The Rock Eaters: Stories
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-20 08:51:55
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Brenda Peynado
- ISBN：0143135627
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A story collection， in the vein of Carmen Maria Machado， Kelly Link， and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah， spanning worlds and dimensions， using strange and speculative elements to tackle issues ranging from class differences to immigration to first-generation experiences to xenophobia
What does it mean to be other？ What does it mean to love in a world determined to keep us apart？
These questions murmur in the heart of each of Brenda Peynado’s strange and singular stories。 Threaded with magic， transcending time and place， these stories explore what it means to cross borders and break down walls， personally and politically。 In one story， suburban families perform oblations to cattlelike angels who live on their roofs， believing that their “thoughts and prayers” will protect them from the world’s violence。 In another， inhabitants of an unnamed dictatorship slowly lose their own agency as pieces of their bodies go missing and， with them， the essential rights that those appendages serve。 “The Great Escape” tells of an old woman who hides away in her apartment， reliving the past among beautiful objects she’s hoarded， refusing all visitors， until she disappears completely。 In the title story， children begin to levitate， flying away from their parents and their home country， leading them to eat rocks in order to stay grounded。
With elements of science fiction and fantasy， fabulism and magical realism， Brenda Peynado uses her stories to reflect our flawed world， and the incredible， terrifying， and marvelous nature of humanity。
What does it mean to be other？ What does it mean to love in a world determined to keep us apart？
These questions murmur in the heart of each of Brenda Peynado’s strange and singular stories。 Threaded with magic， transcending time and place， these stories explore what it means to cross borders and break down walls， personally and politically。 In one story， suburban families perform oblations to cattlelike angels who live on their roofs， believing that their “thoughts and prayers” will protect them from the world’s violence。 In another， inhabitants of an unnamed dictatorship slowly lose their own agency as pieces of their bodies go missing and， with them， the essential rights that those appendages serve。 “The Great Escape” tells of an old woman who hides away in her apartment， reliving the past among beautiful objects she’s hoarded， refusing all visitors， until she disappears completely。 In the title story， children begin to levitate， flying away from their parents and their home country， leading them to eat rocks in order to stay grounded。
With elements of science fiction and fantasy， fabulism and magical realism， Brenda Peynado uses her stories to reflect our flawed world， and the incredible， terrifying， and marvelous nature of humanity。
Reviews
S
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These are really thought provoking， well-written stories。。。 but it took me a long time to get the through the book， since they were so sad that I could only read a few at a time。 "The Kite Maker" in particular broke my heart （but then most of them kicked it around quite a bit）。I predict that some， if not all， of these stories will at some point be assigned to someone， somewhere in a highschool or college lit course。 They are so interesting， and invite so many subtexts and interpretations - they These are really thought provoking， well-written stories。。。 but it took me a long time to get the through the book， since they were so sad that I could only read a few at a time。 "The Kite Maker" in particular broke my heart （but then most of them kicked it around quite a bit）。I predict that some， if not all， of these stories will at some point be assigned to someone， somewhere in a highschool or college lit course。 They are so interesting， and invite so many subtexts and interpretations - they are just begging to be scrutinized and delved into。If you like fantastical， thought-provoking short story collections like this one， the blurb above has some ideas for other authors you might find interesting。。。 but I will add to those: check out Margo Lanagan's work， as well as Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories by Kelly Barnhill （and the blurb for that one here on Goodreads will give you the other 2 authors I would also recommend）。 。。。more
Eowyn Randall
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Compelling and thought-provoking stories， exploring fascinating and troubling ideas from unique and skewed perspectives。 While one or two stories felt repetitive the collection as a whole was a deeply engaging read。Standout stories:- Thoughts and Prayers （magical realism）- The Whitest Girl （1st person plural）- The Kite Maker （sci-fi）- The Rock Eaters （1st person plural）- We Work in Miraculous Cages （realism）
Cady Siregar
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what a depressing and upsetting slog of a book。 is fiction supposed to make you feel this terrible？ is anything？ what was the point of this？ I can't remember the last time I has such a horrible experience reading fiction。 what a depressing and upsetting slog of a book。 is fiction supposed to make you feel this terrible？ is anything？ what was the point of this？ I can't remember the last time I has such a horrible experience reading fiction。 。。。more
Jaq Evans
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I had to stop and take a break after every few stories， in particular The Kite Maker。。。
Riska Yourina
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Very heartbreaking 💔
Holden Wall
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Easily my favourite collection of short stories… ever。 I can not recommend this enough！！！
M Jaclyn
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Excellent short stories！ I really enjoyed the creativity and the bits of latinX culture in each story。
Joy
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I LOVED this collection of stories。 Heartfelt and realistic while also being wildly imaginative。 An unforgettable debut collection。 I can't wait to read what Brenda Peynado publishes next。 I LOVED this collection of stories。 Heartfelt and realistic while also being wildly imaginative。 An unforgettable debut collection。 I can't wait to read what Brenda Peynado publishes next。 。。。more
Ellen
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Beautifully written stories， many of them overwhelming in how Peynado captures grief and despair。 I especially liked Thoughts and Prayers， The Stones of Sorrow Lake， The Kite Maker， and We Work in Miraculous Cages。
Jillian
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The writing is just magical and pulls you in quick。 My only complaint is that some of the stories just seemed to suddenly end， with no real plot point。 That said， all these stories could be there own novel， and I would greedily read them all。
William
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1。 Thoughts and Prayers （4/5）2。 The Stones of Sorrow Lake （3/5）3。 The Whitest Girl （3/5）4。 Yaiza （3/5）5。 The Drownings （4/5）6。 The Great Escape （4/5）7。 The Kite Maker （5/5）8。 What We Lost （5/5）9。 The Rock Eaters （5/5）10。 True Love Game （4/5）11。 The Touches （4/5）12。 The Man I Could Be （3/5）13。 Catarina （3/5）14。 The Dreamers （5/5）15。 We Work in Miraculous Cages （3/5）16。 The Radioactives （4/5）
Elbrackeen Brackeen
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So many interesting ideas in these stories。 I am looking forward to more from this author。
Audrey H。
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I was really excited for this release but I've tried picking it up four or five times， switching between both audio and book formats， and just can't get into the writing style and slow-fade endings。 DNF @ 56% I was really excited for this release but I've tried picking it up four or five times， switching between both audio and book formats， and just can't get into the writing style and slow-fade endings。 DNF @ 56% 。。。more
Ann Douglas
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A remarkable collection of short stories。 Some of them read like folk tales—and by that I mean deeply political folk tales。 Others read like stories that could show up in any mainstream short story collection， if it weren’t for the world-changing elements of magic realism and/or the hard-hitting social critique。 （Imagine a world where everyone stands outside and offers “thoughts and prayers” before their kids head to school， just in case their kids end up falling victim to a mass shooting。） Anyw A remarkable collection of short stories。 Some of them read like folk tales—and by that I mean deeply political folk tales。 Others read like stories that could show up in any mainstream short story collection， if it weren’t for the world-changing elements of magic realism and/or the hard-hitting social critique。 （Imagine a world where everyone stands outside and offers “thoughts and prayers” before their kids head to school， just in case their kids end up falling victim to a mass shooting。） Anyway， I love short story collections and this one is incredible。 。。。more
Robert
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All of the stories in this collection are top notch。 Almost all of them have an element of the fantastic in them， and they deal with important issues of the day in thought provoking ways。 One of my favorites was the Kite Maker， which you can read here: https://www。tor。com/2021/05/11/short-。。。Another favorite was Yaiza， read it here: https://kenyonreview。org/kr-online-is。。。 All of the stories in this collection are top notch。 Almost all of them have an element of the fantastic in them， and they deal with important issues of the day in thought provoking ways。 One of my favorites was the Kite Maker， which you can read here: https://www。tor。com/2021/05/11/short-。。。Another favorite was Yaiza， read it here: https://kenyonreview。org/kr-online-is。。。 。。。more
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here's the thing: if you're going to write stories like this in the literary-fiction-with-genre-elements category a la George Saunders and Kevin Brockmeier and Samanta Schweblin， etc。， you have to have really strong writing and an understanding of subtlety。 So if these stories had been more overtly *genre fiction*， they might have hit me differently， but the occasional moments of awkward writing or heavy-handedness really undermined the whole experience。 I read three or four of the stories and j here's the thing: if you're going to write stories like this in the literary-fiction-with-genre-elements category a la George Saunders and Kevin Brockmeier and Samanta Schweblin， etc。， you have to have really strong writing and an understanding of subtlety。 So if these stories had been more overtly *genre fiction*， they might have hit me differently， but the occasional moments of awkward writing or heavy-handedness really undermined the whole experience。 I read three or four of the stories and just felt like they weren't measuring up to the other excellent work I've read in this category。 I might have to revisit the rest later。 。。。more
Rachel England-Brassy
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3。5 stars a great collection of stories from a new voice。Recommended。
Hannah ✨
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absolutely loved this。
Beth Anne
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I began this book with a great deal of skepticism， anxious to see how the author would create different worlds， magical realities， continents， and timelines。 Wow！ Peynado does not disappoint！ From flying people to superhumans， time travel to avatars， school shootings to angels， Peynado explores themes of classism， gender roles， immigration， politics， and the sheer range of human emotions， including love， anger， loneliness， envy， and more。 I cannot recommend this book enough！ I will admit that I I began this book with a great deal of skepticism， anxious to see how the author would create different worlds， magical realities， continents， and timelines。 Wow！ Peynado does not disappoint！ From flying people to superhumans， time travel to avatars， school shootings to angels， Peynado explores themes of classism， gender roles， immigration， politics， and the sheer range of human emotions， including love， anger， loneliness， envy， and more。 I cannot recommend this book enough！ I will admit that I skipped one of the stories that did not interest me but this is a remarkable collection！ Peynado's clear writing and incredible imagination will take you on a much-needed journey。 I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future。 。。。more
Pavel
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Brenda Reynado's debut short stories collection is mesmerizing， dream-like， and touching upon bleeding traumas and yet to be healed scars of our societies。Each story is like a therapy session， addressing existential questions of forgiveness and redemption， belonging and exclusion， love and death， sorrows and happiness。 She creates dreamy settings bending norms and basic assumptions and makes readers see something important within themselves。Here is a top chart of my favorites:*****The Rock Eater Brenda Reynado's debut short stories collection is mesmerizing， dream-like， and touching upon bleeding traumas and yet to be healed scars of our societies。Each story is like a therapy session， addressing existential questions of forgiveness and redemption， belonging and exclusion， love and death， sorrows and happiness。 She creates dreamy settings bending norms and basic assumptions and makes readers see something important within themselves。Here is a top chart of my favorites:*****The Rock Eaters *****The Kite Maker*****The Stones of Sorrow Lake I also really liked the opening story Thoughts and Prayers and The Touches。This book is a must-read for fans of Karen Russell and Laura van den Berg。 。。。more
Bryan
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Super interesting concepts but every story ended right as things got interesting。 I'd love to see some of these stories expanded。 Super interesting concepts but every story ended right as things got interesting。 I'd love to see some of these stories expanded。 。。。more
Rachel
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Packed with stories that make you think， make you question， and pull your heart strings all different directions。
Lisa
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I loved everyone of these fantastical short stories that felt so real！
Jarrod
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Imagine how this opening sentence hits after Emma Cline’s boring mopes: “The morning before the school shooting passed like any other， all my neighbors out at dawn performing oblations to the angels on our roofs。” Pow！ Peynado’s world-building is impressive considering the stories’ fantastic tendencies—her effortlessness is almost Philip K。 Dickensian with how the reader is forced （and trusted） to understand the environment and the rules before turning a page。 Sixteen times！ This is where Daddy Imagine how this opening sentence hits after Emma Cline’s boring mopes: “The morning before the school shooting passed like any other， all my neighbors out at dawn performing oblations to the angels on our roofs。” Pow！ Peynado’s world-building is impressive considering the stories’ fantastic tendencies—her effortlessness is almost Philip K。 Dickensian with how the reader is forced （and trusted） to understand the environment and the rules before turning a page。 Sixteen times！ This is where Daddy failed me。 Does “effortless” have two meanings？Even here， though， collected-short-story fatigue set in somewhere past the middle。 That’s （mostly） inevitable and likely the reason the format is often kept under three hundred pages， even when beginnings and endings are included。 I’m sorry to pick so on Cline but the difference is hard to disregard。 It’s not her fault。 It’s not Peynado’s either。 。。。more
Alexis Newkirk
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This is very different from what I’m used to reading but it was interesting。 It’s very Black Mirror meets Gabriel Garcia Marquez， with well written magical realism and a lot of social commentary - some of which was more on the nose than others。 Very depressing but beautifully written short stories。
Elizabeth Gonzalez
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This is a writer we're going to be hearing about for a long， long time。 She tackles difficult topics head-on with courage and insight， all within a surreal world that allows her metaphors to soar to incredible heights。 I am absolutely in love with her writing and the brilliant way her mind and heart work。 I feel incredibly lucky that I got to have this book in my life。 This is a writer we're going to be hearing about for a long， long time。 She tackles difficult topics head-on with courage and insight， all within a surreal world that allows her metaphors to soar to incredible heights。 I am absolutely in love with her writing and the brilliant way her mind and heart work。 I feel incredibly lucky that I got to have this book in my life。 。。。more
luce
