First, Body

By far the story in this collection that grabbed me hardest was Father, Lover, Deadman, Dreamer. "I learned that the first lie is silence." What a powerful and fitting line for this one! The girl in the story went from carelessly fun to damaged over a mistake. More than anything it exposes the heavy weight of choices, like dragging a dead rotting horse behind you for all eternity, or a "deadman". Melanie Rae Thon creates stories that grieve for their characters and it's never light or sweet. I like messy and damaged people, by far more captivating than false perfection. I always feel I can relate to her characters in their thoughts, feelings and flaws. Such a good writer! I look forward to reading the next release 'Girls in the Grass: Tales of Love and Lies'.

First, Body is a series of beautifully written, devastatingly gorgeous short stories about topics such as race, addition, love, and violence. It's about broken families, destroyed lives, and death, but most of all life. The stories are brutal and haunting, and Thon is clearly a gifted writer.