Deb Olin Unferth

I read one of these stories in an earlier journal and was intrigued by the swerve. I have respect for this writing and think that earlier story and a few others are quite good. The rest I can do without. I always expect a range of reaction from myself for short story collections, so I don't mind weak pieces. I rate based on my favorites and how I react to the tone and throughline. In this case I found it depressing in a way that didn't resonate with me.
DNF/skipped around

One of the most original novels I have ever read: about a girl named Janey and a heist of chickens (900,000) from a relatively small-scale egg farm in Iowa. It’s also about dysfunctional families, about not fitting in, about toxic waste dumps and the rest of the economic blights that typify our current dispensation. It is a funny and sad, well written tale of urgent things, told in a slightly off-hand way, never with its hair on fire, even though it could be. I enjoyed it.