Set in a near-future city based on Toronto where big corporations have turned the world into a surveillance-ridden, economically downturned, rich-get-richer scheme, the Marigold building sits supreme. Slicing into the skyline, the expensive, characterless condos inside are full of used-to-be hockey players, live-streamers, haunted men, and even Stanley Marigold himself in the penthouse suite. But underneath the foundation of the building, of the whole city, is the Wet, an ooey gooey fungus calling for bodies and blood. With engrained ancient rituals, the cut corners of capitalism, and down-on-their-luck conspiracy theorists trying to reveal the truth, The Marigold is made up of interweaving stories of Stanley Marigold, the gardener, two Wet fighters, a recently-fired food delivery worker, a girl looking for her father, and many characters in between.

This book's strength lies in how quickly a character is introduced, how unique they are, and the way the stories overlap to give a bigger picture of the world. I can understand why it's not to everyone's taste to be introduced to so many characters, but I enjoyed even the characters who were shortlived in the narrative and on the page. There's gross body horror and false victories and grime across everything. It's a slow crawl to the end, but I enjoyed every second.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Received this ARC on @netgalley for an honest review. I don’t think I’ve ever rated a book this low and it pains me to do so because I know how hard authors work but this was just really hard to get through.
I’ve seen a lot of reviews say there is a good story in here somewhere but it’s so hard to get through because there are just so many characters and so much back and forth. I was confused and bored most of the book but pushed through to finish. Wouldn’t recommend but hope with some feedback Andrew can write an awesome next novel

Who knew, the landlords were the bad guys all along?!

Jk, we all knew that.

This is so timely, especially with the housing crisis we’re seeing in Southern Ontario. It’s a little horror, a little social commentary and honestly a little humour (the raccoons, omg).

This crumbling dystopian version of Toronto was so interesting to read about. I especially loved the quote “Although people swore this was the end of the world, Dale knew the truth - the world was only flipping the mattress.” Life, uh, finds a way… right?

I thought the writing was very easy to read and enjoyed reading all the Toronto references. The Wet is such a weird, gross enigma and the only thing I’d say is that I almost wanted more of this weirdly sentient mold. And more about the gardeners! I’m honestly so intrigued by all the lore.

Out April 18, 2023.

I struggled with this. The writing is disjointed and clunky. Too many characters introduced at once made the story feel not very cohesive. I was intrigued by the plot but was ultimately let down by the writing.

Loved this book! The body horror, the originality, the pace. It was perfect for me. I am a Palahniuk fan and would this to anyone who also enjoys his work.

An extremely timely body/eco horror read! Overall very enjoyable. I enjoyed my time in the world and setting. Good world-building.

This book has a fascinating premise but the narrative voice wasn't engaging enough for me - I got through some of it but eventually had to DNF.

In a future Toronto shady deals are being done by property developers to ensure that their new buildings are built quickly. However, once strange happenings begin and people start disappearing the full truth will be brought to the surface quite literally.

This was a really gripping dystopian horror novel about how we live and the community that we live in. I was gripped by each character in this strange world and desperately hoped for a happy ending (for some of them!). A gripping and unsettling tale of progress at any cost and what makes us a community.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

There was something about this book that had me hooked despite the soon and gloom and overwhelming mould creeping from the pages. A cautionary tale for development and humanity.

Rounding up to 2 stars because it seems like a very early ARC (80% hasn’t been formatted properly yet which also made it much harder to read).

The idea of this plot was so intriguing, but the execution was extremely lacking. There was essentially no world building or much description at all—I just couldn’t get a grasp on this futuristic society. The characters all felt exactly the same to me, to the point where I couldn’t keep anyone straight because the narration was all the same. Additionally, it felt like the plot went on entirely too long before explaining what “the wet” really was and then when it did it just felt even more confusing and unbelievable. Unfortunately I spent the entire book confused and no longer interested, and ended up mostly skimming until I got to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Near future Toronto, where the gig economy has become a fullfledged gig dystopia. A kind of spore is slowly creeping through the city, taking over people's bodies. We follow a cast of characters, including two corporate investigators that are trying to find out more about the spores, and a whole lot of people living in a high rise called the Marigold, where the spores are claiming more and more people.

The story jumps from characters to characters, every other chapter being a character piece about someone living in the Marigold. And it makes the storytelling slo-o-o-ow. Too slow, for me.

Amazing piece of speculative eco-horror with deep, relatable characters and witty societal commentary I really enjoyed.

A good start, but it does drag a little in pacing in the middle. How storylines are connected isn’t always clear, though each is interesting in its own way. Found myself having to push through some parts later on, opposed to in the beginning where I was immediately hooked.

Loved the array of characters and perspectives so much. And the raccoons were brilliant.

The dialogue was excellent throughout, very realistic—but one slightly annoying thing: too often during a conversation there’s a line of dialogue, a paragraph of description or thought, then another line. Sometimes that paragraph between is so long that I forget what they were talking about in the first place by the time we get to the next statement or response.

Anyway, always love a look into the lives of the ultra rich—how they live and think, how they consume and plan, how they deal mentally with the cost of their success which affects so many people. Do they really make decisions with so little care, and what might their upbringing look like to have led them to hold such merciless worldviews? This book does a good job with that glimpse into their lives that some other great stories I love do as well.

Something is rotten in the ground under a future Toronto tower block skyline. Something that is stretching out its decayed tendrils, flooding and sucking in any life that comes close, undermining and claiming buildings and ground. The behemoths towers are being built by the ultra-rich. But some things cost more than money, the cost is really counted in lives. How many more will die? For me this horror fantasy hit the road running, but slowed as many different story lines started. Then, about a third of the way in I felt myself pulled (pun intended) deep into the character’s lives and struggles. Thank you to Harper Fiction, Borough Press and NetGalley fir the ARC. The views expressed are all mine freely given.

A great example of hybrid genre novel. It's most definitely a gripping horror but Sullivan's commentary on capitalism, corruption, gentrification, and social decline throws The Marigold into the heart of literary fiction for me.
what feels like a psychological horror at the beginning - where characters with a heavy conscience see their guilt, regret, and greed reflected in the bitter city landscape - ends up in a very visceral, physically quite gross criticism of consumerism and sacrifice for the sake of "progress".

I think thematically, you could draw similarities between the Marigold and Life Ceremony but Sullivan's writing style is very different from Murata's. The plot is a little predictable so I think it would have been better if the book was shorter, so the action hit you fast and hard for a bigger impact, but I really enjoyed the creepiness and conspiracy theory vibes.

I didn't love this one. Some elements of the plot were genuinely creepy, but every time I started to get really caught up in it, the story would switch to a different set of characters. There was so much going on Between the human sacrifice and powerful corporations and evil mold, it felt like I was following three completely different books. .

A well-written book with vivid characters. This is definitely a character-driven novel told from multiple POVs.

Thanks to Net Galley for a free ARC. I was intrigued by the premise here. Something is oozing up from below and taking over parts of a city. Lots of seemingly random characters that will eventually be drawn together into one unified story. But…I kept on not coming back to this book and choosing other reads instead or just not reading altogether. I made it about 70 pages before my access to the ebook expired. And I was kind of indifferent.

I hadn’t gotten attached to any of the characters yet, although a few had promise. I especially enjoyed the characters who actually lived in the Marigold and the duo who investigated the oozy thing. So. I think in a different season this could be a fun read. I may pick it up again once it comes out. DNF for now though.

Edited to add: I just opened my app and they gave me more time to finish so maybe I’ll pick this back up after all.

Edited once more: I finished this, mostly because it was already downloaded and my internet is iffy with moving. It was weird. I wish the storylines would have intersected earlier and I feel like the ending was a letdown.

This wins for the weirdest thing I read this year though.

I normally love books where there are different storylines that weave together, but this one was harder for me to get into. I think it's because of the sci-fi esque setting/elements. I think if there had only been two major characters it would have bene easier for me to follow along with.

Everything about this book drew me in. The multiple perspectives we encounter through the text provide the perfect amount of suspense and tension, while the atmosphere of fear intensifies. Add a biting social commentary, a myriad of human flaws explored through the various characters, and an unstoppable almost-supernatural antagonist, and the end product becomes a stunning exploration of what happens when capitalism reaches its extremes. Where the text disappoints is in the character development which is present for some characters, but not at all for others. Moreover, the digressions and ramblings of the characters often get overwhelming, especially since they do not always seem relevant to the story.