[Book Thoughts] HYSTERIA by Ali Seay
SYNOPSIS:
Hysteria is often used to describe emotionally charged behavior
that seems excessive and out of control. But life as a woman
isn't for the faint of heart. Hysteria is sometimes the only way
to go...
Lolly:
Can the flu, antivirals, and childhood trauma turn you into a
killer? Asking for a friend.
When Lolly gets diagnosed with the flu, she’s expecting misery
and meds. What she’s not expecting is an odd side effect from
her antiviral. She can suddenly see dirty halos around certain
people’s heads. These people have something in common—they’re
all child predators.
Lady Vanity:
Perimenopause is changing Frankie’s body and messing with her
mind. Plastic surgery is too expensive and everyone has some
kind of stupid advice. When Frankie stumbles across a vintage
electric knife, the Lady Vanity, at the thrift store, her self-
improvement is suddenly a DIY project with Lady as her partner.
When your sanity is suddenly questionable, as Lady’s slogan
says: Cutting can be fun!
Oh how I enjoy Ali's stories. She always does a great job at revenge stories and adding graphic scenes with splashes of humor. These two stories are about unhinged women (my favorite troupe) and the characters pretty much embracing their unhealthy beliefs and actions. Out of the two, I think I enjoyed the first story.
LOLLY is about a woman whose younger sister disappears after going to a pharmacy by herself. A story about obsession, taking back power and bits of "mystical" moments--this had a fun way of having a vigilante woman fighting back in some really horrific ways. Even though she is absolutely "in the wrong", you can't help but root for her.
The second story, LADY VANITY, is brutal in the sense of how a woman character suffers from body dysmorphia and her obsession with appearance. It was hard for me to read her thoughts and actions because I also have bouts of feeling the same exact way. This shows an example of how sometimes it's difficult to get older and feeling like you've lost control of your body. With history of disordered eating, this can be extremely troubling plus self harm on top of it. Ali did a good job at not making Frankie a complete caricature and showing how human she is with real fears.
Both stories are about women trying to take control of their lives, their stories and in turn actually letting their obsessions take over. Again, I thought this was done really well. LOLLY was more of a "fun" gory, good for her type of story that I will always enjoy and be entertained by. LADY VANITY was more serious and heartbreaking for me, but with the two together in this book--I think Ali Seay did a great job at balancing it out with the light hearted moments to the hard hitting realities of womanhood in our current society.
This author continues to blow me away and just shows that women can write brutal stories that will gross you out and hit you in the gut all at the same time.
I recommend this to people who like The Boondock Saints and May.
*STRONG CONTENT WARNINGS FOR EVERYTHING!!
Thank you to the author for a e-arc in exchange of my honest review.
*I'm currently not giving star ratings and just focusing on reviews.
Author: Ali Seay
154 pages, E-Book