First off I would like to thank Net Galley, the Publisher and Author for the eARC of this book. I am leaving my honest opinion in this review. For complete transparency, I did not finish this.

The story is based on a true story. It follows two POVs. One of our racist, heinous and entitled doctor Wilhel. Von Tore, the other from the perspective of Gabriela, Luci's sister, who challenges this monsters version of events.

This is dark and heartbreaking. It is extremely difficult to make it though the words of such a deeply unlikable and horrific person. While the premise and historical framing was compelling, the emotional weight and moral depravity of the protagonist made it impossible for me to continue. This is not a reflection on the skill of the writing itself just my personal capacity to sit with the story's horror. I did skim the remainder of the book and stand by my choice to do so.

Heather Parry’s Orpheus Builds a Girl is one of those novels that creeps under your skin and stays there. From the first page, it’s drenched in gothic atmosphere, the kind that makes you feel like something terrible is always waiting just out of sight.

The story alternates between two voices: Wilhelm von Tore, a doctor whose obsession with a young woman, Luciana, curdles into something grotesque, and Gabriela, Luciana’s sister, who is determined to preserve her sister’s dignity and memory against the doctor’s delusions. Wilhelm’s sections are chilling—he’s arrogant, self-pitying, and disturbingly rational in his justifications, which makes reading his perspective both fascinating and revolting. Gabriela, by contrast, is the heart of the book: her voice is emotional, angry, and raw, and through her you feel the weight of grief and the fight for truth.

What I admired most was how Parry tackled themes of possession, objectification, and agency. It’s not just a horror story about a man who refuses to let go of the woman he desires—it’s also about how women’s stories, even in death, are twisted and controlled by others. That tension between who gets to tell the story, and whose voice is remembered, gave the book a resonance beyond its gruesome premise.

The writing itself is sharp, sometimes lyrical, sometimes grotesque. There were moments when Wilhelm’s voice felt a little overlong, almost suffocating in detail, but maybe that was the point—it mirrored his obsession, the way he wouldn’t let Luciana (or the reader) breathe. Gabriela’s chapters, though, offered relief and fire; they made me angry and heartbroken all at once.

By the end, I felt unsettled, outraged, and oddly grateful that a novel could provoke such strong reactions. It’s not an easy read—it’s uncomfortable, often disturbing—but it’s the kind of book that lingers, that makes you question how stories are told and who gets the final word.

If you like gothic horror that’s more about power, grief, and voice than just scares, Orpheus Builds a Girl is worth picking up. Just be ready to feel both haunted and furious when you turn the last page.

Heather Parry’s debut novel is a gothic fever dream that grabs you by the throat and whispers, “You thought this was a love story? Think again.”

We follow Wilhelm von Tore, a German doctor with delusions of grandeur and a disturbing obsession with a young woman named Luci. He’s convinced she’s his soulmate, even after she dies — which, for him, is just a minor inconvenience. What follows is a grotesque, skin-crawling descent into obsession, control, and the literal reconstruction of a woman’s body to fit a man’s fantasy.

The prose? Lush and lyrical, like a poisoned cocktail. The setting? Key West, hot and heavy with decay. The vibe? Frankenstein meets Lolita meets true crime podcast you shouldn’t listen to alone. It’s disturbing, yes, but also deeply feminist and weirdly beautiful

This book is grim, I think my face was in disgust for the majority of reading it.

Orpheus Builds a Girl tells the story of Dr von Tore, an ex-Nazi doctor living in Florida post-war, who believes his wife is a teenage girl. She comes to him in the form of a poor girl dying of tuberculosis, unfortunately, Von Tore cannot save her but believes he can bring her back to life. After two years in a tomb, von Tore exhumes her body in the dead of night and finally, they can live together as man and wife.

Parry writes as an obsessive, necrophiliac man very well and I enjoyed the contrast with Gabriela's chapters. Sometimes I felt like the pacing was quite slow. I felt like the plot was very predictable (despite some of the gruesome details that surprised me - like Luci being on display/Gorky's body being buried).

Like other readers, I could not continue with an ebook that misses words and letters. The premise is fascinating and (what I read) was very dark and with a lot of potential. I won’t be reviewing elsewhere until a final version is published.

A sinister retelling of a tragic true story (with some elements of other horrific incidents). A truly repulsive main character who commits heinous acts, this novel tells of the tragedies committed on a young girl by our primary antagonist but also shows the failings dealt to her by the society around her. This book filled me with rage and broke my heart all at once, for the injustices faced by women both before and after death.

