I can write a whole essay on this book, but let’s try to keep it brief.
The first thing I want to say is – this is the strangest book I have ever read, and that’s saying something, seeing as I have read a lot of strange books. It’s been my preference lately.
Secondly, I was told this book was strange and unusual, but none of the reviewers warned me about the triggers – SA on a child (on page), unaliving attempt, incest, etc. If any of these things – especially the first – bothers you, you have to be careful. I had to skim some parts myself.
Finally, this is a brilliant study case on 2 things – 1) how children deal with trauma (similarly to I Crawl Through It), how they may use fantastical elements, and how they persist in adulthood; and 2) how people who struggle with fitting in society’s norms might try to escape their ‘responsibilities’ and reclaim their freedom, especially in societies that don’t value individuality as much as they value the family unit and being a ‘useful tool’ for society as a whole.
Being a ‘strange’ person who never fit in myself, and as someone who sees society as a brainwashing machine (the main character calls society The Baby Factory), I related to this story a lot. However, I enjoyed that the social commentary went both ways – 1) showing you what happens when people are forced to conform and 2) showing you what happens if they refuse to conform even a little bit. I think in the end, for our own mental health and well-being, it’s good to conform just enough, but not too much.
I believe this is an intelligent book about childhood trauma, strange coping mechanisms, and societal pressures on individualism. If it wasn’t for the child SA scene, I would have said it was my favorite book. As it is, it’s one of the best weird books out there.
If you like strange books about coping with trauma, embracing taboo, etc., this book is for you.
-Reviewed by Violeta Nedkova
