Nightbitch
A Novel
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3.8 • 106 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING AMY ADAMS • In this blazingly smart and voracious debut novel, an artist turned stay-at-home mom becomes convinced she's turning into a dog. • "A must-read for anyone who can’t get enough of the ever-blurring line between the psychological and supernatural that Yellowjackets exemplifies." —Vulture
One day, the mother was a mother, but then one night, she was quite suddenly something else...
An ambitious mother puts her art career on hold to stay at home with her newborn son, but the experience does not match her imagination. Two years later, she steps into the bathroom for a break from her toddler's demands, only to discover a dense patch of hair on the back of her neck. In the mirror, her canines suddenly look sharper than she remembers. Her husband, who travels for work five days a week, casually dismisses her fears from faraway hotel rooms.
As the mother's symptoms intensify, and her temptation to give in to her new dog impulses peak, she struggles to keep her alter-canine-identity secret. Seeking a cure at the library, she discovers the mysterious academic tome which becomes her bible, A Field Guide to Magical Women: A Mythical Ethnography, and meets a group of mommies involved in a multilevel-marketing scheme who may also be more than what they seem.
An outrageously original novel of ideas about art, power, and womanhood wrapped in a satirical fairy tale, Nightbitch will make you want to howl in laughter and recognition. And you should. You should howl as much as you want.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Yoder's guttural and luminous debut blends absurdism, humor, and myth to lay bare the feral, violent realities underlying a new mother's existence. An unnamed stay-at-home mother lives through a monotonous routine with her two-year-old son, while her kind yet mostly uninterested husband leaves for weeklong work trips each Monday. Things begin to change when the mother notices a patch of hair growing on the back of her neck; spots her new, curiously sharp canines in the mirror; and begins to feel a tail emerging from her lower back. Bewildered by her metamorphosis, the mother searches online for explanations with terms such as "looks like I was punched hard in both eyes." Horrified by the dizzying results, she treks to the library, a zone that promises the comfort of knowledge but is colonized by other mothers ("She actively resisted making friends in a mom context and objected to the sort of clapping and cooing that went on in the library room... the happiness and positivity that would also be mandatory," Yoder writes). She checks out a book titled A Field Guide to Magical Women, which validates her experience and encourages her to embrace the freedom of her new animal nature. Bursting with fury, loneliness, and vulgarity, Yoder's narrative revels in its deconstruction of the social script women and mothers are taught to follow, painstakingly reading between the lines to expose the cruel and downright ludicrous ways in which women are denied their personhood. An electric work by an ingenious new voice, this is one to devour.
Customer Reviews
Very odd but interesting
This book was a bit outside my comfort zone/normal reading material. But as a mom, I identified with the protagonist. Definitely an odd writing style and unique book.
Ironically kind of tame
Not the weird horror I had anticipated, but certainly a worthwhile meditation on postpartum depression and the complexities of motherhood. Perhaps it doesn’t go far enough and instead uses its long slow burn to hammer its point home, but it highlights a fairly common crisis that people are too afraid to talk about, and that’s important conversation to have.
So gratifying.
I was tired when I downloaded the sample of this book to my phone via the iBooks app. So tired. My husband was away on an 8-night work trip and this was my 8th bedtime. 3 kids- 2 in my bed, writhing around against my back, kicking my kidneys. I pretended to be asleep while sneaking a read. By the time they fell asleep I had finished the Sample and where I typically fall asleep and forget I ever even read a beginning of a book, I instead sat up, bought Nightbitch and read half the book until 1am. The next day I ignored my family and morphed into Daybitch so I could eat this book up like it was the rare steak I deserve. I have since recommended this book to all my mom friends. We can’t wait to see the movie all together. Rrrrrrraarrarrrrarrrarr!