2.5 stars

I sadly DNF’d this at 21%. From the missing letter errors all throughout which made this impossible to read on my kindle, to the lengthy medical explanations from Wilhelm and constant hyper-focus on Luci’s behavior, this was just not the book or experience for me. I felt bored through the entire 20% and found my attention wandering off. This felt like it was becoming a weird Nazi Dr. Frankenstein, and I’d much rather just read the actual Frankenstein.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this even though it wasn’t for me!

This is a book that will haunt me for a very long time...

I loved how the reading experience went. The story of Luciana and how it was interpreted in two ways by Wilhelm and Gabriela was interesting to read. The so called love of Wilhelm and people's support made me angry while Gabriela's position became that of mere spectator.

There were difficult times in this story where I had to take pause to control my emotions. That will mention the success of the writing style of this book.

The book acts as a reflection of the cruelties in the society and the fight against it. I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity to have read this amazing work.

This was really an interesting read! I’m not sure that I would ever read it again but it was fun and unfortunate at the same time.

This book was deeply disturbing and horrifying, especially on learning that there are several real-life similar cases. Of the two narrators, the (there's no better word for it) evil one had a vile but fascinating perspective, and hearing him justify his actions can be toe-curling. His perception of the world and people around him, particularly the bodies of women, are frightening in how realistic they are. It is also enjoyable to read the opposing narratives and to consider how a story can be twisted.

“can words really describe what we saw? I look at this writing and the words seem so thin, so incapable of conveying the horror of it all. but here words are all i have.”

this read had me enraged and simultaneously disgusted. wilhelm’s descriptions of luci, primarily focused on her youth, had me grimacing. despite the premise of the story, i was still routing for luci to have an ending i knew would not be possible. in this deeply gothic novel set during the second world war, we are taken across europe to central america to the united states where dr wilhelm von tore eradicates himself of his german identity and builds himself a totally new one. practicing as a doctor, he soon experiences a premonition in the shape of the woman he believes to be promised; the woman he later crosses path with as her days are numbered and makes it his ordained mission to save her using his own transgressive methods.

i hugely enjoyed this read. it had me grimacing, close to throwing my kindle across the room, and lost for words when i did not think it could get anymore deeply disturbing - and it did. not only is it a weird tale, but also one of sisterly love and the removal of female agency, portrayed through the narrative structure, with luci’s surviving sister and von tore battling for control of the story.

I assume it can be said that the opposing point of view to wilhelm von tores kind of slows down the narrative however does provide dimension to “young” and “exotic”luci, the subject of mr wilhem’s obsession, as we are granted insight to her life before it was tainted and violated by von tore. despite perhaps slowing the narrative, i really did enjoy the second perspective and the themes it explored. i can understand why perhaps a second perspective was crafted to enforce the fact that von tore is in no way sound of mind - but imo this is clear from the start and is unmissable considering he is an ex hitler-youth animal dissecting, misogynist, necrophiliac facist dr frankenstein wanna-be (i could go on) additionally, whilst i understand the title can be misleading - i personally think it’s clever, since traversing death or the “other side” to bring back another is exactly what von tore, in his delusion, sees himself to be doing. when in truth he has bought her back, from the grave, just to strip her of her agency and violate her a second time.

“the reader will permit me at this point..” no i will not you freak !!!

any fans of weird gothic out there, give this one a go 🤘🏼 i wonder what queen mary shelley would have thought about this one

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC... thus follows my review:

I initially refused to give feedback for this because the Epub was missing all FL, FI, TH (and more letter combinations). The problem was that the book was so good, I read it anyway.

This is in my top three books so far this year. It's disturbing and at times borderline profane. But NOT inconsequentially. The thoughts and feelings that this gives me, a cis reader with She/Her pronouns are deep and ruminating. I cannot imagine what another individual would feel but I CAN imagine it would hit the nail on the head pretty well.

What is agency? How does religious fervor affect agency? Why do we not allow people agency over their own bodies, and why are white cisgender men of a certain wealth and nationality allowed to claim our bodies? When we read Frankenstein, the monster is given a voice. When we read Lolita, another monster is given a voice. In this novel, voice disappears because the subject is a woman, and all you are left with is an unreliable narrator and a sense of vast injustice. Motifs and themes to explore here include: Abortion, Dolls, Religious Relics, German Medical Experiments of the 1940s and so much more.

There is so much to unpack in this book that I wish I could read it with more friends. It is definitely for fans of Geek Love and Frankenstein, and also pairs quite well with the movie Barbie, considering the motifs of Dolls. If you don't like dolls, you still may be able to read this book because the word doll here is a construct.

*goes to purchase book*

Filing off the serial numbers of Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos's life only to financially profit from a fictionalized version of her legacy feels ghoulish. I was initially intrigued by the premise, but once I learned this is basically a blatant copy of a real person's harrowing experience, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. Hard pass.

I was intrigued by its inspiration from a real crime, and the promise of a dark story. Unfortunately, the writing style didn’t resonate with me — it felt dull and slow, and some storytelling choices pulled me out of the narrative, but I can see how others might appreciate its unsettling themes and layered perspectives.

I am sorry but I couldn’t go ahead. the epub just regularly was missing half of words, the beginnings of words, and random letters spread out all over, it made reading this absolute impossible for me. I have ADHD and I get distracted easily so reading all this random letters just made the experience atrocious. It’s a no for me. I didn’t even get to know the story because my eyes were burning.

★★★ ¼

This made my blood boil in all the right ways, I think. Orpheus Builds A Girl is a harrowing tale of the way women are victimized: how where they fall in society gives others what they feel is the right to desecrate both the reputation and the self. Parry took a true story and turned it into something even more rage-inducing than the original—by making us sit through the whims and fancies of men that are vile in every manner of the word, forcing us to not look away like is so often to do with the state of the world around us. This is one of the more thought-provoking books I've read this year, and from my very limited perspective as a white American, I believe that Parry portrayed the real victim of this story, Elena Milagro de Hoyos, with the respect such a tragedy deserves. (As always, though, please listen to the people that are affected by situations like this most, as their input is far more valuable.)

This felt like a solidly Gothic novel with its lush and lyrical prose and reflection of a larger societal context, despite falling solidly into a niche I don't often frequent (historical fiction), which I appreciate deeply after a large stretch of contemporary fiction that, although fun, lacked the so-called "teeth" that I enjoy the most. However, what led to my rating is that I found the pace of the book itself to be meandering to the point of being dull—and though I blew through the last 30% in one sitting, the first two-thirds of the book felt very frustrating to get through, as I felt there was just not enough to reliably pull me along as a reader. I believe this title would be far more impactful if there was just a tiny bit more meat to grab the attention of the viewer (without losing the integrity of the story Parry wholeheartedly succeeded in adapting).

Not easy to get through (in both subject manner [good] and interest [less so]), but worth the read as a reflection piece nonetheless.

Thank you to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The fact this is based on a true story makes it that more terrifying, delicious, and captivating. Ms. Parry’s writing immediately grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. If I had to describe her writing, I would say its equal parts human exploration Tennessee Williams and eerie Shirley Jackson, with a healthy dose of Charles Dickens thrown in. There is something incredibly Southern Gothic about it - an unhealthy love lost and desperate to be reborn - and all told with Dickensian air, the descriptions are so full of color you can hear Gabi’s pleas in your ears as she tries to get into Lucianna’s room, or imagining the last moments of poor Gorky. Well done Ms Parry.

What a horrific story, made even more gut retching due to the fact that it is loosely based on real life victims of abuse. This was a somewhat controversial read for me in that sense as these were real people.

A doctor, obsessed with what he thinks is his calling and his true love, goes to horrendous lengths to make his vision happen. Everything he did was cold and calculated, but all in the name of love. He was truly a troubled person who thought he could achieve anything. The poor Cuban family spends most of their lives struggling emotionally and financially. It’s quite sad to see how their story plays out.

The writing was well done, but I find the pacing was off at times. There were many repetitive portions towards the last 50%, where it was just about his processes and feelings. I think that there was not enough focus on Luci’s family in the latter portion which is too bad bacause I think Gabriella was an important voice.

Overall, better and more horrific than I had expected.

This story suffocated itself with its own promise. First, this is in no way an Orpheus and Eurydice retelling, it’s a Galatea and Pygmalion. Oh which, changes the dynamic substantially. The author also tried too hard with the cold and detached narrative voice of the doctor that it lead to a separation between reader and character that was not done well.

I think this book would have benefitted a lot from accepting it was a Pygmalion retelling and adding more of a medical approach to it if cold and detached is what it really wanted.

This novel was just a bit too much for me. Very provocative (maybe more than it needed to be), Orpheus Builds a Girl is, I think, just too straight for me.