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A review by savvypotions
Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I don’t know how to feel.
The experience of reading this book was deeply unpleasant. For some reason though, I couldn’t abandon it. I had to know where things would go between the two girls. Their bizarre, consuming interaction was the most compelling aspect of the book.
I definitely didn’t enjoy myself, and I was glad when it was over, but the author did succeed at keeping me through to the end. The imagery is certainly evocative (for better or worse), and succeeded at provoking a physical response from my mycophobic ass.
Overall, I’m happy to move on and try not to think about this again, but I think this book is going to grow in my mind like a fungus. Because of that, I think the author succeeded in telling the kind of story she wanted to tell.
PS—if you can’t handle copious amounts of mold and piss, skip this one.
The experience of reading this book was deeply unpleasant. For some reason though, I couldn’t abandon it. I had to know where things would go between the two girls. Their bizarre, consuming interaction was the most compelling aspect of the book.
I definitely didn’t enjoy myself, and I was glad when it was over, but the author did succeed at keeping me through to the end. The imagery is certainly evocative (for better or worse), and succeeded at provoking a physical response from my mycophobic ass.
Overall, I’m happy to move on and try not to think about this again, but I think this book is going to grow in my mind like a fungus. Because of that, I think the author succeeded in telling the kind of story she wanted to tell.
PS—if you can’t handle copious amounts of mold and piss, skip this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Sexual content