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erebus53's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
4.25
This is possibly a book that was accidentally chosen by my cat taking a shortcut across my keyboard when I was out of the room? I found it added to my TBR list and not even in audiobook form, so I swear I don't know how it got there. I didn't even read the blurb, so I decided to run with it and went in completely blind... well.. blinder than normal. I tracked down an audio version and off I went.
At the start of this book the first thing that struck me was the humour. I loved how descriptive it was. It really made me smile. The people-watching and the attention to detail was really amusing. The story is told in three parts from the perspectives of three different people, and tells the story of a woman who has made the decision to own herself, how she presents herself, and her own values.
The action starts in the gym, where there is an entire unpacking of the sorts of norms and expectations that are placed, predominantly on women. In a couple of places I felt the narrative slip a bit as it felt like a woman writing a man, but the audiobook narrator is really delightful and he performed the part brilliantly, so I let it slide. The whole feel of the piece was both delightful and disarming, but also just borderline creepy.
The Second part is the point of view of the mother of an adult child, thinking back over the parenting journey. This allows the story to dwell on the idea of taking back initiative for a life that has been focused on meeting the needs of a child. The entitlement of children also features here, and also what it's like to raise a child with psychological / neurological challenges as a sole parent.
Thirdly we have the story of the woman who is caregiver to a grieving friend. It describes how in caring for others this sometimes provides the structure we need to look after ourselves, and takes a look at the reciprocity in a codependent relationship.
A lot of this story deals with, self-possession, agency and autonomy, self-transformation, trauma and emotional abuse, anxiety, being a caregiver, curated image and parasocial influencers, and eschewing beauty norms to embrace and create your own aesthetic.
Mainly it comes down to the interplay of
Giving up self for others — Giving up others for self.
Having just read a book about a hikikomori (shut in) this was a big focus of this book. It takes the idea of individualism and scrutinises the role of social media. Much of it is left unsaid and I found it really thought provoking. By the end of the book I felt very unfulfilled, but that really seems to work for a book like this. I guess it drops a pile of ideas at your feet and then leaves you to deal with them all by yourself.
At the start of this book the first thing that struck me was the humour. I loved how descriptive it was. It really made me smile. The people-watching and the attention to detail was really amusing. The story is told in three parts from the perspectives of three different people, and tells the story of a woman who has made the decision to own herself, how she presents herself, and her own values.
The action starts in the gym, where there is an entire unpacking of the sorts of norms and expectations that are placed, predominantly on women. In a couple of places I felt the narrative slip a bit as it felt like a woman writing a man, but the audiobook narrator is really delightful and he performed the part brilliantly, so I let it slide. The whole feel of the piece was both delightful and disarming, but also just borderline creepy.
The Second part is the point of view of the mother of an adult child, thinking back over the parenting journey. This allows the story to dwell on the idea of taking back initiative for a life that has been focused on meeting the needs of a child. The entitlement of children also features here, and also what it's like to raise a child with psychological / neurological challenges as a sole parent.
Thirdly we have the story of the woman who is caregiver to a grieving friend. It describes how in caring for others this sometimes provides the structure we need to look after ourselves, and takes a look at the reciprocity in a codependent relationship.
A lot of this story deals with, self-possession, agency and autonomy, self-transformation, trauma and emotional abuse, anxiety, being a caregiver, curated image and parasocial influencers, and eschewing beauty norms to embrace and create your own aesthetic.
Mainly it comes down to the interplay of
Giving up self for others — Giving up others for self.
Having just read a book about a hikikomori (shut in) this was a big focus of this book. It takes the idea of individualism and scrutinises the role of social media. Much of it is left unsaid and I found it really thought provoking. By the end of the book I felt very unfulfilled, but that really seems to work for a book like this. I guess it drops a pile of ideas at your feet and then leaves you to deal with them all by yourself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Bullying, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcohol and Grief
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
mstormer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship 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
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