A review by novelinsights
I Will Rot Without You by Danger Slater
2.0
This was a grotesque bizarro novel about a man whose apartment building (and body) is being overtaken by roaches and fungus following his big break-up. It was a strange and entertaining ride, the overall effect of the novel being somewhere in the comedy/horror camp. I did walk away from it a little disappointed, but I haven't read a lot of bizarro writing at this point, so I didn't really know what to expect going in, and after some research, I do think that some of my complaints are normal features of the genre and that bizarro might be less up my alley than, say, new weird.
Anyway, this book was incredibly over the top with body horror and gross-out horror, to the point where there was just so much of it that I was too desensitized to have much of a reaction. I didn't really mind this because that was obviously just the world that the writer was trying to portray, but I think cutting back a little may have made what was there more effective. As it was, certain images, such as a woman whose overprotective boyfriend sews pieces of himself to her body, were still very evocative (especially in our current political climate). The humor and writing style were also a little inconsistent; sometimes I found myself appreciating an eloquent turn of phrase or cackling at an out-of-left-field remark, and other times it felt like the author was trying too hard and I was pulled out.
Overall, this book took the internal state of someone going through a large break-up and transitioning to new beginnings with someone else and manifested that onto their physical being and the surrounding building. One could say that the whole book is a metaphor in this way. However, in order to tackle a topic like this, I wanted the book to have more heart. There was no substance to either of the relationships in question. We never really got to see what made the protagonist's old, dead relationship with Gretchen fail or why it was ever good in the first place, so all the dialogue, interactions, and thoughts between them felt generic and empty. The new relationship was slightly easier to follow, but I think it could have been deepened, as well, rather than just feeling like a minor flirtation between people who happen to interact frequently due to proximity.
While I enjoyed the novel in general, I did find myself zoning out and having to reread chunks of text fairly frequently. One would think that something this "shocking" and out there would be better at keeping my attention, but I just didn't have a strong through-line of emotion or character or even solid plot to cling to and to keep me invested. Even so, it was an interesting ride.
Anyway, this book was incredibly over the top with body horror and gross-out horror, to the point where there was just so much of it that I was too desensitized to have much of a reaction. I didn't really mind this because that was obviously just the world that the writer was trying to portray, but I think cutting back a little may have made what was there more effective. As it was, certain images, such as a woman whose overprotective boyfriend sews pieces of himself to her body, were still very evocative (especially in our current political climate). The humor and writing style were also a little inconsistent; sometimes I found myself appreciating an eloquent turn of phrase or cackling at an out-of-left-field remark, and other times it felt like the author was trying too hard and I was pulled out.
Overall, this book took the internal state of someone going through a large break-up and transitioning to new beginnings with someone else and manifested that onto their physical being and the surrounding building. One could say that the whole book is a metaphor in this way. However, in order to tackle a topic like this, I wanted the book to have more heart. There was no substance to either of the relationships in question. We never really got to see what made the protagonist's old, dead relationship with Gretchen fail or why it was ever good in the first place, so all the dialogue, interactions, and thoughts between them felt generic and empty. The new relationship was slightly easier to follow, but I think it could have been deepened, as well, rather than just feeling like a minor flirtation between people who happen to interact frequently due to proximity.
While I enjoyed the novel in general, I did find myself zoning out and having to reread chunks of text fairly frequently. One would think that something this "shocking" and out there would be better at keeping my attention, but I just didn't have a strong through-line of emotion or character or even solid plot to cling to and to keep me invested. Even so, it was an interesting ride.