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jaclyncrupi 's review for:
Hydra
by Adriane Howell
Outside of crime fiction we don’t see much use of creeping dread, and few truly unravelling protagonists in contemporary auslit though it’s something American writers like Moshfegh, Phillips, Kleeman and Yoder do so well. I was completely enthralled reading about Anja’s increasingly unhinged behaviour in this first person account of her losing her mother, husband, home, job and mind in quick succession. Here is a woman coming apart and the reader is right there with her. Everything about this book was surprising and I loved it for how unexpected it was. That said it brought to mind Fiona McFarlane’s The Night Guest – or at least how that book made me feel. I love being this excited about an Australian debut novel. Howell’s prose is stunning. This will without doubt be on my fave books of the year list. Huge thanks to @andrewj_robertson for knowing this was a book for me and @lauraelizabethwoollett for giving me a push.