told from the perspective of a dog who’s ingested parasites - and the worms living inside her? i was hooked instantly. there’s heart, there’s science, and there are plenty of “what the hell am i reading” moments (in the best way).

this book is delightfully weird - sharp, funny, and surprisingly tender. the alternating perspectives between the dog and the parasites were done so well. as a dog owner, it definitely unlocked a new fear; as a reader, it unlocked an entirely new world. i loved every bit of it.

the fact that this is a debut? unreal. also the cover is just absolutely stunning.

this book is very funny. i enjoyed how disturbing the beginning was and really felt invested in the charracters, of aaaaalll species!

A sharp, tender, wonderfully bizarre tale told by a dog and her parasites—funny, unsettling, and brilliantly unique for a debut.

Four stars for audaciousness! A bold and bizarro setup featuring an aged bulldog, her architect pet parents, and some craaaazy worms living inside her.

Pretty cool ecological-philosophical-domestic novel—the title made me expect something edgy, but it’s much more philosophically sincere (refreshing!) than vulgarities would have you believe.

The voice feels very different from other contemporary novels—sometimes trenchant and clinical, sometimes philosophical and lyrically grandiloquent (when we hear from those worms.) Very funny throughout. Sometimes I found the philosophical flights of fancy repetitive in a good way, like Clarice Lispector, and sometimes I got a bit lost or tired. SMALL PRICE TO PAY for a UNIQUE entry into the world of contemporary fiction!

This book sure is a little oddball, and a cool one at that.

There's a mountain range, and in those mountains there's a lake, and on that lake there's a glass house, and in that house there's a couple, and with that couple is a small, aging French bulldog: Gelsomina.

There are no big adventures for Gelsomina. She's limited by glass walls and her traitorous collar. No rubbing her butt when she's itchy! No jumping and licking wherever she wants! Gelsomina can't act on her own will, because she's a pet: contained, spayed and bound by human will.

But that's not all. Two parasitic worms have started living within Gelsomina. Not only is she subjected to two big creatures who shape her external world, but also two tiny creatures that are changing her internal one. Can Gelsomina get a break? Not really, because there's Zampanò, the couple's newest, young French bulldog. He's nice enough, but just in a different phase of life.

Seeing all this play out through the dog's eyes, but also through the worms', and sometimes through others', was a trip. It's confusing, but fascinating once you learn to just roll with it. I really enjoyed my reading experience.

My only complaint, oddly enough, is that sometimes I wish I could have reveled more in that unknown, in the vagueness of it all. I love looking up terms, coming up with my own ideas, spending the evening on Wikipedia because something I read in a book sparked curiosity in me. I felt like this book wanted me, as the reader, to be like that, and in that desire, pushed it a little with trying to direct me to certain knowledge in a few chapters. Like a little quest marker in a game.

There's reflections on architecture and design woven throughout the novel too, which I liked. The glass house, so open and light, trying to blend into the nature surrounding it, comes to feel like nothing more than a prison. The descriptions made me think back to when I was in university. We had to do a group project in pairs. I had to work together with a 30-something millionaire. She refused to meet at my place (too poor) and didn't want to work in the library or a different public space (too gross). She lived in a glass villa and demanded we work on our project there. My first time there she was mortified that I drank water from the tap. Visiting her filled me with dread, being in her home made me feel like I was locked in an aquarium. She was a narrow-minded bully, but thought of herself as progressive and sophisticated. It's fitting. I can't help but link all of these big, silly, glass houses to her now, haha.

Overall, I thought this was a special book. It makes me excited that little weirdos (affectionately) like this one are getting published. Would very much recommend if you like experimental fiction, or have any interest in design, animal rights, being absorbed into the universe only to find out you were part of it all along, what it means to be free, cute dogs, biology. If all that fails, I'm sure the title will draw your attention!

i don't know what I was expecting from this book about an aging bulldog and the worms who live within her, but it turned out even weirder than I could have imagined, and I found it mesmerising. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.