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moondust_96 's review for:
A Botanical Daughter
by Noah Medlock
“Frankenstein-style experiment with unexpected consequences” the consequences are literally what you’d imagine for an environmental allusion to Frankenstein, however the gay necrophilia is really something else.
Noah Medlock’s A Botanical Daughter reimagines The Day of The Triffids to create a Victorian lgbtq novel that takes eco crisis to a new level. The protagonists Simon and Gregor’s have to hide their gay (toxic) relationship away from their neighbors in a see through glass green house. The time period dictates that Simon and Gregor can't have a child together, and due to Gregor's dismissal from his gardening group, he is determined to impress his exboyfriend by creating an ungoldly creature. Simon is interested in taxidermy so there is regular description of some awful graphic biology, piercing eyeballs and messing around with insides - I'm not a gore fan so these bits really grossed me out - but his fascination means Gregor can (with a bit of convincing) ask for his assistance grave robbing and creating an unnatural being, Chloe.
The lovers go back and forth between wanting to parent Chloe and be father figures to her, and questioning their morals and ethic surrounding the great experiment. They change their minds every few pages as Chloe becomes more violent and sexual, becoming a threat to anyone who walks through the green house. I wouldn't describe this book as horror really, its simply old school male gothic fiction with a modern twist. Gregor is defiantly one to watch, he has a serious mean streak and maybe killed his family in a housefire. Their housekeeper and daughter/daughter in law (?) Jenny deserved better and some serious counselling. I wish we found out what happened to Constance, did her dad murder really murder her? I felt like this was never made clear, but it took me ages to get through this book so maybe it was cleared up and I'd forgotten. The science was to much for me, I would have personally enjoyed more sexy letters to the ex.
Noah Medlock’s A Botanical Daughter reimagines The Day of The Triffids to create a Victorian lgbtq novel that takes eco crisis to a new level. The protagonists Simon and Gregor’s have to hide their gay (toxic) relationship away from their neighbors in a see through glass green house. The time period dictates that Simon and Gregor can't have a child together, and due to Gregor's dismissal from his gardening group, he is determined to impress his exboyfriend by creating an ungoldly creature. Simon is interested in taxidermy so there is regular description of some awful graphic biology, piercing eyeballs and messing around with insides - I'm not a gore fan so these bits really grossed me out - but his fascination means Gregor can (with a bit of convincing) ask for his assistance grave robbing and creating an unnatural being, Chloe.
The lovers go back and forth between wanting to parent Chloe and be father figures to her, and questioning their morals and ethic surrounding the great experiment. They change their minds every few pages as Chloe becomes more violent and sexual, becoming a threat to anyone who walks through the green house. I wouldn't describe this book as horror really, its simply old school male gothic fiction with a modern twist. Gregor is defiantly one to watch, he has a serious mean streak and maybe killed his family in a housefire. Their housekeeper and daughter/daughter in law (?) Jenny deserved better and some serious counselling. I wish we found out what happened to Constance, did her dad murder really murder her? I felt like this was never made clear, but it took me ages to get through this book so maybe it was cleared up and I'd forgotten. The science was to much for me, I would have personally enjoyed more sexy letters to the ex.