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Normal Women
"New mother Dani has a lot going on. She's worried that her seemingly healthy husband, Clark, might drop dead, leaving her and her baby, Lotte, destitute. She's worried that she hasn't lived up to her birthright as the daughter of the legendary Garbage King, DJ Silver, whose waste management company employed the town of Metcalf for decades. And she's really worried that, try as she might, she's not a gym-going, manicure-sporting, perfectly coiffed Normal Woman. And then Dani discovers The Temple. Ostensibly a yoga center, The Temple and its guardian, Renata, are committed to helping men reach their full potential. And if doing that sometimes requires sex work, so be it. Finally, Dani has found something she could be good at, even great at, something that could save Lotte from financial ruin if Clark ever dies. Just as she's preparing to embrace this opportunity, though, Renata goes missing. And Dani discovers there might be something else she's good at: detective work"--
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 10, 2023
180 people are currently reading
12930 people want to read
About the author
Ainslie Hogarth
8 books655 followersAinslie Hogarth is the author of four novels. You can find her short fiction in Hazlitt, Maisonneuve, Room Magazine, Black Static, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 539 reviews
August 13, 2023
DNF at 30%
Super disappointing.
I absolutely loved Ainslie Hogarth’s 2022 debut, Motherthing. The dark and snarky plot absolutely won me over. In fact, it was a five star read. Therefore, I couldn’t wait to read her newest mystery and it was one of my most anticipated reads this year!
In Normal Women, Dani is trying to figure out her role as a new stay-at-home mother. Motherhood isn’t working for her like it is with her other mommy friends. She doesn’t think she is very good at being a mom and keeps obsessing about her husband dropping dead. She meets Renata, the guardian of The Temple, a yoga center, whom she believes can help her reach her full potential. But is The Temple just for yoga? When Renata disappears, Dani tries her hand at being a detective. What happened to Renata?
Why did I only made it through 30% of this book? While Normal Women contains the same snarky tone as Motherthing, the book’s very slow, confusing start took way too long to get to the plot and felt more like a chore to read than fun. It contains 90% social commentary (which I can relate to), but it felt like way too much without more action moving the plot forward. Btw, the plot hadn’t even started to take off when I called it quits.
I think Hogarth could have had a good book here, but the presentation didn’t work for me. As a reader, the whining and complaining became annoying and tiresome, leading to my own disinterest.
However, I am still a fan of Hogarth and will definitely read her next offering.
2/5 stars
Expected publication date: 10/1/23
Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage Anchor publishing for the ARC of Normal Women in exchange for an honest review.
Super disappointing.
I absolutely loved Ainslie Hogarth’s 2022 debut, Motherthing. The dark and snarky plot absolutely won me over. In fact, it was a five star read. Therefore, I couldn’t wait to read her newest mystery and it was one of my most anticipated reads this year!
In Normal Women, Dani is trying to figure out her role as a new stay-at-home mother. Motherhood isn’t working for her like it is with her other mommy friends. She doesn’t think she is very good at being a mom and keeps obsessing about her husband dropping dead. She meets Renata, the guardian of The Temple, a yoga center, whom she believes can help her reach her full potential. But is The Temple just for yoga? When Renata disappears, Dani tries her hand at being a detective. What happened to Renata?
Why did I only made it through 30% of this book? While Normal Women contains the same snarky tone as Motherthing, the book’s very slow, confusing start took way too long to get to the plot and felt more like a chore to read than fun. It contains 90% social commentary (which I can relate to), but it felt like way too much without more action moving the plot forward. Btw, the plot hadn’t even started to take off when I called it quits.
I think Hogarth could have had a good book here, but the presentation didn’t work for me. As a reader, the whining and complaining became annoying and tiresome, leading to my own disinterest.
However, I am still a fan of Hogarth and will definitely read her next offering.
2/5 stars
Expected publication date: 10/1/23
Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage Anchor publishing for the ARC of Normal Women in exchange for an honest review.
December 27, 2023
Thank you the Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
2.5
I was interested in this novel because of the mystery element however this was only a minor part of it. I found the first 40% quite strong and was wondering where it would go. However, the ending was so unrealistic that it made it all feel sort of ridiculous.
2.5
I was interested in this novel because of the mystery element however this was only a minor part of it. I found the first 40% quite strong and was wondering where it would go. However, the ending was so unrealistic that it made it all feel sort of ridiculous.
December 21, 2023
while I didn’t particularly love Motherthing, I was excited to read Normal Women. Sad, semi delusional litfic girlies is my favorite genre. So to say this was a disappointment is an understatement. This was such a shallow portrayal of the struggles of womanhood, motherhood, power dynamics in relationships, depression, how capitalism is a detriment to us all, etc.
Our main character is an upper-middle class stay at home mother, who is struggling with the fact that her and her daughter are financially dependent on her husband, and if he were to die, they would be destitute (the easiest solution here would be a good life insurance policy, which means obviously it’s never mentioned). The mc becomes obsessed with the “temple”, and particularly the woman who runs the temple, Renata. The women working at the temple are sex workers, and the mc is trying to decide if she wants to become one too, in order to be more financially independent. These are not normal sex workers though- they’re “healers” trying to change the world with their “crucial feminine energy” by fucking the humanity back into men. (no I am not being hyperbolic)
This book is billed as a literary mystery, but it is absolutely not a mystery as Renata, who goes missing, is gone for about 0.05 seconds and by missing is just ignoring the mc’s phone calls.
