Five things about Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder:
1. When people ask me what this book is about I tell them it's equal parts Kafka's Metamorphosis, Kevin Wilson's Family Fang, general mom angst, and feminism.
2. I love that the whole SAHM versus working-mom conundrum was explored in a diplomatic way. Basically, it's all challenging and the grass tends to be greener on the other side.
3. There are so many opposing forces in the text, which I found fascinating. Realism vs the absurd, science vs art, men vs women, employed vs unemployed, children vs parents, animals vs humans, day vs night... if we think about our lives, this perpetual tug-of-war is constant and part of the reason why we're always so exhausted.
4. The evolution of the main character, who is unnamed in the beginning and then referred to as "Nightbitch, ironically, as the book continues, is a whirlwind. Her animalistic nature cannot be suppressed and the commentary on what can happen to us if we ignore our needs is loud and clear. The ultimate harnessing of this struggle and utilization of it for power, instead of seeing it only as a weakness, speaks volumes and provokes more questions about authenticity.
5. This book isn't perfect; the pacing is a little off at points and I wish there was more to a one-sided emailing campaign the main character embarks on (but I get it, her evolution needed to be of her own volition). Nonetheless, I found the novel incredibly ambitious and unlike anything I've ever really read before. I can't wait to see what Yoder does next.
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