In my second experience with K-Ming Chang, I was similarly challenged! Gods of Want stretched what I thought a short story could be, and the power of curation in the bounds of a short story collection. Organ Meats stretched me even further, a mixture of the real, dreaming, and absurd, the friendship between young girl-dogs is told in a novel unlike I've ever explored. I found myself struggling to get through this novel, despite sinking into it when I picked it up. Chang is virtuosic and writes fluttering and meandering prose with extreme skill, however, this was not the right time for me to read this book. I will revisit it in future when my brain can handle and craves the experimental.

A surreal and visceral love letter to the evolution from girl to woman, and the ties that bind us inextricably together.

Full of bizarre imagery and sapphic yearning, I felt the poetic passages pulling me under into a trance. I love weird lit, but I must admit I felt confused through much of this novel. The characters and their relationships were compelling, but the line between reality and imagination was so blurred I found myself losing the thread of the narrative. This is beautifully written, but I’m not sure I understood what Chang was trying to convey.

I’d like to read more of K-Ming Chang’s work, if only for the gorgeous prose and surreal, dreamlike quality, though I must admit I find myself hoping that Chang’s future work is slightly more accessible!

“Her laughter is a season you want to stand in forever, golden leaves relinking with the trees, springtime fizzing out of a bottle. She has a dimple on either side of her smile, one lower than the other, and the asymmetry describes joy perfectly. Her smile is so radiant it makes me ashamed.” Page 17

Trigger/Content Warnings: child abuse, infant murder, institutionalizations, blood, gore, body horror, violence, corporal punishment, animal death, feces

It took me a long time to get through this book. Not because it was bad - K-Ming Chang is a stunning writer who creates beauty with her words while writing a story that isn’t at all pretty. Organ Meats is layered and complex, looking at girlhood and friendship in a very dreamlike way. Don’t try to rush through this as I did (I spent a lot of time rereading). If you like weird girl books you’ll love this one!

‘Organ Meats’ is a book unlike any other I’ve read before. It is told from various perspectives and does not quite follow a linear process. The story switches from past to present, connecting everything together much like the red thread that connects the fate of the two main characters. Anita and Rainie, who are childhood friends, go on various adventures together and interact with the stray dogs near their houses. It is a narrative that at times feels overwhelming, as if each sentence has its own personality. Though the story felt surreal, it had common themes throughout it such as friendship, romance, motherhood, and family history. I would recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a book that is dreamlike, but I would like to note that there are some disturbing scenes in the book that may make some uncomfortable. Overall,
I enjoyed this book a lot, and it was definitely a unique read.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy.

Visceral and grotesque and surreal, I can very much admire the prose here though the book itself just wasn’t for me.

Organ Meats was another great novel from K-Ming Chang. It was a little bit grotesque, but I'm not squeamish and enjoyed being engrossed in this novel.

i just don't think that this was for me. the writing style wasn't quite something that hooked me and i tried to latch on somewhere but it never quite happened. still open to trying chang's other works in the future, though.

"Organ Meats" is a bold and divisive read that left a lasting impression. K-ming Chang's unique blend of folklore, mythology, and magic explores the complexities of girlhood with visceral prose that is both violent and astoundingly beautiful. While not an easy read, the language used in this book is captivating, even at its most ghastly moments. The story delves into themes of relationships and identity, weaving a narrative that resonates long after the final page. While some readers may find it challenging, those who appreciate evocative writing and unconventional storytelling will find "Organ Meats" to be a captivating and memorable experience.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC! This is a divisive one for sure, but I loved it--truly a "the girls who get it, get it" affair. Visceral and lyrical, ORGAN MEATS paints a picture of the simultaneous beauty, brutality, and ambiguity of relationships between young women. My compliments to the chef!

K-ming Chang is an icon. Completely obsessed with her fever dream style prose. Organ Meats blends folklore, mythology, and magic all while exploring the very real experience of girlhood.

not 100 percent sure what i was expecting but it was not that... thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc for an exchange of an honest review <3

Violent, astounding, and horribly meaty, I really found myself captivated by the language used in this book. It's really pretty, gorgeous even, to read , even at its most ghastly.

Lyrical, visceral, gorgeous, biting, furious, compelling. Such a gorgeous story packed with folklore and queer desire!

This was an interesting read. It was so interesting that I had to re-read parts of it to understand it at times fully. I do enjoy it when books make me think, but this one was a bit too much thinking.

In the end, it did get much better, and I was able to follow where the story was going, but the parts leading up to it were not as clear to me.

I would read other books by this author because I know what I am getting into now.

I've followed K-Ming Chang's work for a while now and I was so excited about this when I first heard about it. It did not let me down! I love a dog motif in literature and I find this book so compelling. I can tell K-Ming Chang is a poet through this novel - really beautiful writing!

I don’t think this is my kind of book. It was a bit too surrealistic for me where I found myself spacing out reading it, and when I was halfway through I still didn’t really know what was going on or the point of the book. I will applaud the book for its prose and lyrical writing. A few quotes definitely stood out to me and I will keep them in my mind for quite some time, but it wasn’t enough to keep me interested. I tried it as an ebook and audiobook, but my mind just didn’t want to focus.

At its core, Organ Meats is a poetic and creative story about two girls who are obsessed with each other on another level, one that borders on obsessive. Great idea, but the writing wasn’t my style.

I met K-Ming Chang and attended her panel for this book at Miami Book Fair and loved it so much!!!! The book was really enjoyable and deep, and Chang's prose never fails to dazzle.

Ok this is beautifully written and I acknowledge its craft, but what is going on with the nonstop shit imagery? It would be excessive for any recurring motif in a novel. It’s somehow worse than what Paradise Rot does for piss and that was already distractingly lazy.

DNF @21%

This book is just making me feel super uncomfortable. Too many sexual and just plain weird things are being mentioned in regards to children and I just cannot read about it anymore.

I love K-Ming Chang's storytelling. The way that she languages! There's a wildness here and I am here for it! For instance: "the red dog surging, piloting its teeth, leaping up and snipping the strand of shit from my ass." Lol. Expect the mellifluous and unexpected and gross! Expect fluids and subversion, sweetness and queer/queer/queer and surreal. I want more!