A review by pheebabeeba_
Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval

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

4.5

The book follows the protagonist, Djåoanna, AKA Jo, a Norwegian transfer student starting her first year in University to study Biology. In need of housing, she meets a young woman named Carral, who offers her lodging in an apartment, refurnished from an old brewery. Jo quickly notices the apartment seems alive and breathing. Jo also starts to develop an obsession for her new roommate, Carral. 

This book is definitely a silent horror, left much to the description of Jo’s thoughts. That element makes Jo, the protagonist rather sinister herself. These thoughts tend to often be her own fascinations and perversions. Her thoughts feel almost intrusive in nature. 

The horror is the kind that builds up slowly, from brief descriptions to a far deeper experience (the horror was a bit too slow to my liking). I found this book very descriptive and imaginative. I enjoyed a lot of the visuals the book gave, especially at the start of the book. It’s what drew me to continue further.

The ending was perhaps a bit anticlimactic but I would say overall this was an interesting read.

(Here is a fair warning to anyone who considers reading this book: There’s quite a lot of descriptions of piss. Urine is a frequent source of interest in this novel. If you don’t care for all of that, I cannot recommend this. Fortunately, I wasn’t too bothered by it.) 
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