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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
refreshing to see a woman go truly insane and be truly feral
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm very on the fence about this novel.
Motherhood is not my story, but the banal exhaustion of it captured is very familiar. At first, I enjoyed how evocative the writing was and the parallel of magical realism field guide motif. At some point, it became absolute slog, and I intended to abandon it entirely.
The coin toss that I purchased an audio book rather than a print version resulted in me revisiting it where I left off on whim a year later, while doing housework of all things.
After that one particular looming animal death scene passed, it felt like a downhill sprint from there.
While the husband's narrative treatment left me uninspired; I think I like the ending. Perhaps that's simply due to my personal love of avant-garde performance art showing.
Motherhood is not my story, but the banal exhaustion of it captured is very familiar. At first, I enjoyed how evocative the writing was and the parallel of magical realism field guide motif. At some point, it became absolute slog, and I intended to abandon it entirely.
The coin toss that I purchased an audio book rather than a print version resulted in me revisiting it where I left off on whim a year later, while doing housework of all things.
After that one particular looming animal death scene passed, it felt like a downhill sprint from there.
While the husband's narrative treatment left me uninspired; I think I like the ending. Perhaps that's simply due to my personal love of avant-garde performance art showing.
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Yes, the mother does turn into a dog. But that's only the beginning.
Maybe this book could've done with being slightly shorter, but Yoder sure can write. What a weird book, and in such an unique way — funny and sharp and viscerally off-putting in places, but always interesting as hell, and what beautiful prose.
this book has a24 written all over it. so ?????!??
insanely hard to put down. the pressure of motherhood is palpable. feral. grotesque. ache. anger. how should a mother act? what makes a good mother? are you a good mother? how far will you go to prove it?
"You light a fire early in your girlhood. You stroke it and tend it. You protect it at all costs. You don't let it rage into a mountain of light, because that's not becoming of a girl. You keep it secret. You let it burn. You look into the eyes of other girls and see their fires flickering there, offer conspiratorial nods, never speak aloud of a near-inbearable heat, a growing conflagration." 7
insanely hard to put down. the pressure of motherhood is palpable. feral. grotesque. ache. anger. how should a mother act? what makes a good mother? are you a good mother? how far will you go to prove it?
"You light a fire early in your girlhood. You stroke it and tend it. You protect it at all costs. You don't let it rage into a mountain of light, because that's not becoming of a girl. You keep it secret. You let it burn. You look into the eyes of other girls and see their fires flickering there, offer conspiratorial nods, never speak aloud of a near-inbearable heat, a growing conflagration." 7
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book-tok told me to read this one. It’s a weird book. Definitely experimental, which I usually hate. But this one was pretty grounded, so I was able to keep my wits about me. Amy Adams stars in the movie that comes out at the end of the year. It’s about a stay at home mom of a toddler who has fully lost herself to motherhood. Except she’s pretty sure she’s slowly turning into a dog, and that’s a pretty freeing experience for her. It’s kind of a werewolf situation. She’s only ever referred to as “the mother” or “NightBitch.” Her husband is just “the husband” and her child is just “the boy.” She somehow gets sucked into an MLM of sorts with other moms who are were-dogs. I’m not going to be able to describe it without making it sound absolutely insane. It is quite absurd. But I think that makes it quite poignant. The depiction of the deranged loneliness of motherhood is so well done. The love and resentment and waywardness are expertly portrayed. I don’t think this is a book everyone will like, but those who do will love it fiercely.