Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird: Stories
An NPR Best Book of 2023
A collection of nineteen dark, wildly imaginative short stories from the author of the award-winning TikTok sensation Tender Is the Flesh.
From celebrated author Agustina Bazterrica, this collection of nineteen brutal, darkly funny short stories takes into our deepest fears and through our most disturbing fantasies. Through stories about violence, alienation, and dystopia, Bazterrica’s vision of the human experience emerges in complex, unexpected ways—often unsettling, sometimes thrilling, and always profound. In “Roberto,” a girl claims to have a rabbit between her legs. A woman’s neighbor jumps to his death in “A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound,” and in “Candy Pink,” a woman fails to contend with a difficult breakup in five easy steps.
Written in Bazterrica’s signature clever, vivid style, these stories question love, friendship, family relationships, and unspeakable desires.
A collection of nineteen dark, wildly imaginative short stories from the author of the award-winning TikTok sensation Tender Is the Flesh.
From celebrated author Agustina Bazterrica, this collection of nineteen brutal, darkly funny short stories takes into our deepest fears and through our most disturbing fantasies. Through stories about violence, alienation, and dystopia, Bazterrica’s vision of the human experience emerges in complex, unexpected ways—often unsettling, sometimes thrilling, and always profound. In “Roberto,” a girl claims to have a rabbit between her legs. A woman’s neighbor jumps to his death in “A Light, Swift, and Monstrous Sound,” and in “Candy Pink,” a woman fails to contend with a difficult breakup in five easy steps.
Written in Bazterrica’s signature clever, vivid style, these stories question love, friendship, family relationships, and unspeakable desires.
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Community Reviews
I was convinced I was gonna love this collection of stories, I love a well written dark and twisted tale.. however this wasn’t it.
I’m not sure if the translator is to blame, but this was just someone trying to put shock factor into stories without having the writing to back it up.
I’m not sure if the translator is to blame, but this was just someone trying to put shock factor into stories without having the writing to back it up.
Wow wow wow, I am thoroughly impressed. Not only are these short stories frightening and engaging, Bazterrica’s writing style sucks you in whether you want it to or not. I went into this having already read Tender is the Flesh, a book I enjoyed but felt was lacking in direction, and was expecting maybe the same quality, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much more I enjoyed this book. I feel like short stories are where Bazterrica really shines and is able to show us just how talented she really is. Each story was interesting, thought provoking, and some were genuinely “get under your skin” creepy, 4 stars!
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