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racheybee77's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
kirstym25's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Mental illness
Moderate: Eating disorder and Toxic relationship
franzileonieee's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
monalyisha's review
medium-paced
3.0
A young girl suffering from an undiagnosed condition that causes full body tremors grows into the type of adult who can inspire full body tremors. I felt for her at times, given the abuse that she experienced…but what we witness as readers is her transition into a cult leader. She becomes a social media sensation based on a unique blend of meditation and performance art, then encourages her followers to cut ties from family, friends and community.
I found the story engaging. Every time I put it down, I was eager to return to it…which is saying something because I’m not typically one for unlikeable characters (and, with the exception of Bella, there are disturbing and sick personalities here in spades). I think it was missing something, though.
When I read Amanda Montell’s Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, what I found most interesting was her investigation into *why* people join cultish groups. She explains that it’s not necessarily trauma, gullibility, or foolishness that makes people vulnerable; oftentimes, it’s optimism, big dreams, and the desire for radical change. I think Chrysalis would have been enriched if we’d heard more from a character like this - and it would have been just as (if not more!) unsettling to see someone well-adjusted become enthralled. Unfortunately, we only encounter those who knew her during different stages of her metamorphosis - not anyone who begins following her (and only through a screen) after she emerges anew.
I also think it’s interesting that we never hear directly from the nameless woman at its center.
The blurb for this novel claims that it “asks if it is possible for a woman to have agency over her own body while remaining a part of society, and then gives its own explosive answer” — but I don’t think that’s really what it’s about at all (to be clear: it’d be cool if it were). It *is* about solitude, isolation, community, and the role technology plays in all of that; desperation, mental health, and the profound failure of modern medicine (and all of our individualist & capitalist societal systems).
I found the story engaging. Every time I put it down, I was eager to return to it…which is saying something because I’m not typically one for unlikeable characters (and, with the exception of Bella, there are disturbing and sick personalities here in spades). I think it was missing something, though.
When I read Amanda Montell’s Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, what I found most interesting was her investigation into *why* people join cultish groups. She explains that it’s not necessarily trauma, gullibility, or foolishness that makes people vulnerable; oftentimes, it’s optimism, big dreams, and the desire for radical change. I think Chrysalis would have been enriched if we’d heard more from a character like this - and it would have been just as (if not more!) unsettling to see someone well-adjusted become enthralled. Unfortunately, we only encounter those who knew her during different stages of her metamorphosis - not anyone who begins following her (and only through a screen) after she emerges anew.
I also think it’s interesting that we never hear directly from the nameless woman at its center.
The blurb for this novel claims that it “asks if it is possible for a woman to have agency over her own body while remaining a part of society, and then gives its own explosive answer” — but I don’t think that’s really what it’s about at all (to be clear: it’d be cool if it were). It *is* about solitude, isolation, community, and the role technology plays in all of that; desperation, mental health, and the profound failure of modern medicine (and all of our individualist & capitalist societal systems).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
aniglen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
bookspam's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the digital arc in exchange for an unbiased review!
Chrysalis is about an unnamed, enigmatic woman who experiences a transformation in body and mind. Told from three perspectives that circle this woman, all of whom are enamored with her in different ways, Anna Metcalfe posits questions about agency and loneliness. I enjoyed Metcalfe's prose and exploration of what triggers a transformation in the first place. Elliot, Bella, and Susie, the three narrators from which we build our image of the woman, seek specific relationships with this woman who only seeks to be fully her own. The presence of social media/influencer culture subverts the question of who is to blame for any individual's decisions and actions in life.
Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Chrysalis and want to read more of Anna Metcalfe's work. For fans of The Vegetarian by Han Kang and Supper Club by Lara Williams, I think Metcalfe joins an ongoing and necessary conversation about the surprisingly subversive act of women taking up space - and what drives them to reach a point of indifference towards the world which wants them to only be small.
Chrysalis is about an unnamed, enigmatic woman who experiences a transformation in body and mind. Told from three perspectives that circle this woman, all of whom are enamored with her in different ways, Anna Metcalfe posits questions about agency and loneliness. I enjoyed Metcalfe's prose and exploration of what triggers a transformation in the first place. Elliot, Bella, and Susie, the three narrators from which we build our image of the woman, seek specific relationships with this woman who only seeks to be fully her own. The presence of social media/influencer culture subverts the question of who is to blame for any individual's decisions and actions in life.
Ultimately, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Chrysalis and want to read more of Anna Metcalfe's work. For fans of The Vegetarian by Han Kang and Supper Club by Lara Williams, I think Metcalfe joins an ongoing and necessary conversation about the surprisingly subversive act of women taking up space - and what drives them to reach a point of indifference towards the world which wants them to only be small.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Eating disorder
bittennailbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"They fail to see that she is capricious, that they like any god or archetype, she's as much yours as she is mine"
Chrysalis is a contemporary fiction of an unnamed wellness influencers rise to fame, as told through those who desired to understand her most. A book told in 3 acts by her lover, mother, and room mate, Chrysalis leaves you feeling hollowed out and wondering how we have arrived to where we are in the wake of the influencer generation.
Thumbs up: All desire to stand in nameless' glow, even when she is at her bleakest. Is she the manic pixie dream girl? The scared little girl? The blossoming lily? Who really knows what is going on in nameless' mind as we view her metamorphic development through a recalled account of those around her. This story will leave you staring at the wall and wondering what harrowed face would stare back at us if we wiped away the sepia lens of our favorite influencers.
Thumbs down: The pacing needed a bit of tweaking in part II, it felt way too heavy compared to the other two.
Was it a nail biter? Consider my thumb nails gone, This had me hooked and devoured in one sitting. I will definitely be buying a hard copy of this one post-publishing and you should too.
Chrysalis is a contemporary fiction of an unnamed wellness influencers rise to fame, as told through those who desired to understand her most. A book told in 3 acts by her lover, mother, and room mate, Chrysalis leaves you feeling hollowed out and wondering how we have arrived to where we are in the wake of the influencer generation.
Thumbs up: All desire to stand in nameless' glow, even when she is at her bleakest. Is she the manic pixie dream girl? The scared little girl? The blossoming lily? Who really knows what is going on in nameless' mind as we view her metamorphic development through a recalled account of those around her. This story will leave you staring at the wall and wondering what harrowed face would stare back at us if we wiped away the sepia lens of our favorite influencers.
Thumbs down: The pacing needed a bit of tweaking in part II, it felt way too heavy compared to the other two.
Was it a nail biter? Consider my thumb nails gone, This had me hooked and devoured in one sitting. I will definitely be buying a hard copy of this one post-publishing and you should too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Domestic abuse
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