A review by jess_esa
Death Valley by Melissa Broder

emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Finding a will to live and navigating grief (particularly preemptive grief) while lost in the desert. This feels like Broder’s most personal book to date. 

Fever dreamish and hazy, you feel like you’re out there in the hot sun along with our protagonist. It’s a real journey, and I was never sure if I was enjoying the book but was always thinking about it when I put it down. 

It’s very different to Milk Fed and The Pisces but absolutely has that Broder biting wit, surrealism, and matter of fact view of the world. 

The descriptions of the Best Western and the staff who work there were some of my favourite parts of the book. 

While this isn’t my favourite of hers, I applaud her for going in a different direction and I think many people are going to really connect with this book. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings