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The Doll's Alphabet

By Camilla Grudova
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3.87 goodreads logo

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Check link for latest rating. ( 1,974 ratings, 378 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Doll's Alphabet by Camilla Grudova is a collection of surreal and unsettling stories that explore the complexities of womanhood, family, and society through a lens both gothic and fantastical. The tales are intriguingly dark, blending the macabre and the mundane, with a distinctive style that prompts readers to reconsider the norms of everyday life. Each story delves into themes of transformation, independence, and the haunting undercurrents of domesticity.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are drawn to surreal and haunting stories that blend elements of fairy tales and dystopian worlds. Its unique narrative style and darkly imaginative tales captivate readers who appreciate exploration of the uncanny and the grotesque, often with a strong feminist perspective. Immerse yourself in these vivid, unsettling vignettes for a truly original reading experience.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Surreal, ambitious and exquisitely conceived, The Doll's Alphabet is a collection of stories in the tradition of Angela Carter and Margaret Atwood.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Dolls, sewing machines, tinned foods, mirrors, malfunctioning bodies—many images recur in stories that are in turn child-like and naive, grotesque and very dark.

In Unstitching, a feminist revolution takes place. In Waxy, a factory worker fights to keep hold of her Man in a society where it is frowned upon to be Manless. In Agata's Machine, two schoolgirls conjure a Pierrot and an angel in a dank attic room. In Notes from a Spider, a half-man, half-spider finds love in a great European city.

By constantly reinventing ways to engage with her obsessions and motifs, Camilla Grudova has come up with a method for storytelling that is highly imaginative, incredibly original, and absolutely discomfiting.

"Marvellous. Grudova understands that the best writing has to pull off the hardest aesthetic trick—it has to be both memorable and fleeting." - Deborah Levy, author of Hot Milk

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Doll's Alphabet by Camilla Grudova is praised for its haunting and distinct flavour, drawing comparisons to Kafka and the surreal storytelling of Leonora Carrington. The stories are noted for their unique, dream-like worlds, blending unsettling, fantastical elements with a peculiar, pedestrian literalism. Critics highlight the collection's originality and the rich, imaginative imagery that continues to haunt readers long after finishing the book.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781910695371

Publisher: Fitzcarraldo Editions

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 14 February 2017

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Fitzcarraldo Editions

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 195.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 192

Collections

Camilla Grudova Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction

About the Author

Camilla Grudova is a writer living in Edinburgh. She holds a degree in Art History and German from McGill University, Montreal. Her stories have appeared in The White Review and Granta.

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