A review by missbreathing
The Pisces by Melissa Broder

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Well. I was warned that this would be a weird one. Usually, I like weird. Gimme weird any day! But this might have been a bit too weird for me. I usually like to stick to full or half star ratings, but 3.75⭐️ just felt right for “The Pisces.” Some thoughts:
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“The Pisces” follows Lucy, who spends the summer in Venice Beach to recover from her recent breakup and work on her doctoral thesis. In the process, she falls in love with a merman. 
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The blend of realism and fantasy was so well done that it almost hurt my head to follow. Honestly, the merman stuff is done really really well. 
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I was definitely warned about the merman + human sex, but, oddly enough, that wasn’t what disturbed me? The sex was definitely explicit and at times uncomfortable, so do keep that in mind! But it was actually being inside the MC’s head that weirded me out. It could be very triggering, sometimes cringey, but mostly just dark and oppressive. 
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In the beginning, I thought this would be one of my favorite reads of the year. The prose is smart and funny and peppered with subtle hints of feminism. The writing is stunning! I also really liked the ending. But there was a point about halfway through where I just wanted it to end. It’s slow paced, and while I understand the stylistic choice, I think the story would have benefitted from less meandering. 
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I’m glad I read this, but I wish I had known how sad it was going to be. Please check the trigger warnings for this one, as there  are a LOT of potentially triggering things in it. 
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