*Jaw-Dropping!* Puloma Ghosh’s debut collection, *Mouth*, is a daring exploration of grief, sexuality, and the intricacies of bodily autonomy, woven through surreal and grotesque narratives. With a fearless embrace of the bizarre, Ghosh crafts stories that challenge the reader’s perceptions of reality and the human experience. Short story collections are always a hit or miss for me. Sometimes I feel like authors mesh stories that don't quite flow well with the rest and it spoils it.

In “Desiccation,” a teen figure skater grapples with necrophiliac fantasies while suspecting a fellow skater of being a vampire, blending dark humor with unsettling themes. “The Fig Tree” hauntingly navigates the return to Kolkata, where the protagonist is confronted by the specters of her past, both familial and supernatural. Each tale is imbued with a visceral intensity, as seen in “Nip,” which incisively examines the addictive nature of infatuation, and “Natalya,” a gripping autopsy of a past relationship.

Ghosh’s prose is sharp and captivating, inviting readers into otherworldly realms where isolation and longing become tangible, often grotesque realities. *Mouth* is a bold and unforgettable collection that pushes boundaries, making it a must-read for those drawn to innovative storytelling that does not shy away from the uncomfortable truths of existence.

I love the concept of this collection of short stories. Some I really enjoyed and some were incredibly boring to me. I enjoyed the conversation around South Asian representation, gender & sexual orientation, and horror. This was wildly refreshing as I feel like I do not see too many horror stories that center South Asians. Horror isn't my title genre, but I love the storytelling of Ghosh and the allegories she used.

the title is quite apt, as i felt the full range of my lower face as i read this collection. the mouth, teeth, jaw, saliva, tongue, cheeks.
this collection feels like a devouring. whether that is of the body, of food, of generational responsibilities and burden
this collection doesnt just discuss what goes into the mouth, but also what comes out
there is a purging: of food, of thoughts, of externally imposed expectations
i enjoyed the complex mother-daughter relationships showcased throughout the collection. even when a mother was absent - or especilly then - she felt present, tangible.

This book was weird in the best way possible. Each story had its unique twists and turns, leaving me guessing what would happen next and wanting more when the story was over. Overall each story left me with more questions than answers, and I was thinking about the stories for days to come. Even though it is a collection of short stories the voice of the author was consistent throughout.

Very eerie stories told with a singular point of view! Excited to see more from Ghosh in the future!

Thank you Astra for the copy! How crazy it is to read something so haunting and singular only to discover that the piece is a writer's debut. Puloma Ghosh's "Mouth" is more like a firstborn child than it is a 'first pancake' — a pridefully treasured darling, the most beautiful thing to come out of her yet. Every part of it kicks and lingers and I'll be happy to have it all ring in my head like a church bell.

Ghosh writes in the likes of Ottessa Moshfegh in a way that's less grotesque but still eerie and monstrous nonetheless. Most if not all of her stories in "Mouth" orbit a monster / ghost of some kind, and they all get increasingly more tantalizing the further you go. My favorites were:
* Anomaly, where a woman goes on a date with a stranger to experience an otherworldly black hole-esque space
* Persimmon, which was the perfect end to this collection and sooo very Shirley Jackson — fruit metaphors are truly the works of god... all of this illustrating around consuming and being swallowed up
* K, a slight revisit of Red Riding Hood, maybe? But with all the ghastliness that the childhood version buried
* Supergiant, in which a pop star's last concert is virtually the end of her road in all aspects. Ghosh wrote this insanely compelling sentence in it: "This body doesn't feel like mine when it's unchoreographed."
* In the Winter, which was brief yet incredibly striking. Ghosh wrote such stunning lines in this story like, "How did I escape the room, you ask, and I'll tell you that to outgrow a room is not to leave it, only swallow hard and walk around with it rattling inside you until eventually you fill up with enough things that it doesn't make a sound."

