Raw, experimental, and kind of brilliant. Early Dunn, so rough around the edges, but you can feel the fire. Brutal in all the right ways.

This collection of short stories was wonderfully written, with the prose absolutely being its strongest factor for me. However, I felt like I couldn’t really connect with a lot of these stories, despite them being beautifully written. I did really enjoy Fanno Creek and kind of wish a full book could be written for that one.

Many thanks to the publisher for granting me early access to this book.

Thank you to MCD and Katherine Dunn as well as Netgalley for an e-ARC of Near Flesh.

As a new enjoyer of short stories i felt this was very middle ground for me. The writing kept me interested and there was a good array of genres and vibes!

The bad: My first thought was "uh oh", before I even finished the first paragraph. The writing felt intensely amateur. Very plain, even length sentences that lulled me into a stupor before I left the first page.

The good: The writing improved, as did the stories.

The ugly: It was still a bit "too little too late".

Geek Love was a solid novel such that I'm a little baffled at how the early stories in this communication could have so little to redeem them. Even the order seemed careless; we get several same-length stories following several one page stories. There's no break for the eye, no break for the stories, and by the end of this collection, I felt broken.

Dunn often misses the mark while striving for depth, and though this is a very familiar style for me (short stories with ambiguous happenings and endings), I could find little to like about most of them. There were a few turns of phrase that were notable, a few observations I could quietly agree with but absolutely nothing I've not seen better handled in other novels or short story collections. Novelty isn't necessary for great works, but it would have helped here in her attempts to unsettle us.

Not a single story resonated and I found the theme of the collection also misapplied. There was nothing interesting said about being a woman, about living in a world which rejects you, nor even about the confines of our bodies and how they keep us human. There were maybe two stories worth positive mention and even those weren't compelling enough that I'd recommend them.

I almost wanted to go back to Geek Love to remember what I enjoyed about it, but having read this, I fear the answer. I'll give her next novel a go for sure, but her short stories I may well avoid.

I'm a big fan of Katherine Dunn, in particular Geek Love, I love the short story format and this didn't disappoint. Several themes are explored mainly through the eyes of a woman struggling to maintain control. I'm always unsure about post humous publications but will make an exception on this one. Another exceptional FSG publication. Thank you for the advance copy FSG.

I absolutely love Geek Love, and was excited to read this short story collection!! Katherine Dunn has a way of describing humans so fully and succinctly--messy parts, lovely parts, and everything in between. The characters and situations in these stories feel so incredibly real. I really enjoyed these stories!

The late great Katherine Dunn is mostly known for her brilliant novel, Geek Love. I hadn't read any of her other writing until now.
Her short stories, as it turns out, showcase her talent amply. She needs less brushstrokes than most to create most starkly engaging imagery and portraits. With writing that's almost deceptively simplistic--but never simple!--Dunn fleshes out character by character with striking vividness.
The way she can turn a phrase is masterful.
The only drawback here (for me) is the similarity of themes and characters. It's mostly all women, usually downtrodden, lonely, and weighed down by children they can scarcely afford to raise. The men are almost uniformly terrible and/or absent. There's a lot of struggling to make ends meet, and it stands to mention how powerfully visceral Dunn writes poverty.
All in all, a very good collection from a gifted writer. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Geek Love is hands down one of my favorite books ever, and few authors have the same raw odd sincerity that Dunn did; there’s something so stunningly simple and honest about her prose.

This collection of previously unreleased shorts ranges from an epic folklore retelling to an atmospheric and extremely short horror story, and the pendulum of narration swings between first and third person. The stories occasionally spiral into each other neatly, sometimes nearly, and often branch out gently from a theme or concept carried over from another story. They’re all haunting and individual; ripe, delectable morsels of loss, responsibility, anxiety.

I savored each page, and would have gladly kept reading if only we’d been graced with more. These are stories that will sit with me for quite some time.

Immense gratitude to NetGalley & Macmillan for the e-galley of this, it was an absolute honor.

Katherine Dunn, who died in 2016, and of "Geek Love" fame, has released a posthumous collection of dark short stories.
These stories are previously unpublished.
They are violent, aggressive, and about the complexities of tough living.
They are also beautiful and sharp.
Katherine Dunn's writing is eerily unreal.
Like all short story collections, some I liked more than others.
I loved "Near Flesh" and "A Revelation of Mrs. Andes".
All of the stories pulse with deep yearning for a better life, or at least one not so horrific.
The women in the stories are moving and gross and very real.

The first piece I read by Katherine Dunn, Near Flesh, showcases her undeniable talent for language and psychological insight. The writing is sharp, vivid, and emotionally evocative. However, the collection leans heavily into unsettling territory. The stories are often dark and disquieting, leaving a bitter aftertaste that lingers. While thought-provoking, they cast a stark light on the imperfections of the world and the more troubling facets of human nature. It’s a powerful read - but not a comforting one.

I was so happy to receive this ARC. Katherine Dunn is one of my all time favorite authors, and I hadn’t known that there would be anything of hers left for me to reads after her death in 2016! Imagine my surprise when I come across Near Flesh while browsing NetGalley’s literature! These stories did not disappoint. They have the same familiar voice as Geek Love and Toad, but I think, more mature. If you are familiar with the Netflix show Black Mirror, these stories each felt as though they could be an episode within that series- except so, so, so much better and more original. Long live Katherine Dunn (in our hearts and imaginations) !!! I hope to see more of her unpublished work in the future.

Near Flesh is a striking collection of short stories that dives deep into the often overlooked inner lives of ordinary people. Dunn’s writing captures a raw, almost uncomfortable intimacy, peeling back the surface to reveal rich, private thoughts, fears and coping mechanisms. While a few stories dragged and didn't land as strongly, others stood out with a dark, unsettling vibe that I found compelling. Dunn's perspective is refreshingly different, offering an unflinching, unique look into the human psyche. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the collection for its atmosphere and the way it lingers in the mind long after finishing.

This was my first read by Katherine Dunn. I've heard great things about Geek Love but having not read it myself, I didn't know what to expect. I will say I enjoyed the visceral writing style of this work. However, I don't know that that was enough to keep me engaged. Each short story was a few pages long and while some did pack a punch, I don't see myself revisiting them or didn't find them powerful enough to stay on my mind.

Each of these stories connected, in some way, to death. Not always physical death. Her way of writing was lyrical and mesmerizing. Some of the stories were a bit too slow-paced for me but the ones that hit? They REALLY hit. I was particularly fond of Rhonda Discovers Art and In Tranasit. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves short stories.

This anthology of short stories made me feel a visceral discomfort with each page. The descriptions of bodies alone made me feel squeamish. The story 'Near Flesh' brought to mind another series of short stories; "I Sing the Body Electric! & Other Stories" by Ray Bradbury is also named after the short story including a robotic companion (the robots do have very different uses).

My favorite story in this has to be "Rhonda Discovers Art". I love the way the stories read, following each character.

Overall, an interesting set of stories that kept me hooked. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

These stories have teeth.
Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love slammed into me in my twenties. I read Attic and Truck shortly thereafter. Discovering Near Flesh stopped my mind for a moment. Something I hoped for many times over the years turned out to exist: Another book by Katherine Dunn.*

Dunn took me over all over again. She's unclassifiable. Her strength, fierceness, and raw tenderness shine. Her perceptions–cutting, uncanny, and at times humorous at the edge of pain–give me the kind of kinship I longed for from childhood onward.

In Near Flesh, I find a world achingly close to the one that formed me, with its mysteries, uncertain love, violence, and inexplicable events. It contains one of the most horrifying brief stories I’ve read. ‘Carrying My Baby on My Hip’ hit me in the chest so hard, I’ll remember it forever.

The first five stories tempted me to continue my heady dive into this rush of resonant images and heart-tugging characters non-stop. I slowed down to savor each one, drawn into palpable experiences of hard-scrabble life, the yearning for fulfillment, the complexities of motherhood, chilling extremes, and awareness verging on visionary.

Along with the crisp, sharp language, there's the seductive unspooling of memories and the rare communion with someone speaking things that had to stay in the shadows. Gifts of the mind as well as the wounds carried in the body.

This is a place I want to live for awhile, with all its wonders, pain, and bone-deep truths. There are things we survive that change us. When you get pain and surviving on the page and transmute it beyond personal experience–that’s an alchemy that lasts.

This might be as close as I can get to why Katherine Dunn matters so much.

*I haven't yet encountered Frog. It was published many years after her other novels. It's her only other book–aside from one on boxing. I am deeply grateful to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux  MCD for the review copy for consideration and for bringing Dunn to the attention of more readers. These opinions are solely my own. I'll add the TikTok link.

Dunn’s writing is so unsettling, it stays with you long after you’re done reading. I was very floored by how the stories each contained important introspective lessons. I think the title short story of Near Flesh is unforgettable. This is one of the best short story collections I’ve read.

I took a class in college for my Comparative Literature minor — all about the uncanny: doppelgängers, liminal spaces, the like. You name it we consumed translated movies and texts about it.

Book so perfectly encapsulate that feeling— every day scenarios twisted (in my opinion) for the sneaky inklings that remain inside your head. Except they are laid out on paper, and artfully so.

I am amazed by Catherine Dunn‘s work with this absolute work of art. It’s hard to avoid stalking them while, and I had to force myself to digest as I went.

I’m not done with the book yet; I suspect it is one of those I will return to again and again. Whenever I’m ready for a new tale. Regardless, I already know how I’ll feel at the end. This is one of those collections for which you can tell after the first few pages.

Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC.

Near Flesh is a collection of short stories that dive into the human experience and condition. Each story is thought provoking and speaks of its own unique tale. The writing is moving, enveloping, and engaging.
Some of the stories were a bit emotionally heavier than others. A few of them will be burned into my mind for a while. This collection does a great job of showing the nasty, burdensome, and hard parts of being human.
This book would be great for fans of How High We Go In The Dark and Black Mirror.

I enjoy when works of short fiction are powerful and poignant, and Katherine nailed it with this. I found that it didn't rise above my normal hesitation about short story collections (loving a handful, not connecting with most in the collection), but overall the quality and the writing was high in these stories.