The Carnivorous Plant

What makes a carnivorous plant trap you? How can we avoid it? How can we escape from it devouring us? For the protagonist of this story, it is already too late when she realises that she is completely trapped in a toxic relationship with Ibana (her partner). The Carnivorous Plant is divided into 9 sections and 81 short chapters, all of which begin with the number 1, as a metaphor for the main character being in a labyrinth with no way out. Each section starts with a brief story, inspired by classic fables. These short and brutal tales revolve around the different phases of mistreatment (cruelty, anger, abuse, violence, isolation...). This book is a portrait of horror. A synthesis of all the violence that exists between couples, friends, at work or in the family. It reflects about the limits of human relationships, focussing on the abuse and its multiple psychological consequences. The Carnivorous Plant is about power rather than love. Andrea Mayo writes without embellishments or frills, with a lively style, full of tension, terribly visual and provocative. It is a harrowing story, based on real events, intended to shake us from the inside. Synthetic and direct with some very cruel scenes, it is an easy book to read but very difficult to digest.