Anyway, that's all to say Puloma Ghosh is absurdly talented and endlessly inventive. I'm very excited for what she releases next but until then, 5 stars for a brilliant debut

Another Person opens with Jina checking social media to see what people are saying about her after she made a very public post about being sexually assaulted at work. Jina is unable to just “turn it off” as her friend suggests so she spirals knowing that no matter how brave she was in confronting her assaulter she will always be victim blamed.

The book follows Jina as she comes to terms to what is it like being a woman in Korea, how she must conform and what happens when she does now. She tries to piece together what happened to her, how she became a victim, all while trying to find out who is writing these things about her. Jina goes back to her University town to see her friends, and tries to piece together her life and the life of a friend she lost tragically.

I really enjoyed this book, it is a short read but it moves fast and it is very impactful. The author does a great job of taking us into the world of Jine and showing us what she is going through. I loved that there were different POVs throughout the story because it make it more layered and engaging.

I really enjoy the themes, and I love the type of world building used in most of the stories, so I had high expectations. The collection is quite uneven, and it made me wonder at some point if it's an anthology of different authors. Some of the stories really worked for me, and some I simply could not recall days after reading, which can be worse than hating it.
Rating is probably pushed up by the fact that my favourite was at the very end.

Mouth is a delightfully surreal collection of stories. A young woman raises a werewolf boy. A coroner performs an autopsy on her ex-lover. A girl is sacrificed to a persimmon tree to save her community. A figure skater is in love with one of her teammates, who just may be undead. The women in these stories each experience monstrousness to varying degrees. And each character is fully realized -- despite the inevitably short nature of each story.

Mouth is perfect for lovers of queer horror, female-driven short stories, and the bizarre. And it just came out on Tuesday, so you can find it now wherever you source your books!

Mouth stories were very well written and really interesting. I liked the themes explored and would read more from Puloma Ghosh.

It's the summer of the short story collection and Mouth doesn't disappoint! The cover is really special, and the stories live up to its hype. Strange, ghoulish, intimate, brave, utterly moving, I really loved these stories individually and especially together, the thematic ties here are so smooth and surprising and wonderful.

Really solid collection of stories! All slightly unsettling and unique, but still tie back together to a central theme. Will definitely want to revisit this one again in the future.

One of the best collections to come out this year. Every story gets under your skin in the best ways. Stories like "Lemon Boy", "Leaving Things", and "Dessication" definitely left their marks on me and I look forward to reading more of Ghosh's stories!

Mouth by Puloma Ghosh is a collection of stories that will get under your skin. Each story had an underlying sense of foreboding and left you questioning what you just read. This collection was beautiful and mesmerizing. They each leave you a sense of what it is like to be a woman while suffering, living, experiencing joy and connection. I will be thinking about these stories for many years to come.

This was a very good book but ultimately it was not very memorable I don't really have a lot to say on it which is why it took me so long to submit this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want a short story collection that has a few early misses and then is hit after hit? Do you like your collections with some fuckin range? If you like sci-fi, bittersweet romances, dystopian fairytales, or character studies, there's something juicy for you here.

Pre-reading:
That cover is pornographic and I love it. I usually dig short story collections.

Thick of it:
(For the sake of my sanity, I have labeled the stories as I give commentary on them and I’m gonna put my little summary of what they were after I give the review. So like this is your spoiler warning.)

~Dessication

I have weirdly always loved this word.

This is reading like gay panic. (That is intentional.)

Why is everyone writing about children masturbating this year? Stop. Please god, stop.

Gender dystopians always intrigue me.

I hate reading about children’s sex lives. I hate it. (Zero reason these kiddos couldn’t have been older.)

I love how girlies are always like I love this. I want it to kill me. I want it to consume me.

Say it. Out loud.

Huh. Well, how are you just gonna leave me like that? Give me a whole book. 3/5

Girlypop is a figure skater who is convinced that that motherfucker, her skating rival, is not real. But girlypop also lives in a dystopian society where every man is drafted to fight in a war as soon as he turns 17. What war? I'm so glad you asked. That's REDACTED. The government won't tell them anything about why or what they're fighting or where the men go, but don’t worry too much about that gaping plot hole because this is a short story and we don’t have the word count to get those answers.

