
I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Bailey Carr
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By:
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Marisa Crane
About this listen
Dept. of Speculation meets Black Mirror in this lyrical, speculative debut about a queer mother raising her daughter in an unjust surveillance state
In a United States not so unlike our own, the Department of Balance has adopted a radical new form of law enforcement: rather than incarceration, wrongdoers are given a second (and sometimes, third, fourth, and fifth) shadow as a reminder of their crime—and a warning to those they encounter. Within the Department, corruption and prejudice run rampant, giving rise to an underclass of so-called Shadesters who are disenfranchised, publicly shamed, and deprived of civil rights protections.
Kris is a Shadester and a new mother to a baby born with a second shadow of her own. Grieving the loss of her wife and thoroughly unprepared for the reality of raising a child alone, Kris teeters on the edge of collapse, fumbling in a daze of alcohol, shame, and self-loathing. Yet as the kid grows, Kris finds her footing, raising a child whose irrepressible spark cannot be dampened by the harsh realities of the world. She can’t forget her wife, but with time, she can make a new life for herself and the kid, supported by a community of fellow misfits who defy the Department to lift one another up in solidarity and hope.
With a first-person register reminiscent of the fierce self-disclosure of Sheila Heti and the poetic precision of Ocean Vuong, I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself is a bold debut novel that examines the long shadow of grief, the hard work of parenting, and the power of queer resistance.
©2023 Marisa Crane (P)2023 Blackstone PublishingListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
Indie Next Recommendation
Independent Book Review Pick
Chicago Review of Books Pick
Goodreads Pick
Editorial Review
Beautifully devastating
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Joyful, heartbreaking, funny, and deeply poignant
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Dystopian tale of facing dark times, while raising a child
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WOW!
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An immersive inner narrative
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Beautiful but not heavy on plot
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I went into this book completely blind. At some point I added it to my library, though I had no memory of it. I noticed it was leaving the Plus catalog, so I picked it for my next listen. Turns out, it was exactly what I needed right now.
I’m not sure what to say about it. What’s in my head is , Wow.
I can’t believe this was their first book. Please, please, PLEASE keep writing.
The style, the themes, the social commentary, the narration. All of it. *chef’s kiss*
This one will stay with me. I want a paper copy to dog ear and mark and defile. I want to recommend it to people. I need to sit with it a bit, and I definitely need to listen again.
Best book I’ve read in months, maybe all year.
This is why we try new things.
*Beware triggers, if you need that for your mental health. This is not an easy book. Many difficult topics are part of the story.
I cannot believe this was the author’s first book!
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A must Read
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As if parenting wasn’t hard enough
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But the sex stuff just seemed gratuitous. There's about ten to twenty minutes throughout of pretty graphic stuff that didn't add much to the narrative, I got the point after the first few minutes.
To be completely honest the most jarring point is when the narrator tenderly and lovingly uses the c word. I've never heard it used in anything but negative ways, and its not a gentle sounding word so that caught me off guard.
Its a deep and moving story that I'm glad I listened to and I think I actually got it!
I think this should be labeled as erotica.
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