Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy

Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy

Hailey Piper2021
Love twisted into horrific shapes, nightmares driven by cruel music, and a world where what little light remains fractures the sky into midnight rainbows in eighteen stories tracing the dark veins of queer horror, isolation, and the monstrous feminine. The universe unwinds to the tune of a malicious ice cream truck jingle in "We All Scream". "The Law of Conservation of Death" dictates that a ghost pursue his prey across her every reincarnation. Superstitions thrive even in the distant future and across the stars when a colony shuttle mounts a witch trial in "Hairy Jack". And try to "Forgive the Adoring Beast" as it scavenges a world of dead gods for tokens of bloody affection. Including two new short stories and a never-before-published novelette, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy digs deep inside us and clings to the beating nightmare heart you always knew was there.
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Reviews

Photo of Becca Futrell
Becca Futrell@astoldbybex
4 stars
Oct 5, 2021

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of Unfortunate Elements of my Anatomy in exchange for an honest review! Were he to write about me, it would be my fault, but the pen is in my hand today. It was from the very first story, “Feast for Small Pieces,” that I knew Unfortunate Elements of my Anatomy would be something special. Hailey Piper’s words resonated with me in a way that made me want to punch the patriarchy. Alright, alright, I feel that way every day but the point is, this short is so phenomenal and was a perfect way to get the reader excited for the rest of the collection. Hailey Piper never fails to amaze me with her writing and range. At times, I’m in awe with the lyrical quality of her words, while other times I’m laughing out loud over a demon attached to a Skip-It (“Demons of Particular Taste”). We love a Horror Queen that can hit all of the spooky spots. Each time a story ended, I would promise myself, “just one more!” and ended up reading a little over half the collection in one-sitting. This is something very rare for me, as I’m not huge into collections. Unfortunate Elements of my Anatomy is officially one of my favorite short story collections. Unfortunate Elements of my Anatomy has queer themes sprinkled throughout, and when I say sprinkled, what I really mean is that Hailey Piper threw eight cups of queer into the recipe and it’s fantastic. Loves the representation. I’m not a chainsaw kind of girl, but her teeth sure are pretty when they catch the sunshine. Top Three Favorites in Collection: “Feast for Small Pieces” “I’m Not a Chainsaw Kind of Girl, but…” Note, this also wins best title ever. “Daisy” Unfortunate Elements of my Anatomy has possession, a spooky ice cream man, witchcraft, reincarnation, and more! I 10/10 recommend picking this collection up because on top of Hailey Piper’s A+++++ writing, there is seriously something for everyone. You really just can’t lose with this one. Laurel Hightower, author of Crossroads, writes the introduction to Unfortunate Elements of my Anatomy and she really sums up how I feel about Hailey Piper and her work so well. Basically, if you want to hear even more of my thoughts, just pick up Unfortunate Elements of Anatomy & read the intro, because same. Any quotes used in review is from an early copy of Unfortunate Elements of my Anatomy and may not line up with the finished copy.