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A review by theteaisaddictive
Ego Homini Lupus by Gretchen Felker-Martin
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Holy shit. What a book. Trigger warnings for . . . god, just about everything, but specifically rape, gang rape, incest, body horror, and animal death.
I previously read Felker-Martin’s Manhunt, which I found both less gory and satisfying to read than Ego Homini Lupus. Right from the word go, the world of EHL is dank, dirty, and dark, all of the most distasteful parts of humanity forced together under one roof. Although some might say that EHL is over-zealous with its descriptions, I disagree — the prose sings it’s ode to depravity, and never forgets the effects of past trauma when giving characters new trauma. A book I can never recommend to a friend, but one that I will without doubt revisit one day when I find myself wondering - is the real horror what lurks in the woods, or the systems of violence we enact upon each other in the name of social order?
I previously read Felker-Martin’s Manhunt, which I found both less gory and satisfying to read than Ego Homini Lupus. Right from the word go, the world of EHL is dank, dirty, and dark, all of the most distasteful parts of humanity forced together under one roof. Although some might say that EHL is over-zealous with its descriptions, I disagree — the prose sings it’s ode to depravity, and never forgets the effects of past trauma when giving characters new trauma. A book I can never recommend to a friend, but one that I will without doubt revisit one day when I find myself wondering - is the real horror what lurks in the woods, or the systems of violence we enact upon each other in the name of social order?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, War, Child death, Body horror, Animal death, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, Physical abuse, and Gore