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fedelikeslego's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I don’t know how to feel honestly. I had very highly expectations because the premise is amazing. What I found is an extremely boring collage of ideas. There’s so many things that are just randomly put in the plot and then never explained/finished? It’s just frustrating honestly. It feels like Yoder’s publisher just forced her to make the novel longer.
- Who where those strawberry dogs? Was she just loosing her mind? I didn’t get it.
- What was even the point of the Wanda plot? I have no idea.
- The relationship with Nightbitch husband was just so useless, also he changed in a second? Like, so unexpectedly? I got the point of him just being good, but “typically male” the whole time, but it could have been deepen it better? It just sounds so stupid
- Honestly, just the whole dog thing that she randomly set aside.
- her son just disappear? Like, I get the point of her finally being a free human being (again, difficult after motherhood), but like, he just suddenly disappear?
What was I expecting from this book before reading it?
Literally a mother who turned in to a dog, but like, fisically, not only mentally.
What would i have preferred, after reading it?
A short book would have been much better, not a short story, but like a 100-120 pages book, so less then the half of it.
As a artist myself I loved every single time she talked about art, making art and being an artist. I also loved the performance at the end, made perfect sense with her feelings (Not feeling sure about his husband reactions? You’re eating a rotten cadaver from the ground? Sounds great! I’ll shower you, i’ll love your performance!)
The domestic cat violence was a blow to the heart, I didn’t want to read it.
So… I’m just disappointed, I expected much more in terms of both plot and general message? Let’s objectively look at it, no emotions, how could you not found obvious what she said? The “perfect mother era” finished like decades ago? A lot of people think that and admit that right now, there’s communities, support groups. Literally nothing was revolutionary about it.
Don’t get me wrong, the 1 star is not because “it’s too weird”, I read weirder books, it’s just not good, extremely poor execution.
- Who where those strawberry dogs? Was she just loosing her mind? I didn’t get it.
- What was even the point of the Wanda plot? I have no idea.
- The relationship with Nightbitch husband was just so useless, also he changed in a second? Like, so unexpectedly? I got the point of him just being good, but “typically male” the whole time, but it could have been deepen it better? It just sounds so stupid
- Honestly, just the whole dog thing that she randomly set aside.
- her son just disappear? Like, I get the point of her finally being a free human being (again, difficult after motherhood), but like, he just suddenly disappear?
What was I expecting from this book before reading it?
Literally a mother who turned in to a dog, but like, fisically, not only mentally.
What would i have preferred, after reading it?
A short book would have been much better, not a short story, but like a 100-120 pages book, so less then the half of it.
As a artist myself I loved every single time she talked about art, making art and being an artist. I also loved the performance at the end, made perfect sense with her feelings (Not feeling sure about his husband reactions? You’re eating a rotten cadaver from the ground? Sounds great! I’ll shower you, i’ll love your performance!)
The domestic cat violence was a blow to the heart, I didn’t want to read it.
So… I’m just disappointed, I expected much more in terms of both plot and general message? Let’s objectively look at it, no emotions, how could you not found obvious what she said? The “perfect mother era” finished like decades ago? A lot of people think that and admit that right now, there’s communities, support groups. Literally nothing was revolutionary about it.
Don’t get me wrong, the 1 star is not because “it’s too weird”, I read weirder books, it’s just not good, extremely poor execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gore, Mental illness, and Misogyny
kayleejanes's review
challenging
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Cannibalism
anxiousnachos's review against another edition
dark
3.25
Well this was a weird fever dream of brutality. And you’d think with those words I would have adored it…and I definitely think Yoder has so much skill, there were moments of genius and I love the idea. The prose and brutal nature of the book viscerally makes me never want to have children. But somehow despite the book’s fairly short length, it still felt too long? The first 50 pages were my favourite and I feel like none of the ideas ever really developed from these first pages, the whole book was just more of the same.
Note: There’s an extremely graphic, gruesome cat murder scene that I found extremely disturbing as a cat owner myself and hadn’t been expecting.
Content warnings: graphic killing of a cat, animal death, animal cruelty, body horror, childbirth, child neglect, emotional abuse, blood and gore
Note: There’s an extremely graphic, gruesome cat murder scene that I found extremely disturbing as a cat owner myself and hadn’t been expecting.
Content warnings: graphic killing of a cat, animal death, animal cruelty, body horror, childbirth, child neglect, emotional abuse, blood and gore
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Pregnancy
shanmswee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
At times this novel was hard to stay with. It felt non-sensical and very difficult to follow.
I’ll be the first to speak on postpartum maternal healthcare (or lackthereof) in the United States & how even when one does seek care they can be easily dismissed by their very own provider; Allowing postpartum mental health to go unchecked.
That being said, the character of ‘the mother’ constantly brushing off her symptoms, her troubles, her frustration with her husband who doesn’t help, her frustration with having to ask for her help instead of them functioning as a unit.
It was exhausting.
And then the graphic, detailed descriptions of animal death? The murdering of their cat? Taking out her anger and frustration over their “dumb” cat by plunging a knife into her?
Sometimes I could get behind the mother becoming in tune with her most animalistic, primal, feral parts of herself.
But these unnecessary, pointless recurrent descriptions of animal death and harm quite literally put me off from being able to enjoy the book.
It was foreshadowed what would happen to the cat, so I suppose it didn’t come without warning. But for it to be so graphic?
At other times, the way the author humanized ‘the mother’ was brilliant. ‘The mother’ per se isn’t a dislikable character — her growth and development into both her role as ‘mother’ and reconnecting with her artistry and her craft was enjoyable.
But the bits in-between, the disdain for a partner she disks to communicate with (and subsequently blames for not being a mind reader) it’s old. It’s a trope.
Of course “the husband’ is an equal partner in the relationship and certainly fell short of his parenting role to the detriment of his partner. But on the other hand, the blame of course cannot be entirely on him when he’s got nothing but assume everyone is doing well.
All this to say, I I have to rate the book at 2.5 stars. Unfortunately, not sure I would recommend. I was a bit disappointed. Didn’t hate, but didn’t love.
I’ll be the first to speak on postpartum maternal healthcare (or lackthereof) in the United States & how even when one does seek care they can be easily dismissed by their very own provider; Allowing postpartum mental health to go unchecked.
That being said, the character of ‘the mother’ constantly brushing off her symptoms, her troubles, her frustration with her husband who doesn’t help, her frustration with having to ask for her help instead of them functioning as a unit.
It was exhausting.
And then the graphic, detailed descriptions of animal death? The
Sometimes I could get behind the mother becoming in tune with her most animalistic, primal, feral parts of herself.
But these unnecessary, pointless recurrent descriptions of animal death and harm quite literally put me off from being able to enjoy the book.
It was foreshadowed what would happen to the cat, so I suppose it didn’t come without warning. But for it to be so graphic?
At other times, the way the author humanized ‘the mother’ was brilliant. ‘The mother’ per se isn’t a dislikable character — her growth and development into both her role as ‘mother’ and reconnecting with her artistry and her craft was enjoyable.
But the bits in-between, the disdain for a partner she disks to communicate with (and subsequently blames for not being a mind reader) it’s old. It’s a trope.
Of course “the husband’ is an equal partner in the relationship and certainly fell short of his parenting role to the detriment of his partner. But on the other hand, the blame of course cannot be entirely on him when he’s got nothing but assume everyone is doing well.
All this to say, I I have to rate the book at 2.5 stars. Unfortunately, not sure I would recommend. I was a bit disappointed. Didn’t hate, but didn’t love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Violence
Minor: Emotional abuse and Pregnancy
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