Girlypop’s mom is in charge of enforcing the draft and hunting down deserters so the town does not like her. Their neighbor, Gabriel, who Girlypop used to fool around with, just turned 17 and he ran away from home to dodge the draft. Her mom is supposed to find him.

But Girlypop’s too busy competing to worry about her situationship. At the last meet, her rival, Pritha, looked at her funny while Girlypop was executing a jump, so she’s convinced that the other girl used her psychic powers to make her fall. The ice rink gets infested with rats, but Girlypop catches Pritha hunting and eating them. She also has a weird scar on her neck, and when Girlypop asks her about it, Pritha says she was bitten by a tiger. This should be impossible however because tigers have gone extinct. And Girlypop is like cool, cool, cool call me Tiger, baby. And she bites Pritha’s neck and it’s all much more gay and lusty than it should be for highschoolers.

Then the girls go to the supermarket together because where else would unattended minors go, and Pritha remarks on how she remembers the markets being different where she’s from. And Girlypop is like cryptid confirmed. Girlypop gets her period and the two little lesbos go fuck on the ice Maeve Fly style, and Pritha pulls a Saltburn. And girlypop is like you’re ice cold and impossibly fast. And Pritha’s like say it. Out loud. And girlypop is like you’re a vampire. And Pritha’s like lol no, I am literally just a girl.

But then Pritha’s coach’s dead body turns up, drained of blood, and Pritha and Girlypop’s mom go missing. The town realizes the government redacted mommy since she refused to turn in Gabriel. P just fucked off to who knows where.

And then inexplicably it’s many years later and the government has offered Girlypop her mom’s old job. I guess if you can perform a triple lutz, you can hunt down Joe Schmoe. And girlypop is like forget Joe, I’m gonna misuse my new authority and clearance levels to look for my mom. The end. And if you’re like huh? Girl, me too.
——————————————
~fig

This is well written.

Lit fic loves piss sin

This was really well done, but it’s a magical realism piece, and that’s just not really my genre. It was too short for me to get that invested. 3/5

When girlypop goes back to her hometown after her mom dies, she starts seeing her ghost. She really wants to visit her grandmother’s old house which is where her mom grew up, but the extended family doesn’t want her to. They think the place is bad luck because there’s a tree in the yard that’s fed by the city’s polluted runoff. They assume the tree is contaminated and could infect them if they touch it, but they won’t cut it down because they think there’s a spirit trapped inside of it. But girlypop is stubborn and eventually wears her family down so they allow her to visit before she returns home to America. She visits the tree and talks to the spirit inside of it. The spirit transforms her traditional wedding bracelet’s gems into her dead mom’s bones so that she can always carry a piece of her with her. The end.
—————
~Leaving

This is gonna be Romulus and Remus

Again, really good. Would’ve taken a whole book about it. It’s just too short to really be anything more than 3/5.

In another dystopian world, a city is besieged by wolves that attack supply lines and murder people who stay out after curfew, so all the civilians have slowly been moving away. And if you’re like cars and guns exist, how are we not calling animal control and moving on, mind your business. Girlypop used to work as a vet, but she’s out of work now and desperate to not move back home and in with her mom after her boyfriend dumped her. On the way home from the supermarket, she sees a pregnant wolf in the alley and she’s like hoo baby, my time to shine. So she takes the violent doggo home where it dies. And the audience is like I see why she’s out of work. And girlypop is like if I couldn’t save mom, maybe I can at least save baby. But before she can cut the wolf open in an emergency c-section, the baby claws its way out of its mother Renesme style. It’s a baby mostly boy. And then he takes after his Twilight namesake and rapidly ages as girlypop butchers and feeds his mother to him. Eventually, he’s a full-ass adult man. And girlypop is like wow, what a hunk, and we’re not related so…help me stepson, I’m stuck! And the audience is like lol ew. As punishment for her crimes against humanity, like does this count as bestiality? Girlypop gets that sweet, sweet werewolfussy STD. She’s starting to transform into a wolf and losing her capabilities for higher thought. He feeds his new mom his old mom until she’s a total Nightbitch. And she’s like wow, at least I won’t have to leave my beloved city now. The end!
—————
~K

“Chewable black” for nighttime is gorgeous.

I wanna be inside your skin.

Again, I just need more. It’s weird and visual and horny but like give me a full story. 3/5.

Girlypop lives in a dorm haunted by an old photography student named K, and although she’s never gotten a good look, she becomes convinced that K is identical to the imaginary friend she had growing up. To confirm these suspicions she seeks out the photography professor and asks to develop K’s old film. I guess they just have MIA students’ selfies kicking around for civilians and not the police to borrow. When she processes the photos, Girlypop realizes they are all of the campus groundskeeper and shot so tenderly, K must’ve been in love with her. And she’s like haha gay! Also, wow we’re such PTSD twinsies. K had an inappropriate relationship with a school employee and so did I! When I was a middle schooler, my parents made me see a counselor because I was a compulsive liar. He sucked my fingies. Wow, I feel so close to her now, so like K and I are def in love. I should confront my love rival about this. So she goes to see the groundskeeper and is like hey girl, hey! What happened to K? And the groundskeeper is like I’m some sort of faerie toad creature, and K said she wanted to be inside my skin. I took that literally. And girlypop is like wow, same. And the groundskeeper is like I can arrange that. So girlypop is devoured by the groundskeeper and the ghostly K and she’s like wow, I’m just like other girls. The feminine love to consumption pipeline truly is something else. The end!
—————
~Winter

My Dark Vanessa

4/5 That was really good. Bordering on a five honestly. And they probably know it’s the start of something good because it’s the middle story and on the cover.

Girlypop’s teacher convinces her to come to his house to get a book and then makes her cum. And Girlypop’s like wow, that was rape and I’ll have to carry this with me forever, but I can fill my life up with other experiences until the memory is less loud.
—————
~Anomaly

They’re all vaguely Covid commentary.

How Orpheus and Eurydice.

5/5 fuckin pretty.

Girlypop decides to get back on Tinder because it’s been years since her last relationship, and like it’s probably time. Speaking of time, this is another dystopian society where time agents have come back from the future to try and preserve the past because there’s an impending war. If you thought we were politically fucked in ‘24, imagine when time travel is on the ballet. Except don’t think about it too much because it’s really just for vibes since this is a short story and say it with me, we don’t have the word count to get those answers. Because of the time hopping, rifts have opened in the world. Obviously, capitalism has monetized this so now they’re tourist attractions. Risk life and limb and walk through the fabric of reality on a Tuesday, and don’t forget to pose for Insta at the end. Girlypop’s Tinder date has tickets. And she’s like is examining the nature of the universe too heavy for a first date? Aw, whatever. He’s paying. And he’s like thanks for coming with me. I was supposed to go with my ex because going through the rift was her dream, but after we broke up, I figured I’d keep the tickets out of spite. And girlypop is like wow you’re a real catch. You know what, fuck this. I don’t want to try and put myself out there to be close to someone’s son. I’m going in alone. This is very dangerous because you’re supposed to use the buddy system when reality swimming so that someone else can anchor you to the real world and you can find your way back.

Inside the rift, girlypop is hiking a mountain trail that she recognizes from one of her trips with her ex-girlfriend. And she’s like oh no, I’m remembering something mundane as special. I must’ve really loved her. And her ex is like lol, you rang? And girlypop is like fuck off, no I didn’t. I’m happy alone. She remembers how they dated in college, but her ex got a cancer diagnosis. Rather than let Girlypop watch her wither away, her ex broke up with her so she could say goodbye on her own terms. She died a few years later. So Girlypop ignores her ex girlfriend and hikes the trail, and her ex is like that’s good. Don’t look behind you. And it’s all very Orpheus and Eurydice. As she reaches the end of the trail, Girlypop breaks down and admits that she doesn’t want to be alone. And her ex is like that may be, but you still can’t see me again. And Girlypop is like fuck THAT. I ended things your way once already, I’ll be damned if I do it again. So as she climbs through the rift’s exit, she looks back to see her girlfriend and instead looks death in the eye. Then she’s back in the real world, the same but different.
—————
~Lemon

A local!

