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A review by monalyisha
Chrysalis by Anna Metcalfe
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