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A review by beforeviolets
You Weren't Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Andrew Joseph White has become quite the horror phenomenon since his debut, well-known for his poignant, thoughtful young adult stories full of gore, trans rage, and cutting commentary. And his foray into the adult literary world delivers no less than the expectations his previous work promises.
YOU WEREN’T MEANT TO BE HUMAN explores the politicalization of the body, emphasizing the way “othered” bodies are turned into battlegrounds or prisons or tools by governing bodies, individual and collective. It asks questions about control, self-determination, and freedom under systems of oppression. And it does so with exquisite, multi-layered, heart-wrenching storytelling.
I got to read an early version of this book as a sensitivity reader, and it was such an honor to catch a glimpse behind the curtain of White’s brilliance. Though this book is unbelievably nauseating and–as is standard in White’s work–unflinching (I had to get a lot of fresh air while reading this one, do not read it around a meal), it truly captures the heart of horror. It's hard to peel apart the many elements of this story for examination, as its tendrils all tangle together, themes and messages and plots and characters all bleeding into one narrative entity. I regularly experienced multiple feelings at once, often even contrasting ones, while trying to digest this squirming tale. But at the end, per usual for an AJW book, I was left agog, comforted, empowered, and grossed out in equal measure.
CW: pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage, cannibalism, insects, suicidal ideation, self-mutilation, sexual content, sexual violence/dub-con sexual content, abusive relationship, murder, blood & gore, dead body, injury detail, emesis, dysphoria, transphobia (including internalized), drowning, slurs, deadnaming, infidelity, needles, death by cancer (past), war (past)
YOU WEREN’T MEANT TO BE HUMAN explores the politicalization of the body, emphasizing the way “othered” bodies are turned into battlegrounds or prisons or tools by governing bodies, individual and collective. It asks questions about control, self-determination, and freedom under systems of oppression. And it does so with exquisite, multi-layered, heart-wrenching storytelling.
I got to read an early version of this book as a sensitivity reader, and it was such an honor to catch a glimpse behind the curtain of White’s brilliance. Though this book is unbelievably nauseating and–as is standard in White’s work–unflinching (I had to get a lot of fresh air while reading this one, do not read it around a meal), it truly captures the heart of horror. It's hard to peel apart the many elements of this story for examination, as its tendrils all tangle together, themes and messages and plots and characters all bleeding into one narrative entity. I regularly experienced multiple feelings at once, often even contrasting ones, while trying to digest this squirming tale. But at the end, per usual for an AJW book, I was left agog, comforted, empowered, and grossed out in equal measure.
CW: pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage, cannibalism, insects, suicidal ideation, self-mutilation, sexual content, sexual violence/dub-con sexual content, abusive relationship, murder, blood & gore, dead body, injury detail, emesis, dysphoria, transphobia (including internalized), drowning, slurs, deadnaming, infidelity, needles, death by cancer (past), war (past)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Violence, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Gore, and Self harm
Moderate: Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Vomit, and Dysphoria
Minor: War, Infidelity, and Cancer