many thanks to netgalley and tin house for the ARC!

what a wonderfully quiet yet profound little book about skunks and coming into adulthood and love and friendship and questions without answers and knowing too much but also nothing at all! warnick's writing lolls, meanders, and meditates in a way that is propulsive without any gimmicks or twists. SKUNKS is made up of so many opposing things, folding unto one another until everything that was once black and white becomes grey-- and these grey areas are explored boundlessly. while i loved living in isabel's mind, i could read an entire book from the skunk's perspective alone. cannot wait to read more from fiona warnick

I think that while this book was incredibly well written and fresh, it's just not the book for me. I don't really enjoy "plotless" books, so that could be why? Anyways, I know many will enjoy this one!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Engaging and immersive. This is a recommended purchase for collections where quirkier litfic is popular.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing here. The prose was gorgeous and I was thoroughly engaged throughout the skunk perspective chapters, but I did get quite lost with who was who and what was happening. This was definitely a no plot, just vibes book though I'd still recommend picking up for a somewhat cozy read

This book confused me. There were moments I felt right there with the characters — the boy crazy feeling while waiting to text or hear from a crush, the nostalgia of coming “home” while trying to understand what home means, etc. However, I struggled with the skunks & felt they didn’t quite work with the alternating POVs. Their parts were a bit jarring & didn’t translate well with what I read to be happening. I’m certain there was deeper meaning than I was picking up, but it wasn’t as clear as it perhaps could have been. That said there are some lovely bits of character development & lyrical language scattered throughout this unique book.

Thanks to NetGalley & W.W. Norton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 rounded up!

thank you netgalley for this arc!

this book was wildly interesting. following Isabel as she goes through a period of life figuring out the meaning of love, loss, and the future.

i really enjoy each part of this book separately. the POV of the skunk, the pasta with Ellie, Eli, Brynn and Cecilia, the discussion of family, the thoughts of life. but all together the book felt almost disconnect from itself.

The skunk POV was by far my favorite, i loved thinking about life through the eyes of a skunk.

the prose was also really gorgeous, i look forward to reading more by this author

reading THE SKUNKS felt like giving my brain a bath. i felt clean. it was gentle, soothing, sweet, & oh so fresh. in THE SKUNKS, there’s really no plot, but many many quiet, tender, and reflective vibes- and i just really loved it.

isabel is back home after just graduating college. she is spending her time house sitting, baby sitting, working at a yoga studio, and hanging out with her best friend ellie. one day, isabel sees a trio of skunks in the neighborhood, & now she can’t stop thinking about them.

THE SKUNKS is a very charming novel. while feeling like a very private observation of the natural world, it illuminates the thin line between youth and adulthood as isabel navigates one of the many in-betweens of life.

Good book although at times I found it disconnected to its own parts. Still nice and surrealistic at moments, thanks for the arc. 4.5

I have no idea what I just read?! This book just felt like a bunch of random thoughts combined into a book… I liked the parts about Isabel and her interactions with Eli, Ellie, and the girl she babysat, but everything else felt like just randomness.