Organ Meats

Two girls are bound by red string and canine heritage in this vivid tale about female companionship and loyalty, from the National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree and author of Gods of Want.

[K-Ming Chang has the] ability to take a common, decidedly earthbound, experience and transform it through her lens into a fantastical, otherworldly encounter. San Francisco Chronicle

Best friends Anita and Rainie find refuge by an old sycamore tree with its neighboring lot of stray dogs who have a mysterious ability to communicate with humans. The girls learn that they are preceded by generations of dog-headed women and woman-headed dogs whose bloodlines bind them together. Anita convinces Rainie to become a dog with her, tying a collar of red string around each of their necks to preserve their kinship forever. But when the two girls are separated, Anita sinks into a dreamworld that only Rainie knows how to rescue her from. As Anita s body begins to rot, it is up to Rainie to rebuild Anita s body and keep her friend from being lost forever. 

Filled with ghosts and bodily entrails, this is a story about the horror and beauty of intimacy, written in K-Ming Chang s signature poetic and visceral lore.