WOW! NIGHTBITCH by Rachel Yoder is a stunning novel! It’s about a mother who thinks she’s turning into a dog. I loved the humour throughout! This book made me laugh quite a few times. It was so fun the touch of the magical as we’re not sure if the mother is just in her own mind or if it’s all real. A clever take of motherhood and loved the characterization of the mother as an artist and reader. So glad I read this book!! I loved it!
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Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley for my advance review copy!

An interesting take on motherhood and I enjoyed the detached way it was written and the way this book serves it's purpose as being a giant metaphor but it can be a pretty repetitive read at times. Would be interested in reading more from this author.

2 STARS

With its clear eyes on contemporary womanhood and sharp take on structures of power, Nightbitch is an outrageously original, joyfully subversive read that will make you want to howl in laughter and recognition. Addictive enough to be devoured in one sitting, this is an unforgettable novel from a blazing new talent.

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I'm not sure if I just didn't "get" this book...or my feelings about it are accurate.

I was initially SO excited to pick this one up, as it sounded like some good fantasy horror. Unfortunately, by the 60% mark I was skimming and wanted it to be over. Although I understand the general metaphor of losing oneself to motherhood (although I am not a mother myself) it was just too allegorical for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC.

This book puts a real and VERY relatable face on the struggles new mothers face trying to do it all while still hanging on to some semblance of their pre-baby selves as well as the resentment women can face towards their partners who never seem to ever be able to do quite what we need or want them to do childcare wise. I identified with so much of the mother's guilt and shame and feelings of failure, falling prey to the dangers of comparing herself to the other moms who seem like they've got it all figured out (when no one really does).

Where this book lost me a little was the fantastical elements where the mom starts turning into a dog. I appreciated how this gave her the chance to be more free and how powerful and liberating that was but when she starts eating other animals and there was visceral descriptions of her tearing into flesh I got a little turned off.

Overall a wonderful look at motherhood but a little too fantastical for my tastes. The magical realism aspects got a little too graphic for me. And that cover! Man I did love so much of this book but truly hated the cover! Which is a shame, I think it will be off-putting for many people who might really identify with the wife/mother in this book. Fans of When I ran away might enjoy this book and it's unflinching and unapologetically honest depiction of modern motherhood. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy.

Nightbitch was such a fun read, it reminded me a lot of Netflix's Santa Clarita Diet; which I absolutely love; so this book was a winner for me. I thought the writing was solid and the pacing of the story was excellent. Looking forward to see what Yoder writes next!

This was an interesting and often fun read, though a bit challenging at times! Explores the feelings surrounding motherhood, identity, womanhood through a really interesting and captivating premise. I laughed a lot even though I wasn't expecting to.

Really looking forward to seeing this as a film!

I am still processing this book and I might be for some time. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read. In short, it’s about a mother of a 2 year-old son, aka “Nightbitch,” who thinks she’s turning into a dog. Yes bow wow. She struggles with her son’s “night night” rituals, which leads to the awakening of her inner Nightbitch. I think I’m more of a Morningbitch ☕️

Here’s what’s challenging about this novel:

✍️ There are only 3 chapters so there aren’t a lot of natural stopping points
😇 It’s written in the third person
🐰 There’s violence against animals
🐢 Not plot driven
🥱 It takes about 75 pages to get into

If you like Jenny Offill’s writing style you will enjoy this book. Both read like really long short stories with streams of consciousness. Nightbitch is a subversive commentary about motherhood and where primal instincts and the mundane intersect. The Nightbitch character (you never know her name) turned performance artist, examines the brutality and darkness of motherhood and how modern motherhood has been sanitized and neutered with multi-level marketing schemes. Her suburban MJU (multi-Jen universe) is stacked with essential oil loving, Pinot Grigio guzzlers. I think this book could have taken a step further and examined the mommy blogger world.

It reminded me of The Santa Clarita Diet if it was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (watch Dogtooth if you like bizarre movies). You want to close your eyes, you want to laugh and then you want to sit in a dark room and think …

This is a debut novel for this American author, the rights of which have already been optioned for a film with plans for Amy Adams to star in it. The main character was a former artist and art director and is now a stay-at-home mother to a two-year-old boy. Her husband travels for work and is only home on weekends. The woman (whose name we are never given) is slowly losing her mind with the difficulty of single parenting and losing her career. When she notices unusual hair growth and develops a cyst on her tailbone, she becomes convinced she is turning into a dog. This very unusual novel wonderfully captures her frustration and need for some power and control in her life. It is a good recommendation for fans of novels that are a little weird, such as "Fifteen Dogs" and "Nutshell".

***ARC provided by NetGalley***

TRIGGER WARNING: animal death, blood, violence (I might forget some)

"Nightbitch" falls into the "Multiverse" of certain literary books I've been orbiting around lately such as "Bunny" (Awad) and "We Play Ourselves" (Silverman). That is: the complexity of feminine identity and artistry in the modern world. But here, Yoder takes it a step further by connecting motherhood to those two concepts. The formula is simple: yes, there is beauty in childbearing/delivery/motherhood, but there also is violence. Yoder explores those violences--because there is more than one!--through the mother. There is the violence of childbirth, yes, but also the societal violence to which the mother, or Nightbitch, is submitted. The violence of her husband's distance, both physical and psychic. The violence of refusing to explore her own visceral, violent urges: and Nightbitch is born.
I cannot speak of motherhood/parenthood yet, but I believe it is easy to connect with Nightbitch's psyche for someone who grew up as AFAB or identifies as a woman.

In all: Nightbitch made me feel deeply and was violent in much needed ways (for the mother). A great piece of fiction.

(I'd like to point out one thing: the mother is a ciswoman. She speaks of her own experiences as a mother and childbearer and I respect that. What I didn't "vibe" with was the whole "the womb is where I draw my power as a woman" thing. That is restrictive and reductive; what of non-binary people, transmen giving birth, women adopting? What of adoption, surrogacy? I understand that was NOT the mother's experience, but she DOES come into contact with multiple mothers. Can Nightbitch's artpiece relate to mothers without the same experience as her? With transmen? With enby people? I got this vibe of "universal experience" focusing only on vaginal delivery/c-sections, which we know is NOT the case when it comes to motherhood/parenthood/fatherhood.)

A very funny and clever take on the struggles of motherhood. I really enjoyed how the character wasn't too personalized. I think we have all known a mother like her, and many people will relate to this character and her struggles. A great book for anyone looking for a thought provoking laugh!

Feral, unhinged, magical realism is my new favourite sub-genre. This was every bit as demented as the publisher blurb promised— and I mean that as the highest form of compliment. Nightbitch is a savage and unapologetic fable about womanhood and mothering, with a dash of cautionary tale about the perils of pyramid schemes.

This was a perfect heatwave read that I devoured (pun intended) and immediately reread. Yoder’s writing style grabbed me (by the scruff) with its skillful blend of fantastical lyricism and simmering animalistic urgency that maps the mother’s journey. Overall, this is a stunning, cerebral debut destined to be debated about. Naturally I adored this insane book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really fun read - I found myself hungrily looking forward to the evenings so I could get back into it, It reminded me at times of Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, a huge favourite of mine. There were things that I didn't love about the pacing, and I really wanted a bit more of the search for Wanda White, which I really enjoyed. I'd recommend to anyone who loves an unreliable narrator story, and note that anyone who's undecided about having children will at least temporarily be converted to a Strong No for most of the book.

This book was grossly addicting. Devouring it, I gobbled up every page, every word, and was left insatiably hungry for more. Not one for the faint-hearted. Expect blood, guts, and intense emotions. Plan to cancel the next 24 hours of your life because once you start this book you won't be able to put it down. Debut novel from Rachel Yoder, I absolutely freaking loved it.

I’m not sure what to say about this book. It’s not something I would normally read. It’s odd how relatable it is to motherhood.

Nightbitch is an totally unexpected gem! It captured the stress, expectations, loneliness, despair, joy and love of motherhood in a strangely, yet perfect way. The main character is aptly named "the mother" as any mother can resonate deeply with Nightbitch's experience. It's a wide ride about a woman who was drowning in the chaos and mundaneness of being a full-time mom, yet found strength from deep within and transformed herself to the person she has always wanted to be.

This book has a wild premise but is surprisingly relatable in describing the feelings surrounding new motherhood and identity. A funny, smart, and mystical read!

Not my usual type of book but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Very well done!

Glad I went out of my comfort zone and got a chance to read this one.