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morganjanedavis's reviews
329 reviews
Nestlings by Nat Cassidy
4.25
Ana and Reid have been dealt a hard hand. Fertility treatments that drained their savings, complications during the birth of their daughter that resulted in Ana’s paralyzation. Being first time parents and adapting to newfound paralysis has been a tough battle. A stroke of good luck seems to materialize when they are selected in an affordable housing lottery to live in one of the most prestigious apartment buildings in NYC. Sharing a space with the one percenters and existing amongst to die for architecture feels too good to be true, like they don’t belong there. Maybe it’s because they don’t.
I read Mary last year and the title solidified Cassidy as an auto-buy author for me. The ability to write women in a way that is so deeply rooted in the traumas we endure while consistently being cognizant of the nuances of those traumas, as a man, is impressive. In Nestlings, the characters are faced with unimaginable hurdles that build on one another and calcify. The weight of these events is palpable to start, and by the end of the novel downright suffocating. The very real themes: postpartum depression, ableism, anti-Semitism, and PTSD amplify the horrors revealed later in the story. Ana and Reid are scarred from the hardships they’ve endured, making decisions that complicate things, leading the narrative into a frenzied, dark space. Flawed characters make for realistic ones, allowing room for the fantastical elements of the story to take hold and SCARE.
I really loved this one, it had me really wanting to jump into the book and be a shoulder for Ana to lean on. If you’re into horror that’s heavy on the empathy, this is a must.
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
4.5
Greta is content. She lives in a crumbling Dutch farmhouse with her best friend Sabine, her dog Piñon, and an insane amount of bees. During the day, she works with a local sex therapist as a transcriber. Having access to acquaintances and towns people’s innermost thoughts doesn’t normally have an effect on her aside from creating some hot goss for her to disseminate with Sabine. That is, until Big Swiss. Big Swiss’ sessions are different: she doesn’t let her traumas define her, refuses to see herself as a victim, the antithesis of Greta. She becomes entranced, obsessed with Big Swiss.
While at the local dog park with Piñon, she hears the voice she’s come to admire. She knows she has to play it cool but, the desire to worm her way into Big Swiss’ atmosphere overrides all, driving Greta to lengths of immorality to feed her obsession.
Big Swiss is so fun. Most litfic I reach for showcases women existing with and/or enduring traumas, how it affects their relationships and overall existence. While Big Swiss definitely falls into this category, there’s a fresh layer of humor that balances the atrocities inflicted upon Greta and Swiss. Balancing funny with sadness makes the story seem so much more realistic. Infusing the 2 exemplifies how smoothly humor allows us to deflect, highlighting the fact that while the traumas we experience can cause unfathomable pain with real mental consequences, the world doesn’t pause for the masses, it’s ultimately our job to unpack the issues as to not pass the pain on to others. Swiss and Greta’s relationship is fascinating, each so opposite yet so the same, I couldn’t tear myself away.
I loved the journey Big Swiss took me on. The imagery and strong characterization (especially of the farmhouse and Piñon!) hooked me from the start. This is my first Beagin novel and has me itching to tear into her other works. I LUV SWISS 🧀