Death Valley is a darkly funny and moving novel about grief, loss, and the power of the human spirit. The novel follows a woman named Esther who travels to Death Valley in the wake of her father's illness and her husband's worsening health. She seeks respite from the pain and emptiness that plague her and "anticipatory grief", but soon finds herself on a journey that is both desolate and rich, hilarious and poignant.

Esther is a quirky and interesting character who is easy to relate to. She is flawed and vulnerable, but she is also strong and resilient. She is a survivor, and her journey through Death Valley is a testament to the power of each person to overcome even the most difficult challenges.

The writing style in the novel is exceptional. Broder's use of interior monologue allows the reader to experience Esther's thoughts and feelings in a way that is both relatable and tangible. The writing is razor-sharp, witty, and remarkably sensitive all at the same time.

Esther arrives at a Best Western in Death Valley, which is completely empty. She takes a hike and soon gets lost in the desert. As she wanders through the sand dunes and rocks, she begins to have surreal visions. She chances upon a towering, monumental cactus that seems out of place with its surroundings, but it piques her curiosity enough to enter it. The surrealism of it all is delightful.

Esther's journey through the cactus serves as a metaphor for her experience of life after loss. Although she feels adrift at first, alone and confused, Esther eventually finds her way back to herself, accepting her grief along the way. Her journey teaches her about the resilience and elasticity of which we are all capable, and the power of self-discovery.


Death Valley is a truly captivating read that will linger in your mind long after you finish. It is an emotionally charged novel, full of moments that make you smile, snicker, and consider thought-provoking themes. I strongly suggest picking up a copy.

Rating: 5/5


[An ARC was shared with The Arcane Archives through NetGalley ahead of release, in exchange for an unbiased review.]

A woman checks in to the Best Western in Death Valley. Five months prior, her father was in a terrible car accident and is still in the ICU. At forty-one, she needs an escape, not only from the trauma of her father’s experiences, but also her husband’s ailing health. She’s weary from worry – an author struggling to write her novel. In a surreal Alice in Wonderland moment, she hikes in the desert and discovers a giant cactus which she surreally enters through a gash only to discover a different version of her father. And this is just the start of the beautiful fever dream of a novel. There are so many incredible observations on humanity throughout this book that unfolds like a time-lapse flower opening: slowly and then all at once. A remarkable book about family, love, grief and connection. When I finished it, I wanted to read it all over again. Thank you to NetGalley and to Scribner for the advanced review copy.

Broder is such a breath of fresh air - whether you enjoy her weird stories or not, you can always rely on her to serve something totally unique in her books.
I feel like the topic of grief is something that’s been addressed a LOT in fiction recently, to the point where i’ve started avoiding it. however, the way it’s done here is so refreshing and raw. it’s told with a brand of surrealist humor that I was totally on board with, and it lends itself to a certain fever dream-like quality. there’s a lot to unpack within this pretty short book, and i know this is one i’ll have to re-read later this year.

A woman arrives at a Best Western to rest and navigate her depression. Her father is critically ill and likely to die. Her husband is extremely ill, but living with chronic illness. He is not the man she married. She mourns that. She decides to take a hike and ends up lost in the desert to deal with her demons.
If you like really well-written books that are out there, this is for you. All I am saying is that I wanted to slide on into a juicy cactus, lay on my back with my feet up against the tall part of the cactus and do breathing exercises. Or just take a nap. If you liked Hurricane Girl by Marcy Dermansky, One’s Company by Ashley Hutson or Big Swiss by Jenn Beagin, try Death Valley.

Meslissa Broder captures her audience like no other. I was easily transported to the dessert with the main character and found myself greatly attached to her. Broder's writing style is so incredibly honest and raw; she always says (writes) all the thoughts andd feelings I am too afraid to say. This book is so much more than a dessert survival story, it is a sincere and unabashed tale of fear, grief, and how we handle these less than desirable emotions. This bookwas highly anticipated in my own personal reading life and it did not disappoint. Broder could write a novel on just about anything and make it so reflective and funny you won't be able to put it down.

the writing and descriptions was incredible, it was like i was really there!

thank you netgalley for an e-ARC!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC! I loved the exploration of anticipatory grief. Only Broder can make me laugh out loud in the same sentence she discusses the possibility of death. This book is weird, but that is to be expected. Super quick read! I was enchanted. Every book doesn't have to be for everyone and this certainly won't be... but it was for me!

Surreal, melancholic, thought-provoking, introspective, and so extremely vivid you'll feel the desert heat through the pages.

Overwhelmed with existential dread over her dying father and chronically ill husband, a novelist escapes to the California high desert to clear her head. There, she's drawn to a hiking trail where she finds a giant hollow cactus that seemingly only she can see. Inside the cactus, she experiences soothing hallucinations that help guide her through her grief. However, her journey is just beginning. Wandering further down the path, her circumstances become dire as she's forced to kick into survival mode.

One of the most comprehensive, all-encompassing, poignant portrayals of grief I've ever read. This one punched me right in the gut with its whirlwind of emotions. Even in the face of death, Broder still manages to find the humor in all of it. I'm unsure what to do with all these feelings. Still, "Death Valley" manages to end on a hopeful note as a final reminder that grief is not linear.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

What did I read? A surreal freudian portrayal of grief, about love, powerlessness and self, and survival. It is darkly funny and at time uncouth. A book for the unhinged sad girlies for sure.

This was my first Broder and most definitely will not be my last.

Overwhelmed by the stress of her chronically ill husband and father’s worsening condition in the ICU, a woman travels to the desert to work on her next novel. While on a hike, she climbs inside a giant cactus and shit goes wild from there. It’s both fantastical and grounded in reality, a story about survival that will make you laugh out loud. The parts about preemptive grief were exceptional. Loved this a lot!

A handful of intricately-crafted, fleshed-out, interesting characters and relationship-dynamics, but that’s about all this book has to offer. The story itself is boring: the majority of it unfolds as the protagonist wanders through the desert wallowing in her own self-pity and undergoing little-to-no character development. I kept thinking [as someone who has been impressed by Melissa Broder’s other works], “this must be building up to a grand revelation!” but I was very, very, very wrong. The protagonist is just as insufferable, miserable, and unlikeable at the end of the story as she is in the beginning.

This book was pretty crazy in an obviously great way.

I didn’t think I was going to get locked in, I thought I would just take my time with it- BUT- I stayed up late one night to finish it!

I love dark reads like this where the characters are open about their darkness. They show us the deep weird feelings or comments about people or things- ahhhh I just love original characters! Broder is great this huh?

I loved this story and I think I will carry it with me for a long long time.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

Melissa Broder's chaotic voice shines through again in this dizzying novel about a woman who wanders through a desert. I always enjoy a half-crazed narrator who talks to rocks. The prose is so self-deprecating and harsh but with real moments of clarity. This book really says a lot about preemptive grief and the feeling of mourning before someone is even dead.

Escaping the daily grind for some time to reflect on her life and the death that seems to surround her, a woman heads to a Best Western in the high desert of California. With a father in the ICU on the brink of death and a husband whose health is slowly declining, she yearns for peace away from it all.

On a suggestion from the hotel employees, she heads into the desert for a day hike and stumbles upon a cactus with a deep gash in its side that is not native to the area. Climbing inside this giant cactus, she is sent through a time warp like no other. Bringing up past memories and feelings she never allowed to come to the surface, she finds herself on a journey she never expected.

This novel was such a crazy ride. One minute I was laughing, and the next I was tearing up. I felt so many emotions while reading this journey of acceptance. Not only that but now I may have a slight obsession with the almighty cactus.

Overall I highly recommend it. This is such a quirky and delicious novel. I seriously couldn’t put this one down and will definitely reread it.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a propulsive read, perfect for summer. I loved the main character's development over the course of the story. It was both realistic and dreamlike at the same time, full of the inner monologue that I've come to expect from Broder.

I think this is a i”t’s me not you” situation. This book wasn’t bad by any means. The writing was well done and I found myself laughing and highlighting different quotes early on. The middle and end just wasn’t quite what I was looking for. I don’t know if it was all the metaphors and the kind of stream of consciousness type writing that just didn’t work for me but I didn’t love the second half of the book. I’m not even sure how to categorize it. It’s about grief, it’s funny, metaphorical, a bit fantastical, and it’s a story of survival. It sounds super interesting but it just didn’t work for me completely. I do think a lot of people will love this book, especially if you are wanting something about grief. Thank you so much NetGalley for my eARC.

Death Valley is a darkly funny and strange novel about a grieving writer who escapes to the desert to finish her book, only to come across a giant cactus that beckons her inside. Death Valley is in equal parts a thrilling survival novel and a profound meditation on grief. Broder’s writing is insightful and witty, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book.

[arc review! thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review]

“death valley” tells the story of a woman who turns up at a best western hotel trying to escape from the emotions surrounding her dying father in the hospital, her chronically ill husband, and her overall responsibilities as an author, wife, daughter, and human. one day, she decides to go hiking on a trail suggested by one of the front-desk employees at the hotel, and she stumbles upon a giant cactus—which she crawls inside of, as one does, and begins to see visions of her father and her husband in their pasts. the rest of the plot spirals into a magical, surrealist story that you just need to experience for yourself!

i found myself quickly invested in this book. i found our narrator so insightful, hilarious, and relatable. her observations about the world are so interesting and fresh, and her inner monologue was super readable and fun, albeit dark at times—that’s part of her charm though! the novel does an excellent job at portraying grief and familial and marital dynamics. the short chapters and easily-digestible language absolutely propelled the narrative forward, and i found it hard to put this down because i was constantly thinking about it and wanted to know what would happen next. i was so captivated by this story—though i did feel as though i slowed down a bit toward the middle section, but it was still enjoyable—and it was bittersweet to see it end. though i just finished this, i can already tell that i’ll be thinking about this one frequently in the future! 🌵

i highly suggest checking out death valley! i adored it! thank you again to the publisher for the advanced review copy!

Everytime I pick up a Melissa Broder book I know I'm up for a ride. And what a ride.

We follow a woman who is dealing with her father's hospitalization and her husband's chronic illnesses, and takes some time off to go to the desert and escape for a while. There, she goes hiking and finds a giant cactus where she runs into her father and husband as boys, when they weren't suffering. When she is supposed to go back home, decides to go back to the desert to visit the giant cactus, but it's gone. Trying to find it, she gets lost in the desert and gets injured, without cell service or water.

It's always interesting to me how other people manage their existential crisis, and on this book I enjoyed all the internal dialogue the main character had with herself. It's easy to see how she starts with good morale and how it starts dropping down as time passes by.

Very worth the read.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for the arc.

This is a strange book that certainly isn’t for everyone but I found very funny. The main character is struggling with her fathers illness and hospitalization as well as her husbands long illness. She’s at a best western and the receptionist gives her a recommendation for a hike in the desert. There are parts of this book that are surreal and dreamlike and you wonder what is or isn’t reality. This is one of those books that’s more of a quirky character study and just dives deep into one persons humanity and experience. If you like that plus speculative literary writing definitely check this one out.