I want a bittersweet romance full-length novel from this author so bad.

I think it’s about being suicidal but who knows?

4/5 gorgeous visuals and trippy, but a little hard to understand.

Girlypop goes to a house party and meets a lemon-haired boy who is having a bad time because he thinks he’s seeing his dead ex-girlfriend at the party. His ex used to see holes in the universe, and he lied and said he could see them too because he wanted a manic pixie dream girl. But after she dies, he starts seeing them too. Girlypop is like wow, he looks lonely. I can fix that. So at the party, they go into the basement and find a hole in the wall. Lemon boy decides to crawl through and vanishes. Girlypop doesn’t go but she’s scared that she wanted to. Is it suicidal ideation who knows? The end!
—————
~Supergiant

Is this Taylor Swift lol?

What a fun Black Mirror episode. Robo pop star.

I’m you with nothing inside. Oh man and her name is Less. God, how heartbreaking.

That was great. So sad. 5/5

Girlypop is a popstar who sacrificed her face and body to get a perfect robotic one. Unfortunately, the skin is starting to degrade so it’s time for her to retire so that she’ll be remembered in her prime. She’s in love with her makeup artist, a girl named Less, who helps her put the robo skins on. After her show, Girlypop puts on her civilian skin and they wander the city for one last hurrah. Girlypop tries to get Less to open up to her about her life, but she won’t. She’s always just asked about Girlypop and mirrored back her personality. And Girlypop is like wow, this is pointless. My body is dying. My girl won’t talk to me. If I’m going out, I’m going out with a bang. So she removes her skin and starts sneaking up on and scaring civilians. She’s like let them remember me as a monster if it means they’ll remember me. As the night concludes, she finds Less sitting by the city’s fountain. Less examines her and tells girlypop that she’s full of rainwater. Her circuitry can’t handle that, so she’s going to die for real now. And girlypop is like that’s fine. I was never really alive to begin with. But before I go, I’ve gotta tell you that I love you, Less. And Less is like damn, that’s sad. And girlypop is like why? And Less is like I’m your original body, just without your soul. I’m what you gave up for stardom because I wasn’t good enough. I’m Less. And the audience is like damn, that’s deep. And the author’s like lol that’s word count, the end!
—————
~Nip

Oh, she understands Mass.

This is gorgeous and flirty and heady.

The hazard orange of Buffalo wings should not be as gorgeous a phrase as it is.

5. absolutely 5.

The personification of a nip in love with its owner. The owner meets a boy at a bar and the nip dies because she’s ready to move on from her addiction.
—————
~Natalya

dyspnea

This is so gorgeous and sad.

Love the citrus callback

5 absolutely 5 again!

Girlypop works in a morgue and one day her childhood love comes in dead and she remembers how she used to cut herself.
—————
~Persimmons

Alright, baby, finish strong. Bring your girl home.

I know it’s supposed to be cutesy fairytale, but that is literally a form of rape and I hate it here.

2/5 fairytale but like a bad ending to the rest of the stories.

Girlypop lives on an alien planet settled by humans. A persimmon tree was the only thing growing on it, and when humans came to explore the planet, it offered them a deal that it would make the whole planet fertile as long as the family line that made the deal with the tree did not eat fruit and would sacrifice some of its offspring to feed the tree. They agreed and now girlypop, Uma, is the last of her line. Since making the deal, the persimmon tree has been the only dead plant on the planet, but one day it spontaneously blooms. The people are like welp, that’s it. The world is ending. Time to sacrifice Uma. She’s never been close with her mother, and she’s like hey mom, now that I’m literally about to die can you spare a scrap of love for me? And her mom’s like fuck it. And girlypop is like wow, gee thanks. And her mom’s like no, fuck it. And girlypop’s like ohhhh. So she eats a piece of fruit, breaking the deal with the tree, so when the people sacrifice her to the tree, the world still ends. The end!

