Thank you to netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

This is my first novel by K-Ming. It jumps from magical realism right into surrealism. I don't have much experience in this genre. But I found it a bit tricky at times to figure out what was going on. I'm not sure if this was intentional or typical of this authors works. But I also had trouble with the depth of the story and it's characters, and not being able to connect. I can also appreciate what the author was doing in her art form with Organ Meats while saying I personally didn't like it. I'm sure there are others who would though.

I have loved this authors previous books and this one was just as amazing. Magical, funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and all around an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this opportunity to read rage and review this arc which will be available Oct 24,2023!

This book was a freaking trip. Not in a bad way but in a what did I just read and did the author write anymore?! It’s about Anita and Rainie, stray dogs who can communicate with humans. It was an atmospheric acid trip of a book. Wholly original and intriguing

DNF - Regularly, I would have been super into this story but, I think it's just the wrong time for me to be reading it. I found the format of the e-book odd & the flow of the chapters really rapid-moving which, I do appreciate, but they weren't working for me at this time. I will certainly be revisiting this once the book is published but, for now, I'm stepping out of the race.

I really enjoyed K-Ming Chang’s previous works — the novel Bestiary and the short story collection Gods of Want — and especially because they were just so weird; combining Taiwanese mythology with the outsider SoCal queer immigrant child experience, the weirdness seemed the perfect way for Chang to capture that jarring outsider experience. Organ Meats continues in the same vein — with the maybe-more-than-friendship of two girls metaphorically tied together over time with the threads of their belief system — but whereas the previous books combined myth and magical realism to marvellous effect, this one stretches into full-on surrealism, and I found it challenging to follow. I continue to marvel at Chang’s imagination and bravura, but I didn’t feel very much for the story or the characters: like looking at a Dalí painting, I can recognise the skill without really liking the result; and while I might say that I didn’t really like this, I’m still rounding up to four stars and will read Chang again.

There aren’t many authors where you can tell who’s written the book purely by the writing, but you can recognise K-Ming’s poetic prose from a mile off.

In the way Ottessa Moshfegh has built a distinct brand around gross, depressed female characters- K-Ming Chang has managed to build a recognisable brand around stories of queer girlhood, myth and storytelling, mother-daughter relationships and bodies.

This novel is centred around two friends, Anita and Rainie, who in their childhood visit an old sycamore tree and the stray dogs who live nearby who are able to communicate with them. They also come to learn that they are preceded by generations of dog-headed women and woman-headed dogs who they are binded to.

The first part of the book explores the girls coming of age, friendship and curiosity as Anita convinces Rainie to become a dog with her, binding them together with a red string around each of their necks. We also follow Anita’s deep longing to be connected to and control Rainie at all times, not wanting to ever be separated, which is challenged when Rainie and her family move away.

The second part of the book jumps forward 10 years where we learn that since Rainie moving away, Anita has become lost in her dreams while trying to find her and is now in a coma, her body beginning to physically rot and decay. Rainie is drawn back to her hometown and is tasked with rebuilding Anita a new body, gathering organs from their mythical childhood to awaken her.

This book and it’s lyrical prose and familial histories woven throughout won’t be for everyone but K-Ming’s writing makes me feel so comforted and reminds me why I love fiction so much and the way it completely transports you to another place while reading.

Strange, mythical, visceral and macabre, this book is exquisitely written and is one that like Bestiary, will stick with me for a long time and has cemented K-Ming Chang as my favourite author.

This one isn’t out until October but I couldn’t physically wait to read my ARC and wanted to share my thoughts while they’re fresh! Please please go preorder now!!🥩✨💕🐕