G299 Book Review of Incendiary Girls by Kodi Scheer

General Information:


Name of Book: Incendiary Girls

ISBN: 978-0-544-30046-0

Publisher: Houghton

Year it was published: 2014

Author: Kodi Scheer

About the Author:
(From TLC)
Kodi Scheer teaches writing at the University of Michigan.  For her work as a writer-in-residence at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, she was awarded the Dzanc Prize for Excellence in Literary Fiction and Community Service.  Her stories have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Iowa review, and other publications.









Overall theme:

One can never tame or get rid of nature

1. Fundamental Laws of Nature 

Short Summary

Ellen, a gynecologist, is convinced that her mother became reincarnated as her daughter's lesson horse. While that story is going, Ellen begins to reflect on how reincarnation works.

2. Transplant

Short Summary:

Angela, who is suffering from a bad heart gets a heart transplant and begins to change into a way she doesn't recognize herself.

3. Miss Universe

Short Summary:

During the competition for Miss Universe, some contestants discover that Miss Afghan is faking certain aspects of herself, thus they decide to pay her back.

4. Gross Anatomy

Short Summary:

Kate, a woman who's in an anatomy class, has a mother that's also suffering and desires to go to Brazil. While that is going on, she converses with Gabe who happens to be a cadaver and both are taken apart one by one.

5. When a camel breaks your heart

Short summary:

A woman falls in love with a Muslim man named Mahir and wants it to be long-term while Mahir doesn't have these desires. When they discuss what pet to get, Mahir wants a camel named Zamboni, and consequences follow.

6. No Monsters Here

Short Summary:

Mysteriously Hannah, who suffers from a severe OCD begins to find remains of her husband around the house, uncertain of what it could mean or why its happening to her.

7. Salt of the Earth

Short Summary:

A mysterious love disease (literally disease with germs,) causes small town residents to act on their impulses against their wills, causing much mischief and tears.

8. Modern Medicine

Short Summary:

Rita, a nurse that works in the burn unit, goes out to Mexico with a friend Ashley, and while there, she reminisces about Cal Bishop who has passed away.

9. Primal Son

Short Summary:

Olivia and David are a couple that were unable to conceive a child for a very long time until Olivia gives birth to a son that happens to be a monkey. They struggle to get along, and eventually figure out a way to do so by an interesting choice.

10. Ex-Utero

Short Summary:

Zoe, a student doctor, goes through an interesting evening dealing with different people and reflecting on the sacrifices she had to make in order to continue to do what she is doing.

11. Incendiary Girls

Short Summary:

An angel and her colleagues make a bet on how long Vartouhi, an Armenian girl, can live before she dies, and Vartouhi ends up surprising the angels.

Personal Opinion

The stories that I enjoyed were Transplant, Miss Universe, and Incendiary Girls. For the last story alone, I would have given five stars due to the creepy and sickening factors that I experienced while reading it. I found some stories to be puzzling on the first read and they didn't have the depth of the stories I mentioned, or at least not as much as the ones I mentioned. Overall an interesting short collection of stories that really makes one think.

This is for TLC Book Tour

Kodi Scher’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Tuesday, April 8th:  Bibliophiliac

Wednesday, April 9th:  Bound by Words

Thursday, April 10th:  Book Snob

Friday, April 11th:  50 Books Project

Monday, April 14th:  The Things You Can Read

Tuesday, April 15th:  Patricia’s Wisdom

Wednesday, April 16th:  Booksie’s Blog

Thursday, April 17th:  Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Friday, April 18th:  Books are the New Black

Monday, April 21st:  What She Read

Tuesday, April 22nd:  Bookish Ardour

Wednesday, April 23rd:  No More Grumpy Bookseller

Thursday, April 24th:  Jorie Loves a Story

Monday, April 28th:  Guiltless Reading

Wednesday, April 30th:  The Written World

Thursday, May 1st:  The Scarlet Letter

Tuesday, May 6th:  Savvy Verse and Wit

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)