Post-reading:
Look, not all short stories can be winners, but the ones that are…It’s hit after hit. This collection is full of gorgeous visuals and bittersweet romances. There’s such range to these stories.

They’re a fun mix of Covid commentary and sci-fi and fairytale and horror. It’s really just a mishmash of themes. I’d love to see a few of these stories blown up into full-length novels. They’re that strong.

I think the last story is the weakest in the bunch. I really dislike when books end on a bad note. It sours your lasting impression of the book. I don’t know how cohesive the stories feel as a collection. Sure, there’s a few citrus callbacks and running themes, but they do feel like firmly independent works. I don’t mind that sense of whiplash from collections, but I know it bothers a lot of people.

That being said, I will definitely be picking this author up again. If you like any of the short story collections I listed as similar below, I really think there’s something here for you and you should give it a read.

Who should read this:
Short story fans
Bittersweet love story fans
Imagery fans

Do I want to reread this:
Yes.

Similar books:
* Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado-angry sad girl short stories, experimental, fairytale vibes, the fuckin’ range this author is capable of
* In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado-experimental lit fic, bittersweet love story, the fuckin’ range this author is capable of
* How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu-Sci-Fi short stories, covid commentary, the fuckin’ range this author is capable of
* Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny-angry sad girl short stories, character studies
* You Have a Friend in 10A by Maggie Shipstead-feminist short stories, the fuckin’ range this author is capable of
* Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link-short stories, fairytale vibes
* Greatest Hits by Harlan Ellison-sci Fi short stories, character studies, fairytale vibes, the fuckin’ range this author is capable of
* Bad Thoughts by Nada Alic-depressed short stories

Dark, eerie and surreal.

I enjoyed this collection of weird short stories, each having a very dark tone to them with a layer of mystery.

Of course, some shorts were better than the others, however I found each intriguing keeping me reading for more and more information.

I haven’t read anything like this before, but would definitely consider reading again, and would recommend.

For any future work, I would love the see the stories go deeper into the dark world, and edge closer to even darker! So much potential from this author.

I haven't read many short story collections but the cover on this one really intrigued me. For a debut, I thought this was really well done. I think with all collections of stories not all will shine as much. I love how creative and bizarre Ghosh was in this book!

4.5 stars LOVED IT!!!

These stories are so weird and surreal. themes of womanhood, longing, grief, desire, loss and much more. Speculative fiction with elements of horror and sci fi. This also had some pretty great body horror that I loved.

Short stories are usually a hit or a miss for me, more often a miss because usually I'm left with more questions than answers and always wanting more since they are so short I'm left unsatisfied, they just almost always feel unfinished to me. Mouth by Puloma Ghosh did the complete opposite. This is by far the best and obviously my favourite collection of short stories I have ever read.

There are a total of 11 short stories:
1. Desiccation - 5 stars
2. the fig tree - 4 stars
3. Leaving things - 5 stars
4. K - 4 stars
5. In The Winter - ??? I didn't really understand this one.
6. Anomaly - 4 stars
7. Lemon Boy - 4 stars
8. Supergiant - 5 stars
9.Nip - ??? this one went over my head too, I was really into it while reading but I was stull left super confused at the end.
10. Natalya - 3.5 stars
11. Persimmons - 5 stars

If I had to pick a favourite I would have to say Supergiant for sure, the body horror in this was *chefs kiss* and then Persimmons was a close second place.

Puloma Ghosh is an incredibly talented author, I simply cant wait to read more in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Astra Publishing house for sharing a digital copy. As always, opinions are my own.

"Mouth" by Puloma Ghosh explores grief, trauma, loneliness, and relationships in a bold, surreal, and gory way. Although as a whole it was alright, some stories were better in terms of content and delivery. Some of my favorites were "The Fig Tree," "Supergiants," and "Natalya." I wouldn't recommend it to everybody since it involves occasional gory body horror, and I found some of the stories to be quite lackluster and a little pointless. However, I like the trend of writing stories involving "catastrofemale" characters. 3.5 stars/5.