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/ / / Read more reviews on my blog / / /The Rock Eaters: Stories will probably appeal to fans of macabre tales， such as the ones authored by Samanta Schweblin， Mariana Enríquez， and possibly even Yōko Ogawa。 This collection of speculative short stories is a highly metaphorical one。 Brenda Peynado uses magical realism， aliens， dystopian and fantastic scenarios， to discuss immigration， xenophobia， and class disparity。 While I appreciated the issues Peynado tackles within her narratives these stori / / / Read more reviews on my blog / / /The Rock Eaters: Stories will probably appeal to fans of macabre tales， such as the ones authored by Samanta Schweblin， Mariana Enríquez， and possibly even Yōko Ogawa。 This collection of speculative short stories is a highly metaphorical one。 Brenda Peynado uses magical realism， aliens， dystopian and fantastic scenarios， to discuss immigration， xenophobia， and class disparity。 While I appreciated the issues Peynado tackles within her narratives these stories seemed often allegorical to the point of distraction。 Much of the imagery was repetitive and the grotesque elements embedded within these narratives came across as unnecessarily garish and sensationalistic。Peynado's fabulist tales are certainly more successful than those stories that venture into the sci-fi/dystopian realm; they either read like knock-off Black Mirror episodes or as incredibly derivative of other works。 There is one story， in particular， that seemed to rip off Memory Police， and another one—starring aliens being persecuted and oppressed—seemed a bit too reminiscent of films such as District 9。While the author certainly plays around with different genres the tone and style of these stories weren't all that varied。 They are incredibly depressing and negative。 The characters blur together， seeming to share the same kind of generic personality。 The author often uses a choral perspective， 'we/us'， and this struck me as the classic stylistic device used in creative writing classes （'experiment' with 'perspective' and all that）。 It just didn't work for me。 I also found that these stories didn't have much to say about anything other than underlining how crap everything is。 There seems to be not one ray of hope within these tales。 The lack of lgbtq+ characters also seemed a bit annoying （one story has a same-sex relationship）。 I also did not care for the way in which these tales handle mental health and diseases （that one where people fall asleep for years， or the one with the wife in a come）。I can think of many other books that discuss similar topics with much more depth （The Undocumented Americans， works by Patricia Engel and Edwidge Danticat）。 In this collection， the author seems to sacrifice character and story development to style。 This may indeed work for other readers but it did zilch for me。 。。。more
Liz
，
SO GOOD。
Claire Holroyde
，
THE ROCK EATERS by debut Brenda Peynado is a luminous collection of 16 award-winning short stories filled with speculative elements that are rich with allegory。 “Thoughts and Prayers” begins the morning of another school shooting in a Florida suburb。 Each house has a resident guardian angel， or really just a creature with a humanoid face， black bovine eyes， and bird body that squats on the roof beside the chimney。 They chew grass and produce guano while thoughts and prayers are offered up to the THE ROCK EATERS by debut Brenda Peynado is a luminous collection of 16 award-winning short stories filled with speculative elements that are rich with allegory。 “Thoughts and Prayers” begins the morning of another school shooting in a Florida suburb。 Each house has a resident guardian angel， or really just a creature with a humanoid face， black bovine eyes， and bird body that squats on the roof beside the chimney。 They chew grass and produce guano while thoughts and prayers are offered up to them every morning at dawn。 A young girl， who lost her sister in the latest tragedy， remarks: “Nobody’s doing anything。” “The Kite Maker，” explores themes of social justice through the lens of science fiction。 An alien race， nicknamed Dragonflies for their wings， have crash landed on our planet。 They are massacred and then assimilated into work camps for cheap labor。 An antique toymaker remembers killing Dragonflies after their arks fell from the sky and cracked open like eggs。 Memories of violence haunt her as the Dragonflies frequent her shop for her handmade kites。 They fly them in the park across the street and yip with sheer joy。 Dragonflies can’t fly in Earth’s heavy atmosphere， they can only send up their kites and remember the feeling of weightlessness and belonging on their home planet。 When a band of skinheads vandalize shops that cater to aliens， the kite maker hides a Dragonfly in her workshop。 She even recognizes one of the newly shaven skinheads: “Did it matter that before the Dragonflies arrived， she and I would have been hated instead—for our dark hair， her Chicana roots and my Dominican ones…” “The Rock Eaters” features the dreamy， magical realism often found in Latin-American literature。 First-generation Americans take to the sky and fly back to the island country of their birth like a large flock of migratory birds。 They carry their young children over the ocean to meet their grandparents and see the old country。 As the children age， their bodies are able to levitate and fly like their parents， but they don’t want to abandon the island and its people—their people， their heritage。 Instead of preparing to return to the distant land of opportunity， they tether their ankles to the ground and eat bellyfuls of red rocks to weigh down their maturing bodies。 These are just a sampling of the stories from a remarkable new talent。 。。。more
Joachim Stoop
，
closer to 3，5
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Rock Eaters: Stories
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Rock Eaters: Stories&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft