

Nightbitch
Books | Fiction / Women
4.8
(426)
Rachel Yoder
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING AMY ADAMS • In this blazingly smart and voracious debut novel, an artist turned stay-at-home mom becomes convinced she's turning into a dog. • "A must-read for anyone who can’t get enough of the ever-blurring line between the psychological and supernatural that Yellowjackets exemplifies." —VultureOne day, the mother was a mother, but then one night, she was quite suddenly something else...An ambitious mother puts her art career on hold to stay at home with her newborn son, but the experience does not match her imagination. Two years later, she steps into the bathroom for a break from her toddler's demands, only to discover a dense patch of hair on the back of her neck. In the mirror, her canines suddenly look sharper than she remembers. Her husband, who travels for work five days a week, casually dismisses her fears from faraway hotel rooms.As the mother's symptoms intensify, and her temptation to give in to her new dog impulses peak, she struggles to keep her alter-canine-identity secret. Seeking a cure at the library, she discovers the mysterious academic tome which becomes her bible, A Field Guide to Magical Women: A Mythical Ethnography, and meets a group of mommies involved in a multilevel-marketing scheme who may also be more than what they seem. An outrageously original novel of ideas about art, power, and womanhood wrapped in a satirical fairy tale, Nightbitch will make you want to howl in laughter and recognition. And you should. You should howl as much as you want.
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More Details:
Author
Rachel Yoder
Pages
256
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published Date
2021-07-20
ISBN
0385546823 9780385546829
Community ReviewsSee all
"This book was so strange and so perfect, the way it captures the complexity and the wildness of motherhood. Can’t recommend it highly enough, especially for mothers of young children. "
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Emily Calkins
"Very fun examination of motherhood and art and self and and and.. it reminded me somewhat of Helen Phillips’ The Need, in that it’s a weird and surreal exploration of motherhood, but this one is a bit lighter."
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CaitVD
"DNF 26% through. Was too slow, didn't like the way it was written, had a hard time paying attention and it made me frustrated. I'm disappointed, I had such high hopes for this and it seemed right up my alley, but the complex writing style, lack of quotation marks and names, and the oncoming of animal abuse that I knew from reading trigger warnings, I decided it wasn't worth my time. While usually animal abuse doesn't bother me too much in literature because it's just words, I wasn't going to force myself through it when almost every other aspect of this book sucked. I did like the feminist aspects though and I truly believe that this had potential, but the delivery of the concept is horrible and it didn't feel like reading a book or even a rough draft, but instead felt like I was reading a long form summary of it. "
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RanchyFinch
"This one’s for the afabs who have not felt inner peace since the last time they read a Mona Awad book"
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grace
"Reading this while pregnant was possibly not the best choice, but also feels so right. There are experiences in this book every woman can appreciate."
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Elise Meyers
"REVIEW CONTAINS A SPOILER. It was ridiculous. You’d think that I, as someone who got two degrees in contemporary art history, would enjoy this book, but I did not. That’s the long and short of it. I also didn’t like how none of the main characters had names. And I also didn’t enjoy the hatred towards- and eventual murder of- the pet cat. I get it, the main character is “a dog.” But the husband acted similarly towards the cat and he’s not a dog! And he didn’t seem bothered when learning that the cat died. Overall I couldn’t wait to be done with this book. "
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Ruth S.
"This felt like reading a a daunting art piece. I liked the story but the way it’s written, it felt like reading a book you’d be forced to read in high school. Hard to get through but not bad. "
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Sandy
"I love the concept of this book, but my ADD brain has a really difficult time with stream of consciousness storytelling. There also aren't any quotation marks for dialogue. It was more stressful for me than enjoyable, but I think this is going to be a great read for a lot of people.<br/>"
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Emily
"My new favourite novel. Perfectly describes the highs lows and feral nature of motherhood. "
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Emily Tancredi
"Can’t wait for this to become a film!"
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Frances Puopolo