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very_mellifluous's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was really intrigued by this book. The premise immediately grabbed me, and now that I've finished I'm glad to have read it. It feels like one of those books that will linger for a while.
Things about Nightbitch:
-I really, really resonated with the exploration of motherhood. That's the biggest takeaway from reading this. I myself am not a mother, but I still felt the resonance of my mother - both in how I see her, and the similarities between her mothering experience and Nightbitch's (the narrator). In many ways I think this is a brutal sharing of the reality of womanhood in our time and place. There is so much that is passed from mother to daughter, and even if the physical experiences don't match at certain points in time (i.e. a child vs their adult mother), the emotional echoes and cultural weights can feel remarkably similar. At many points, this was emotionally difficult to read because I felt Nightbitch's infuriation and frustration so viscerally. It's a book I want my mother to read, so that she can know I know how she might have felt, and might still feel. *generational motherhood* might be the theme here. v
-I liked the evolution of Jen's character. And Wanda White! It was not lost on me thatNightbitch's signature in her letters is MM, the inverse of WW. It's not exactly confirmed that they're one and the same, and in fact we know they can't be, but the reflection thing as a motif was cool .
-I was surprised at the resolution between Nightbitch and her family.I truly assumed that she would turn into a full-time beast and leave her husband, raising her son in a pack, but the adoption of the husband into the clan of knowing and supporting Nightbitch was actually so wholesome and nice. We love a calm empowered ending!
Things about Nightbitch:
-I really, really resonated with the exploration of motherhood. That's the biggest takeaway from reading this. I myself am not a mother, but I still felt the resonance of my mother - both in how I see her, and the similarities between her mothering experience and Nightbitch's (the narrator). In many ways I think this is a brutal sharing of the reality of womanhood in our time and place. There is so much that is passed from mother to daughter, and even if the physical experiences don't match at certain points in time (i.e. a child vs their adult mother), the emotional echoes and cultural weights can feel remarkably similar. At many points, this was emotionally difficult to read because I felt Nightbitch's infuriation and frustration so viscerally. It's a book I want my mother to read, so that she can know I know how she might have felt, and might still feel. *generational motherhood* might be the theme here. v
-I liked the evolution of Jen's character. And Wanda White! It was not lost on me that
-I was surprised at the resolution between Nightbitch and her family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit and Animal death
refrejarator's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Horrific and feral. Absolutely loved it. Felt like a book ripped straight from my performance art classes in uni - and even referenced artists I studied! Feminist, artsy, and anti-MLM.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Death, Vomit, Animal death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Pregnancy, Violence, Misogyny, and Sexism
msradiosilence's review against another edition
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, and Gore
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body shaming
lycheejelly's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, and Blood
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Body horror, Cursing, Grief, Sexual content, Violence, Drug use, Sexism, and Vomit
emptychurches's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
There were so many parts of this that I laid in bed going “YES, exactly this” to. Rumination on gender and parenting and suffering, on modern society and pyramid schemes and how isolating things can be. I love stories of a descent into madness (A Journey Round My Skull by Frigyes Karinthy, things by Leonora Carrington, etc). But there’s parts that felt so disjointed or poorly cobbled onto one another, a too quick sweeping of a scene, a plot device that was transparent from the start only to be wedged in later on. That all of the very raw and real suffering still ends up in this grand performance art glorification of motherhood just left me feeling locked on the outside, I guess. I couldn’t cut through that to enjoy the feral messiness of it by the end. And I say that as someone who is nonbinary with their tubes tied. I just could not vibe with the “my uterus and my procreation is what is perfect and gives me power” schtick. Like, we just spent how many pages getting into how lopsided the rearing of children can be, how exhausting, how maddening...and yet?? My perfect little boy! Miss me with it. Made me feel like the house just had a carbon monoxide leak more than anything else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Excrement, Pregnancy, and Vomit
Minor: Cursing
sarahholliday's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
4.5
I will readily admit that this book, fantastic though it is, is not for everyone.
If you like straightforward storylines and clearcut resolutions, this is probably not the story for you. I would also avoid it if you're at all squeamish, or if motherhood can be an overwhelming or sensitive topic for you.
But if you love digging into the odd & surreal, especially as a means of examining the most mundane elements of day-to-day life, Nightbitch has a lot to offer.
Yoder does an amazing job balancing between fantasy and reality. Is Nightbitch actually turning into a dog? Is her art just a cover for a more fantastic transformation? Where does the physical self end and the spiritual self begin?
In the midst of all these fascinating questions about the real & the uncanny, there are sharp, powerful insights into motherhood and womanhood. What begins as a relatively bleak story of an exhausted mother who is, quite possibly, becoming unhinged, becomes a hopeful and inspiring look at what's possible when we stop hiding and demand something of the world around us.
If you like straightforward storylines and clearcut resolutions, this is probably not the story for you. I would also avoid it if you're at all squeamish, or if motherhood can be an overwhelming or sensitive topic for you.
But if you love digging into the odd & surreal, especially as a means of examining the most mundane elements of day-to-day life, Nightbitch has a lot to offer.
Yoder does an amazing job balancing between fantasy and reality. Is Nightbitch actually turning into a dog? Is her art just a cover for a more fantastic transformation? Where does the physical self end and the spiritual self begin?
In the midst of all these fascinating questions about the real & the uncanny, there are sharp, powerful insights into motherhood and womanhood. What begins as a relatively bleak story of an exhausted mother who is, quite possibly, becoming unhinged, becomes a hopeful and inspiring look at what's possible when we stop hiding and demand something of the world around us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, and Gore
Moderate: Excrement and Vomit
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