DNF 49% in. The writing felt confusing and learning it was representative of a person living with DID it felt unrealistic to how people reportedly present externally and how people with DID report experiencing it internally.

I can respect that this is a trauma based plot, but I did not enjoy the storytelling. This was too heavy for me to enjoy.

Katherine had special type of trauma. She had bunch of children stuck inside her who dictated how she was supposed to feel and react to things coming her way. Anything that was unresolved showed up as a new character in her little u-boat that she believed that she should keep under the water at all times. Katherine was so lonely in her crowded u-boat.

While Katherine had some people who supported her and kept reminding her that she was not who she claimed to be and she could be better, she was still missing proper care. She needed to get treatment to bury those little demons in the u-boat for them to never resurface again.

This was part hilarious, part disturbing way to look at a woman struggling with mental health. Having the story told by all the personalities that came out in the book was a great way to describe that inner turmoil. It is definitely an unconventional debut.

4.5- I found this to be an extremely unique book about someone with Dissociative Identity Disorder. It deals with lots of heavy stuff, the heaviest being parental molestation.
From the outside Katherine looks like your typical suburban soccer Mom. She has 2 kids, a nice house, and a caring husband. On the inside however, she has a multitude of children trying to steer her from situations that might cause her pain. Truitt and Star are teenagers and Smoosh Bug is 8 years old. They tend to relive Katherine’s life from when she was a young girl called Katchie to when she met Philip, her husband. Katherine is pulled by both the life she is currently living and the past that has formed who she is.
Boo Trundle did a phenomenal job capturing Dissociative Identity Disorder perfectly in words. Written in 6 chapters, each chapter contains a part told from a different character, either Katherine or one of her inner children. The way it is written seems choppy at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll see it works beautifully.
I find Dissociative Identity Disorder to be one of the most fascinating mental disorders because it goes to show how far the human brain will go to protect itself. I love that there is now a novel that not only brings DID to light, but that also allows the reader into the head of a patient.
The only thing this novel is missing is a note from Ms. Trundle telling her readers how she researched DID. I feel like that would have been the icing on the cake.

I finished "The Daughter Ship" a couple of weeks ago, but have been sitting on positing a review because, well, there was a lot to process here! I say this in the kindest of ways. Boo Trundle, how this is your first novel is just beyond me. 
    I am not one to give out trigger warnings, thats a whole other topic, but this book is about trauma. Dealt with in a way that I have never seen before. There were times I was laughing, there were times I had a hand clasped over my mouth. 
    We get to meet Katherine, a married mother of two, trying to overcome dark thoughts and intimacy issues. Sounds pretty run of the mill so far? But no, the story is told in short bursts from 3 different children. Katherine's inner voices with different personalities, each having different ways to cope and deal with Katherine's past trauma and abuse. We also get visits from Confederate female ancestors in ghost forms, addressing racism in her bloodlines. 
     I almost forgot to mention, this is all happening on a WWII submarine off the coast of Virginia Beach. 
     This is a novel of protection, the battle for well-being, uncovering our truths, processing our past, and ultimately the hope for a better future.
    I am absolutely looking forward to reading whatever Boo writes next.

The Katherine is a rusting WWII submarine, sunken off the coast of Virginia Beach. On the sub, three individuals -- Star, Smooshed Bug, and Truitt -- are fighting (often against each other) to stay alive in rapidly worsening conditions.

Katherine is also a middle-aged married mother who has struggled with dark thoughts for most of her life, which now threaten to consume her. In order to come to terms with the truth about her past, and in order to save her own life, she'll have to finally listen to her inner selves -- Star, Smooshed Bug, and Truitt -- even if she doesn't want to hear what they're saying.

The concept for The Daughter Ship -- a novel narrated by one woman in her own voice, the voices of her inner selves, and her Confederate female ancestors -- intrigued me right away. The story unfolds on a nonlinear timeline as we learn about Katherine's life and, eventually, the trauma at her core. Honestly, it took me some time to find my footing with it, and I finally decided to just sit back and let the flow of the narrative wash over me, accepting that it wasn't all going to make sense right away but that eventually it would all come together. And it does all come together in the end -- and it's immensely rewarding and affecting.

In an inventive, wholly original, and compelling way, Boo Trundle explores the devastating effects of trauma and the intensely personal work of healing. The Daughter Ship offers an unflinching examination of a number of dark topics, but Trundle's pitch-black humor and wry wisdom are a balm to the reader's heartbreak. Her storytelling is daring, emotionally resonant, and intimate as she writes about a cast of characters, housed within one woman, whom I won't soon forget. Thank you to Pantheon and NetGalley for the complimentary reading opportunity.

One to admire if not to enjoy. Katherine is struggling with trauma and her various selves (the ones we all have) emerge to tell the stories of her past and present. It's all over the place and confusing but there are sparks of brilliance in the writing, It's definitely not for everyone but it's worth a try. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction.