Scan barcode
literary_fey's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
When I saw this book at my local library, I was very intrigued by the premise. This book is not for the squeamish or faint of heart; it is a dark book, which is what I signed up for. Animal death, pregnancy, and insects abound, there were times I had to put the book down and take a break from it.
When I picked up the book, my expectation was that it was going to be some sort of body horror-monster pregnancy story. Think the French film Titane meets the vibe of Gillian Flynn. I thought it was going to be revealed that Daisy, the main character, was going to give birth to some insect baby. That's not what happened in the book: instead, the climax felt very, well, anticlimactic. This sounds awful to say, but the plot of "woman steals baby while inside the mother's womb" has been done plenty of times in media. I was hoping for something different.
Another reviewer pointed out that the way the author portrayed the people in the book was a little bizarre. The characters are from rural Missouri and are poor. They're constantly described as ugly and dirty. Fatness is also seen as a disgusting thing for the characters to be. Can we unpack that? Why are you describing these characters with such vitriol? If you're going to really lean into the small town, southern gothic, americana vibe, I think you should at least enjoy and embrace that kind of setting.
For a literary novel, the characters were extremely one-dimensional and lacking. We get insight as to why Daisy is the way she is, since we're inside her head, but the supporting characters definitely felt lackluster. Her boyfriend is nothing beyond being an ex-con with an insect fetish. Sloane is nothing but Daisy's obsession and subject of her jealousy. Her mother is nothing but a religious woman who hates that her daughter is fat.
I ultimately gave this book two stars since I did enjoy some aspects of it, but was pretty disappointed overall. The book felt like an absolute fever dream, but not one I particularly enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Vomit, Murder, and Pregnancy
memydogandbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It's a brutal, disturbing, wild, female-centred literary horror with great LGBTQ+ rep and Saltburn vibes 😯
[AD: thanks to VerveBooks for an advanced copy of this book!]
📕 Deliver Me by Elle Nash
📕 Contemporary, literary horror, LGBTQ+ rep
📕 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
📕 Published 27 June
What's it about?
Dee-Dee, a hardened worker at a Missouri meatpacking plant, grapples with a brutal job and a deep longing for motherhood. After suffering miscarriages, she finally becomes pregnant and clings to the hope of a complete life. However, her past choices, including leaving a strict Pentecostal church and an unstable boyfriend, complicate her present. With her mother's judgmental calls and a childhood friend's return stirring old desires, Dee-Dee navigates the challenges of pregnancy while fearing she might lose it all again.
What did I think?
- Wow this was my first book by Nash and it won't be my last, their ability to shock with purpose was outstanding.
- Dee-Dee is a character that Nash has created that I felt simultaneous waves of despair, disgust and empathy for, she's so complex and so much the victim of her world, upbringing and society.
- It's brutal!
- I was on a rollercoaster of emotions watching the despair Dee-Dee has trying & wanting to become a mum whilst surrounded by so much violence and a constant feeling of worthlessness when at the same time you are witness to her own violent behaviour.
- Sloane and Dee-Dee's past and present relationship is complex and lustful, there's a whole scene in their past that is very graphic, I will never forget it and it legit gave me Saltburn vibes (I loved that movie!)
- Given the nature of Dee-Dees job and another "incident", there is graphic animal torture in this book which jarred, in a pertinent way - why do we find that more disturbing than any of the violence towards humans? Even more so than the chickens she butchers every day? The author is making us reflect a lot on our feelings and perceptions.
- This book covers so much: desire for motherhood, the societal pressure and importance that is put onto women to become mothers, miscarriage, mental health, class, fundamentalist religion, familial connections, first loves and more...
- This book packs an absolute gut punch cleverly and intentionally.
- This story will stay with me for a good while after reading.
Horror fans, I highly recommend it! Just check out the content warnings!
[AD: thanks to VerveBooks for an advanced copy of this book!]
📕 Deliver Me by Elle Nash
📕 Contemporary, literary horror, LGBTQ+ rep
📕 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
📕 Published 27 June
What's it about?
Dee-Dee, a hardened worker at a Missouri meatpacking plant, grapples with a brutal job and a deep longing for motherhood. After suffering miscarriages, she finally becomes pregnant and clings to the hope of a complete life. However, her past choices, including leaving a strict Pentecostal church and an unstable boyfriend, complicate her present. With her mother's judgmental calls and a childhood friend's return stirring old desires, Dee-Dee navigates the challenges of pregnancy while fearing she might lose it all again.
What did I think?
- Wow this was my first book by Nash and it won't be my last, their ability to shock with purpose was outstanding.
- Dee-Dee is a character that Nash has created that I felt simultaneous waves of despair, disgust and empathy for, she's so complex and so much the victim of her world, upbringing and society.
- It's brutal!
- I was on a rollercoaster of emotions watching the despair Dee-Dee has trying & wanting to become a mum whilst surrounded by so much violence and a constant feeling of worthlessness when at the same time you are witness to her own violent behaviour.
- Sloane and Dee-Dee's past and present relationship is complex and lustful, there's a whole scene in their past that is very graphic, I will never forget it and it legit gave me Saltburn vibes (I loved that movie!)
- Given the nature of Dee-Dees job and another "incident", there is graphic animal torture in this book which jarred, in a pertinent way - why do we find that more disturbing than any of the violence towards humans? Even more so than the chickens she butchers every day? The author is making us reflect a lot on our feelings and perceptions.
- This book covers so much: desire for motherhood, the societal pressure and importance that is put onto women to become mothers, miscarriage, mental health, class, fundamentalist religion, familial connections, first loves and more...
- This book packs an absolute gut punch cleverly and intentionally.
- This story will stay with me for a good while after reading.
Horror fans, I highly recommend it! Just check out the content warnings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Violence, and Pregnancy
brotestantethic's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
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
CHECK CWs!!!
A complete rollercoaster of a novel, which I almost DNFed at the beginning. It starts out grotesque, with taboo sexuality (calling her partner exclusively “Daddy,” sex with bugs crawling over their bodies, etc.), graphic depictions of chicken slaughter, and way too much going on. Of course, the first few chapters set the stage for the shitshow that builds Daisy Adams’ character.I found the pining after Sloane largely unnecessary until realizing that Daisy was so completely obsessed with her, and then I found myself drawn into that plotline. In my opinion, when people want something grotesque and weird, this is the extreme of that. Certainly way more intense than most mainstream “unhinged woman” books. Most everyone in this novel is completely deplorable. Some points off for wordiness, I do think there were still a lot of unnecessary pieces. The religious imagery and speak went over my head, to be completely honest. The ending, though, haunted me to my core.
A complete rollercoaster of a novel, which I almost DNFed at the beginning. It starts out grotesque, with taboo sexuality (calling her partner exclusively “Daddy,” sex with bugs crawling over their bodies, etc.), graphic depictions of chicken slaughter, and way too much going on. Of course, the first few chapters set the stage for the shitshow that builds Daisy Adams’ character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, and Sexual violence
sarah_bookshelf's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I ... do not know how to describe this book. This author takes you places. Some of those are specific locations described in just enough detail for you to feel like you're there, some of them are dark holes inside the mind of someone who has no hope or support system. I have gone from physically nauseous to jubilant in the process of reading this, and I'm not sure I can explain how. This book explores things about ourselves and our culture that we try not to talk about. It makes its home in the mind of a lost soul that society has let down. And she's got nothing to lose. OMG READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. I will be spending a few weeks trying to understand why I enjoyed this, and contacting some therapists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Gore, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual violence, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Death, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Sexual harassment
booksandpasta's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, and Miscarriage
hollywobble's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
addimop's review against another edition
dark
tense
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
5.0
oh my god. this has to be the best read of the year. this book made my physically ill at several points in a way no other “unhinged woman” book has.
the book explores daisy’s desire to get pregnant and the lengths she will go to accomplish this. i loved the southern gothic elements, especially religion and class, that are heavily featured in the book.
the book explores daisy’s desire to get pregnant and the lengths she will go to accomplish this. i loved the southern gothic elements, especially religion and class, that are heavily featured in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Miscarriage
chubbyboof's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
_treatyoshelves_'s review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infertility, and Miscarriage
our_bookish_reads's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
2.0
This has a lot of triggers and is a pretty dark book and goes over heavy topics. Please check TWs before reading.
𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘦 had my attention, somewhat... But part of the problem I had was that it moved way too slowly for my liking. I didn't dislike this book because of the extreme horror that you eventually do get, but rather that it just droned on and didn't do much of anything until you're at the last 30-ish pages. All-in-all, this was a flop for me.
Thank you to The Unnamed Press and Netgalley for the ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.
𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘦 had my attention, somewhat... But part of the problem I had was that it moved way too slowly for my liking. I didn't dislike this book because of the extreme horror that you eventually do get, but rather that it just droned on and didn't do much of anything until you're at the last 30-ish pages. All-in-all, this was a flop for me.
Thank you to The Unnamed Press and Netgalley for the ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Blood, and Pregnancy