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A review by servingupstories
Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi DeMeester
5.0
I have so much to say about this book but at the same time, I cannot seem to find the right words. Reading this book was like laying under a weighted blanket too heavy to get out from under. Or like biting the inside of your cheek so hard it bleeds just to keep yourself welcoming. But despite the discomfort it made me feel, I loved it.
This book explores dark themes within societal norms, misogyny, sexism and more – all of which is incredibly infuriating. I was highlighting passages in my Kindle noting a nice lil’ ”fuck you” to several characters, simply because the women couldn’t do it themselves at the time. This book straight up ignited my desire to be defiant and to wield my sharp tongue.
This book also reminded me of all the times in my life I’ve been asked to be more accommodating to the men around me. It was fuel to this fire inside me that’s burned brighter each year, yet I never let it catch. Because, to do so is a risk and unexpected.
DeMeester captured this feeling of wanting to rebel against what’s expected so perfectly and painfully throughout this story. The feeling of choking the flame that never stops burning inside.
“At school, there had been a mild panic among the students, and parents kept their girls at home, locked in their proverbial towers as if wood and locks couldn’t be opened. or broken. those pure, innocent girls kept from anything that defined them in the name of protection, while their brothers carried on as if there was nothing to fear. but for them, there wasn’t. they would never understand the inherent trepidation that came as a result of being wrapped in girl flesh.”
As for the horror in this story, it was truly nightmarish at times. Both characters are seemingly unreliable and experiencing auditory/visual delusions surrounding dogs with barred teeth or even creepier, a man with a dog’s face lurking in the shadows – smiling. You best believe I dreamed of him too. Which left me just as restless as the characters.
By the end of this story I was feeling shocked, but also, oddly empowered. DeMeester took the many real fears of women and converted it into a horror novel that is scariest in the moments that feel so very close to the truth of the world we’re living in. It was stunning – the best feminist horror book I’ve read to date and one I’ll be thinking about for years to come.
This book explores dark themes within societal norms, misogyny, sexism and more – all of which is incredibly infuriating. I was highlighting passages in my Kindle noting a nice lil’ ”fuck you” to several characters, simply because the women couldn’t do it themselves at the time. This book straight up ignited my desire to be defiant and to wield my sharp tongue.
This book also reminded me of all the times in my life I’ve been asked to be more accommodating to the men around me. It was fuel to this fire inside me that’s burned brighter each year, yet I never let it catch. Because, to do so is a risk and unexpected.
DeMeester captured this feeling of wanting to rebel against what’s expected so perfectly and painfully throughout this story. The feeling of choking the flame that never stops burning inside.
“At school, there had been a mild panic among the students, and parents kept their girls at home, locked in their proverbial towers as if wood and locks couldn’t be opened. or broken. those pure, innocent girls kept from anything that defined them in the name of protection, while their brothers carried on as if there was nothing to fear. but for them, there wasn’t. they would never understand the inherent trepidation that came as a result of being wrapped in girl flesh.”
As for the horror in this story, it was truly nightmarish at times. Both characters are seemingly unreliable and experiencing auditory/visual delusions surrounding dogs with barred teeth or even creepier, a man with a dog’s face lurking in the shadows – smiling. You best believe I dreamed of him too. Which left me just as restless as the characters.
By the end of this story I was feeling shocked, but also, oddly empowered. DeMeester took the many real fears of women and converted it into a horror novel that is scariest in the moments that feel so very close to the truth of the world we’re living in. It was stunning – the best feminist horror book I’ve read to date and one I’ll be thinking about for years to come.