling as “quirky” but I don’t know, I guess I just didn’t vibe with some of her stories.
April 12, 2022
There’s something so special about reading short stories. I love how the author can create a world in just a few paragraphs, and how easily immersed you become. There is a true talent in that and I forget how much I enjoy them. This collection of short stories has a common theme of people going through really hard times and the animals in their lives. Sometimes the animals are the focus and sometimes they’re just a peripheral character. Either way, these stories are beautifully told, yes, some are quite sad and hard to read, but just so well-written. The characters are experiencing loss, heartache, death, the trials of motherhood, addiction and loneliness. Some of the ones I really enjoyed are Troll, Revolting Beasts and Those Who Love Them, Porco Dio, Wings on Pigs, and Karma. Be forewarned, this isn’t a happy book, but still worth the read in my opinion. (And how gorgeous is the book cover!)
Follow me on IG @whatsissyreading.
Follow me on IG @whatsissyreading.
November 9, 2022
As a disclaimer, I generally do not like short story collections because they usually either (1) have huge variability in quality or (2) are consistently mediocre. This collection falls into the latter category. I will say that the writing, on a sentence level, was better than the stories themselves, which is why I finished the book.
If there is a thematic thread throughout the collection, I would say it is about broken people and their journey toward redemption through their connections with animals. Rachel Rose uses traumatic experiences as a shortcut to emotional depth. The short-story structure of the book only enhances this feeling. Now a month after reading the book, none of the stories stayed with me.
If there is a thematic thread throughout the collection, I would say it is about broken people and their journey toward redemption through their connections with animals. Rachel Rose uses traumatic experiences as a shortcut to emotional depth. The short-story structure of the book only enhances this feeling. Now a month after reading the book, none of the stories stayed with me.
August 7, 2022
I never really thought of adding short stories to my reading as an adult. It just never really occurred to me. But spending my free time listening to LeVar Burton got me looking for short stories. This collection of short stories is a real snapshot into different lives that exist not far from our own. This collection although at times disturbing creates the opportunity for us to take a step back and realize that not all lives are like our own. Each story is beautifully written with just enough detail for the reader to fill in the blanks before and after the story. If you are looking for a read that is not so fanciful but rather more lifelike this is the book for you.
July 7, 2022
I really, really liked this collection of short stories. Th stories are unique, quirky, engaging and imaginative. I can see why this made the Giller long list but it is not your normal short story collection- rats, dogs, octopus, bats, a parrot, goats...oh and one of those goats...and other creatures along with damaged human characters had me mesmerized. I highly recommend this gem written by the Canadian/ American author, Rachel Rose.
April 24, 2023
This collection of short stories by poet Rachel Rose uses the economical form to lay out a diverse set of heart-breaking and occasionally humourous stories.
The characters and their dilemmas stay with you, and Rose does a beautiful job of encompassing moral dilemmas and hard choices. She writes with a descriptive and lyrical prose, bringing lots of local colour to the stories. She manages to encapsulate characters and situations that will stay with the reader long after the book is finished.
The characters and their dilemmas stay with you, and Rose does a beautiful job of encompassing moral dilemmas and hard choices. She writes with a descriptive and lyrical prose, bringing lots of local colour to the stories. She manages to encapsulate characters and situations that will stay with the reader long after the book is finished.
May 30, 2021
Beautifully written, heartfelt, wise, and with a great sense of humor. These stories offer a humane lens to view different forms of tormented lives and loves, intertwining with various other pets and creatures, that they too should have a place and role. It makes me think of the song... everything counts in large amounts.
October 26, 2021
This book is fantastic. While I felt the first two stories leaned too heavily into the animal trope, the text quickly finds its footing and never agaib missteps. Rose does a remarkable job of creating distinct and believable characters who, while flawed, are sympathetic (perhaps they mirror our own imperfections?). Highly recommend this collection.
November 27, 2021
Yuck. I had to stop after the second story. I should have taken the fly leaf inscription as a warning. Or the dedication as an alarm bell. I feel like I need to brush my teeth to get that story out of my body. Of course, this will be nominated for all kinds of awards -seems like pain is synonymous with literary prowess these days.
March 12, 2022
This is a raw, brutal collection of damaged people, many in unconventional relationships, with varying degrees of association with animals. I picked it up expecting more animal than human, but the animals are often quite peripheral. It's not a comfortable read, and certainly not some people's cup of tea.
January 18, 2023
This book is written well in the sense that it moves along smoothly and has very clear characters, however, it is way out there.... I said WTF so many times while reading this. If you're into weird and disturbing, then this is a book you'll enjoy. If animal abuse, beastility, drug abuse and much more bothers you, leave this book unread.
February 27, 2022
Shouldn't have read these stories before bed. Enjoyed some of the stories but had a hard time with animal cruelty, even when it was clear to me that there was something to be said for caring more for the hurt animal than the child in the story. It made me think, which I appreciate.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2022
So these are some of the best-written short stories I’ve ever read. But please, make sure you’re in an OK place mentally when you read them, because some (most) will shred you. Worth it if you can handle it mentally though.
October 31, 2022
As with all story collections, some stories are more successful than others, but the writing is wonderful throughout, and a few of the stories were so different, or took such a different take on a familiar plot, that I know they'll stay with me to ponder.
November 13, 2023
I only read the first 3 stories. They are harsh. Well written but not for the light of heart. It just wasn't what I want to spend my precious time reading nor what I was expecting. There are themes of abuse and violence.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews