This was a tough story to read in that it is a claustrophobically relatable depiction of anxiety. A total fever dream, as Elise's anxiety mounts it's tough to tell what is true horror and what is simply her spiraling into the depths of her own mind. This is the kind of horror that creeps up on you, where you feel more and more unsettled as the story goes on. That aspect was masterfully done, as was the depiction of Elise's overall mental health struggles. I found I did not care much about any of the other characters, but I didn't really need to in order to be invested in the story. Readers sensitive to topics related to eating disorders, anxiety, and depression, should be cautious going into this one.

I ended up dnfing this one, which is such a disappointment for me because the premise was intriguing. I just could not get on board with the main character or her partner. The plot and suspense also took way too long to develop--by the time I put this book down, nothing of any significance had happened.

Poor, poor Elise.

Beta Vulgaris follows Elise, a down on her luck millennial, trying so desperately to dig herself out of the hole she keeps jumping into.

She and her boyfriend Tom travel from Brooklyn to Minnesota to harvest beets. Tom comes from wealth and seems like an A+ boyfriend, Elise’s in mountains of debt and waiting for the ball to drop and Tom to kick her to the curb. Elise is riddled with anxiety about money, her body, and her boyfriend. But maybe the earnings from this beet harvest will change everything and set her down a new, more hopeful path.

Work on the farm takes an eerie and sinister turn when Elise develops a strange rash, starts hearing voices coming from the beet pile, and people start vanishing from the harvest. Elise can’t escape the incessant calls from the debt collector, threatening texts, her deprived stomach, or the pain and cold of the midnight shifts.

What follows is Elise’s descent into disassociation and depression (madness?). She’ll never get out of the hole so why not just crawl right in with the worms and rotting beets.

This debut took me for a raw and wriggling slow ride. It felt like midsommar meets a farming-sim horror game. I wish there was less eating disorder fiction out there but I could understand why Elise as a character reverted back to this as she was trying to seek some control in her spiraling life. There isn’t much of a plot, but it is grimy and bleak. You can almost smell this story.

Overall, I think it’s a clever horror. Love the cover and the name. The scientific name of a beet or a disease?

Many thanks to the publisher W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This one is going to stick with me for a very long time. This slow descent into the horrors of insecurity, body dysmorphia and eating disorders felt so poignant and disturbing. Margie Sarsfield nails that inner monologue and how it feels to not be able to trust yourself while losing all control.

🖤There’s something about the “sad girl lit fic” sub genre that I have just been loving recently.

💬“If Elise couldn’t be seen the way she wanted to be seen… then she wouldn’t be seen at all.”

🩷I love stories that delve into the darker topics, that make you deeply contemplate on life and your own experiences.

💬“Elise was based on their memories, and she could leave behind all those versions of herself that only kept existing because other people remembered them.”

🖤This is definitely a heavy read! Trigger warnings for eating disorders and depression. It’s a little weird and very bleak. The tension is slow-building but the super short chapters make it a fast read.

💬“...so distracted by the question of being wanted that she rarely considered whether she wanted the other person.”

🩷Read this book if you’ve liked any of these authors: Otessa Moshfegh, Ainslee Hogarth, Chelsea G. Summers, Sayaka Murata, Sarah Manguso, Ling Ling Huang, Sarah Rose Etter, Miranda July, Eliza Clark, and Melissa Broder.

Wow!! This book is intense. May have a TW re: eating disorders, depression, anxiety, mental health. I think the writing just pulls you in, it’s very gritty, fast moving. I would like to re-read this one. It was unique and sad and a pretty accurate feeling of extreme depression.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an ARC of this book! To start off, I will begin with the positives: the title and cover are amazing. This book is for all of the weird girl fiction lovers, like myself. This book explores themes of financial insecurity, codependency, disordered eating, and the feeling that you don’t quite fit in with the crowd. Elise frustrated me at times with her spiraling around these topics over and over. I found the middle of the book started to get repetitive. I was satisfied by the ending, which also alluded to what happened to the other missing characters. I would read more from this author!

Unfortunately not a favorite, though the story was interesting enough to keep me interested. I’m just not certain this is a book that I will remember several months from now. I personally am finding the unhinged female trope is very over saturated and tired at this point.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced look. This was something else! It's 2014 and Elise and Tom have come from Brooklyn to Minnesota to work the beet harvest. Two weeks of hell in exchange for a couple of month's rent. Except: workers start to go missing, animals are getting sick, Elise develops a bruise on the side of her neck. Also, the beets may be speaking to her.
I couldn't put this down. I swore off the "is this a horrible situation or is she just crazy" books but I never once doubted Elise. Not sure I loved the ending, but I enjoyed the ride.

Beta Vulgaris is a slow burn about the unraveling of a young woman (Elise) as she and her boyfriend (Tom) work the brutal harvest season of sugar beets. Her life is falling apart, comparing herself to everyone around her. Guilt and internal struggles beat her up every minute. Elise's strive for some semblance of her unattainable idea of perfection, let alone normalcy, leave her malcontented.
This story has the dark absurdist humor/horror of a Chuck Palahniuk story, crossed with some of the dreamlike themes of Mona Awad, and a dash of Darren Aronofsky for his beautiful and euphoric portrayals of downward spirals into self destruction.
I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Margie Sarafield's next book.

Thank you so much to author Margie Sarsfield, W. W. Norton & Company, and NetGalley for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Beta Vulgaris is the scientific name for the beloved beet, but it also describes the title of this novel. This little beet book follows our main character Elise as she and her boyfriend Tom begin their 2 week shift at a job harvesting sugar beets. Unbeknownst to Tom, Elise has spent her last bit of money getting to the beet gig; now essentially leveraging her livelihood on the payment at the end of the two week work period. Throughout the story we are introduced to an assortment of characters, all of which contribute either positively or (but most likely) negatively to Elise's mental state.

We start the story with Elise not being in the best mental state--she is living with an eating disorder and continuously lies to ensure she is liked by others. I honestly love stories that allow me delve deeply into the psyche of a particular character. While not much happened plot-wise, it is really her character that drives the narrative. Elise is self-destructive at heart, with incredibly low self-esteem and it shows. As the story progresses, we as the reader fall practically headfirst into the mind space of our narrator. Between calories literally being counted as food items and meals are listed on-page, and reality itself being influenced by strange beet hallucinations, there is a sense of unease prevalent throughout the text.

The setting itself feels truly claustrophobic, as beets permeate throughout the story, entering Elises nightmares and waking dreams. At some points in the story, it eventually becomes unclear whether what Elise is experiencing is real or a dream. It almost feels as if the beets are closing in, waiting for the story to reach its climax.

And like a Piler machine piles up beets, so does the strain on Elise. Ultimately the ending was expected, but felt earned by its end.

I am a sugar beet, and the sugar beet is me.

Definitely a bizarrely enjoyable debut from Sarsfield. The cover is what initially caught my eye and the book lived up to the surreal vibe I was hoping for. It’s definitely not the type of book that ends with a neatly wrapped up plot, so if total clarity is something you appreciate in your reading this likely isn’t the one for you.

In Beta Vulgaris we follow Elise and Tom as they travel from NYC to MN for the sugar beet harvesting? (I’m assuming this is a real thing but definitely not something previously on my radar). This was a fairly interesting subplot in its own right, but the beginning is fairly slow as we gradually start to see Elise lose her grip on reality. Her boyfriend disappears with a workmate which dredges up some serious insecurities from both her difficult high school days to the beginning of her relationship with Tom. There also is a disordered eating component (tw!) which only adds to Elise’s difficulty distinguishing what is real.

As the plot hits a rapid trajectory towards reality blurring entirely the horror is only amped up in what Elise experiences. Elise is a very relatable character yet it was still impossible to even begin to understand her thought process. Overall Sarsfield has done an excellent job with the subject at hand. The plot is weird as fuck and never super satisfying, but it’s a wild read that’s difficult to put down. I definitely look forward to more from Sarsfield moving forward.

Dear Author,

What? Was? That? I liked it, dare say loved this story. It's menacing darkness seeped in with the cold and I may be hearing whispers from my crisper's current inhabitants. What will they tell me to do? A great book!

Thank you,

J.D. McCoughtry

Thank you, NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for this e-ARC.

Wow, just what the hell did I just read? This book is just crazy and I loved it.

Beta Vulgaris reads like a stream of consciousness that spirals closer and closer to insanity which is very fitting as we follow Elise, a troubled young woman, whose worries, insecurities, and mental health issues become increasingly more pressing the more time she spends at the beet harvest. Eventually, Elise becomes a fully unreliable narrator and she, and the reader by extension, cannot discern whether what is happening is real or a mere figment of her addled mind. Sarsfield writes this aspect of the book masterfully and through her prose, she is able to depict the progression of Elise's mind and perception in such a vivid yet disorienting manner.

Apart from being a well-written unreliable narrator, Elise feels like a real person with real struggles and real trauma. Beta Vulgaris approaches some very heavy topics (i.e. bullying, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and poverty) with raw grittiness. I like how the effect of Elise's anorexia, anxiety, and childhood trauma truly reflected itself in her internal dialogue, perception of the world around her, and interactions with others. As her mental state started to unravel as the story progressed, I felt myself feeling for Elise. I sympathize greatly with her situation and her emotions of anger, unbelonging, pain, and self-hatred were so deeply powerful. I think Elise is a character that many can see themselves in.

My only criticism is that Beta Vulgaris, or at least its synopsis on Goodreads, marketed it as horror. It is not. Yes, Elise's self-destructive thoughts and behaviors are tragic to read about and yes, this book seriously blurs the line between reality and hallucination. However, it does not do so in a way that evokes horror or eeriness. To be honest, from the synopsis, I expected the beets themselves to be a bit more insidious and sinister than they actually were. Obviously, the beets themselves serve as a metaphor for Elise's subconscious and her basest desires. However, Beta Vulgaris feels more like a slow descent into madness than the lingering darkness of a horror novel. I would've loved some more horror elements or at least a more ominous underpinning to the story.

The ending is abstract to say the least. There's so many different ways that readers can interpret what happens to Elise at the end (if it's even real). I liked this open ended-ness even though others may have wished for a more definitive resolution. I do like how Beta Vulgaris is filled with various symbolism and motifs such as the dog, Cee's hat, Elise's love for Pretty Little Liars, and the beets themselves. This is definitely a book that is so multifaceted and open to various analyzations. I feel like because Elise is a character with struggles and vices that resonate with a great number of people, her journey is also up to the interpretation of each individual who reads this book. Sarsfield's attention to nuance, detail, and imagery is made abundantly clear.

It's safe to say that I will be reading more of Margie Sarsfield in the future because Beta Vulgaris really did a number on me. This is definitely a book that will stick with me for a long while...

Elise and her boyfriend Tom pause their lives and underwhelming jobs in Brooklyn to work on a sugar beet farm for the summer and make extra money. Elise has financial difficulties that she is not entirely open about with Tom, and we find that Tom has his own secrets later. At the beet farm, Elise starts unraveling as weird things continue to happen.

I really appreciate this novel and found it extremely relatable in its exploration of working class woes, mental illness, shitty relationships, and the pressures of conforming to what a woman "should" be. I was reminded of Mellissa Broder's "Milk Fed" and Elliott Gish's "Grey Dog," in that these pressures build and build until the protagonist reaches a breaking point, and then weird things ensue that can be interpreted as the protagonist trying to break free from all these pressures or as mental illness...or both? I was NOT expecting the direction this took, even if this novel does hit all the familiar notes in the "unhinged woman becomes progressively unhinged due to internalized societal expectations/pressures" genre (my favourite genre!).

This book is more concerned with exploring the interior world of its main character, and we don't always get clear answers about what is going on. I enjoy this approach but wanted a bit more from the ending.

I will say that this book describes the experience of social anxiety, disordered eating, and working class struggles in ways that were extremely accurate to my own experience, so while I felt very seen and related strongly to the protagonist it was also very triggering to read at times. Elise is so close to who I was in my mid-20s and that was a bit tough to swallow and observe. I just wanted to hug her and tell her, no, you don't need to apologize for existing, no, you're not too much or a burden, trust your instincts about this person and don't take their shit, eat the food and nourish your body my love, no, those people are just laughing and enjoying life, not laughing at you, you're lovely...on and on. I felt seen but also sad that these experiences are so common. While the writing is extremely good it was not an easy read.

All in all, I'm very excited to see what this author comes out with next! Margie Sarsfield is super skilled. 4.5 rounded up.

Recommended to readers who:
-Appreciate ambiguity and unexplained weirdness
-Are interested in complex characters and nuanced depictions of mental illness
-Enjoy "unhinged woman brought to the edge by society's bs" books
-Weird fiction with occasional surrealist vibes
-Are fine with vibes over plot

This novel follows Elise and her boyfriend Tom who are driving to Minnesota for short-term work of harvesting beets. Both don't know anything about the job, but it pays extremely well for the short period and Elise is quite short on money. They have left their Brooklyn apartment behind, having it rented out from a cousin of Tom's so that they could get some profit. While Elise is poor, Tom comes from money. Elise has severe mental issues, due to her lack of funds, she is out of her antidepressants and most of the novel follows her internal thoughts dealing with anxieties with money, stress/paranoia of her relationship with Tom, and her eating disorder. Elise and Tom are working the night shifts, as time goes on, Elise starts noticing weird voices, a strange rash on her neck that looks a bit like bruising, people are randomly disappearing, and she is receiving weird text messages insulting her from an unknown number.

The concept was interesting and I thought there would be more of a horror aspect to it such as the beets completely taking over the humans, but this was not the case. I found the book to be slow-moving, and more character-driven than plot and action. Do not expect much or any horror though. This book probably needs a trigger about eating disorders due to all the body image thoughts and the obsessive-compulsive behavior of thinking of foods in calorie amounts - that was the real horror of the story. It was a book about the descent into madness and I just wanted Elise to disappear myself because she was so annoying at times. The ending was a bit disappointing as well.

Also I will say the cover is awesome!

Surreal, sad girl lit-fic about a young woman who, in an attempt to avoid her dire financial situation and crumbling mental health, takes a seasonal job harvesting beets. She soon develops mysterious physical symptoms, her co-workers start to disappear and finds her mind can no longer be trusted. This was weird as hell in just the way I like! It had a lot to say and managed to be genuinely funny and eerie at the same time.

There is so much of this book that should have been my vibe, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me.

There are moments where the writing is poignant and utterly relatable, but I found I myself not looking forward to reading this and dragging myself to finish it. It's extremely slow and it's pages and pages of the main character spiraling. She is so self-loathing that it is exhausting to read. I understand that may be the point, but it became too much for me to endure. I think, inevitably, the repetitive nature of her self-loathing is what got me annoyed.

It was such a drag.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this book.

This book had so much potential, it really did. I'm very bummed it's my first DNF of 2025 ;/ I can boil all of my thoughts and frustration simply down to character writing. Elise is, to put it bluntly, one of the most unlikable characters I've ever read. And it's not even that she is that unlikable, but rather that she just loathes herself, and I as a reader am trapped in her head and can't escape. The eating disorder and the money thing was just too much, I think one or the other would have served this book substantially better. If I had been writing this, I would have made her be somewhat flawed but generally happy going into the harvest, and then have the beets pull her into a pyschotic break of sorts, which is maybe what Sarsfield was going for? But it felt like from the gate Elise just purely hated everything about herself in a way that was awful to read. There were also frankly just wayyyy too many characters. I think this would function very well as a movie, actually, because taking out the constant barrage of hateful thoughts from Elise, the plot has potential. Anyway, I wish I could say better, but as always, this book just wasn't for me, but it may bring a great story to many readers (:

This story was nothing like what I expected it to be. I can honestly say I will never look at beets the same way again.

TW: Anyone who has struggled with disordered eating should NOT read this book.

Beta Vulgaris is told from the perspective of Elise, a college grad living in Brooklyn with her partner, trying to make ends meet. In an attempt to bank some extra cash, the two set out to Minnesota for seasonal work harvesting beets.

The conditions are harsh and the hours are long. Elise is struggling in debt, being hounded by her credit card company. Her coworkers begin disappearing from camp and tensions continue to rise. Elise is soon forced to confront the past versions of herself and the fear of who she might become, all while hearing the call of the beets.

This novel is a surreal look at trauma, body dysmorphia, and sense of self. This is certainly not classic horror - however, the narrator's slow descent into madness is nothing short of terrifying.

The story is a slow burn told from an unreliable, unstable narrator's POV. I thoroughly enjoyed this one but recognize it is not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Co. for the ARC!