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A review by aahrobot
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was such an incredible read. What a way to begin my 2025!
First off, I love the writing. I love that we never get a name for our FMC beyond Nightbitch or mother. That to me speaks volumes because, to the FMC, that’s all she is. Husband/father, boy/child - it all makes perfect sense to me. We get names for some characters, of course, but I feel as if having it written in that way is perfect.
The magical realism as it relates to motherhood felt so accurate. She is Nightbitch, animalistic, caring for her young in the most natural way, rage bubbling over when things feel too perfect or too human. The urge to make a mess, run, play, dig, hunt, and simply exist in the most basic manor feels so normal to me.
I felt the rage and the urges. Maybe it’s because I used to play doggy when I was little, running around and barking with my cousins. I’d find myself wandering the woods, stalking after a squirrel. Maybe I’m just a little off, but I related to this book in ways I didn’t expect. I’m not a mother, but I still feel that animalistic drive, the pull from nature to let my feet get dirty as I run around shoeless and lay under the sun. Maybe that’s the Appalachian in me.
There are so many amazing quotes in this book. I would send some to friends and read whole pages to my partner. In the book, Nightbitch is reading about mystical women, seemingly opening the book to a page that relates to her current state. She felt so drawn to the words she was reading and that was a journey that I fully understood.
I love the Book Babies moms, truly. Jen’s character is this perfect model of motherhood, but, of course, we learn that her life isn’t so perfect. (Also love the anti-MLM messaging that we get in this book.) Nightbitch can relate to her on a basic level, but it was fun to see her fully come out, in a sense, to Jen. She told her to run, hunt, growl, roll in the mud, howl at the moon!This whole adventure ended by becoming an art piece. That was truly the most perfect way to round out this story, to end sort of where we started.
First off, I love the writing. I love that we never get a name for our FMC beyond Nightbitch or mother. That to me speaks volumes because, to the FMC, that’s all she is. Husband/father, boy/child - it all makes perfect sense to me. We get names for some characters, of course, but I feel as if having it written in that way is perfect.
The magical realism as it relates to motherhood felt so accurate. She is Nightbitch, animalistic, caring for her young in the most natural way, rage bubbling over when things feel too perfect or too human. The urge to make a mess, run, play, dig, hunt, and simply exist in the most basic manor feels so normal to me.
I felt the rage and the urges. Maybe it’s because I used to play doggy when I was little, running around and barking with my cousins. I’d find myself wandering the woods, stalking after a squirrel. Maybe I’m just a little off, but I related to this book in ways I didn’t expect. I’m not a mother, but I still feel that animalistic drive, the pull from nature to let my feet get dirty as I run around shoeless and lay under the sun. Maybe that’s the Appalachian in me.
There are so many amazing quotes in this book. I would send some to friends and read whole pages to my partner. In the book, Nightbitch is reading about mystical women, seemingly opening the book to a page that relates to her current state. She felt so drawn to the words she was reading and that was a journey that I fully understood.
I love the Book Babies moms, truly. Jen’s character is this perfect model of motherhood, but, of course, we learn that her life isn’t so perfect. (Also love the anti-MLM messaging that we get in this book.) Nightbitch can relate to her on a basic level, but it was fun to see her fully come out, in a sense, to Jen. She told her to run, hunt, growl, roll in the mud, howl at the moon!