What this book actually is about is a woman trying to decide if her husband is a “bad, bad man” because he bought an espresso machine and now she feels pressured to learn how to use it, and he works in real estate development helping gentrify her hometown. It’s about her shit talking all the women in her life except one, Renata, who she’s obsessed with. It’s about the mc being shit faced drunk on tequila as her initiation into sex work, which to be clear, she does zero of this entire book. It’s about Renata maybe selling the temple but maybe not!
Don’t worry, the ending is the best part! The husband’s company is- surprise!! -buying the temple, not to destroy it and the very important “crucial feminine” work happening there, but to CORPORATIZE it!! Cause nothing says maybe my husband isn’t a “bad, bad man” like him wanting her to be the girlboss in charge of the corporate sex work center. It’s her legacy :)
The best part of this book is “baby only sleeps when dead” being decently portrayed as an intrusive thought
TLDR: read Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder instead
also, I feel like this book is insulting to sex workers??
Our main character is an upper-middle class stay at home mother, who is struggling with the fact that her and her daughter are financially dependent on her husband, and if he were to die, they would be destitute (the easiest solution here would be a good life insurance policy, which means obviously it’s never mentioned). The mc becomes obsessed with the “temple”, and particularly the woman who runs the temple, Renata. The women working at the temple are sex workers, and the mc is trying to decide if she wants to become one too, in order to be more financially independent. These are not normal sex workers though- they’re “healers” trying to change the world with their “crucial feminine energy” by fucking the humanity back into men. (no I am not being hyperbolic)
This book is billed as a literary mystery, but it is absolutely not a mystery as Renata, who goes missing, is gone for about 0.05 seconds and by missing is just ignoring the mc’s phone calls.
What this book actually is about is a woman trying to decide if her husband is a “bad, bad man” because he bought an espresso machine and now she feels pressured to learn how to use it, and he works in real estate development helping gentrify her hometown. It’s about her shit talking all the women in her life except one, Renata, who she’s obsessed with. It’s about the mc being shit faced drunk on tequila as her initiation into sex work, which to be clear, she does zero of this entire book. It’s about Renata maybe selling the temple but maybe not!
Don’t worry, the ending is the best part! The husband’s company is- surprise!! -buying the temple, not to destroy it and the very important “crucial feminine” work happening there, but to CORPORATIZE it!! Cause nothing says maybe my husband isn’t a “bad, bad man” like him wanting her to be the girlboss in charge of the corporate sex work center. It’s her legacy :)
The best part of this book is “baby only sleeps when dead” being decently portrayed as an intrusive thought
TLDR: read Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder instead
also, I feel like this book is insulting to sex workers??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2023
Despite their appalling faults, Dani really did like the Normal Women. She really, really did. Usually. Sometimes, anyway. And maybe, eventually, she could persuade the Normal Women to not be dicks; show the Normal Women, at the very least, that all the best-looking people held the same views that Dani did.
Just as with her last novel, Motherthing, Ainslie Hogarth has written a truly strange/entertaining/relatable/feminist work of fiction this time around with Normal Women. And it maybe won’t be for everyone, but I winced and laughed and nodded my head with recognition throughout; and while straight married women might benefit from seeing themselves in this, men might benefit even more by getting a peek inside their wives’ secret thoughts. I loved the whole thing. (Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final form.)
As I did with Motherthing, I’m going to start with a longish quote that gives a representative sense of the style (and to keep the review from getting too long, I’ll put it behind spoiler tags).
No one had to tell Clark to be good. He simply was good. He bought ethically sourced coffee. He donated a dollar when prompted by cashiers. He never took a sick day and doggedly pursued promotions and took on extra projects and stayed late and mentored his juniors. Clark did everything correctly, and all he asked for in return was everything.
While pregnant with their first child — and living in a cramped one bedroom condo in the city — Dani’s husband, Clark, announces that he’s up for a big promotion — one that means Dani can be a stay-at-home mom if she wants — but the catch is that they would have to move back to Dani’s hometown; which is complicated given the well-known family legacy that she had tried to run away from. On the one hand, Dani (with a degree in philosophy) doesn’t have a “career” per se — and they already know that finding day care will be an issue — but on the other, Dani understands the power and freedom that she’ll be giving up if she allows Clark to make all the money. In the end, moving closer to her mother and her oldest friend (who introduces her to her mommy group, the “Normal Women”), and being able to buy a large family home, convinces Dani to make the move. But when one of Clark’s coworkers is diagnosed with colon cancer, Dani realises how financially vulnerable she and her infant daughter are; and when she notices how glamorous and carefree the staff of a local yoga studio/spa/nightclub/ (brothel?) appears to be, she begins to wonder if working somewhere like that could be her safety net.
The relationship between Dani and Clark is 100% believable: they are both a little selfish, a little guarded, but make efforts to take care of one another (with both feeling resentful when those efforts aren’t recognised). They are also unequivocally devoted to their daughter, Lotte — Clark being the kind of dad who bristles when someone calls it babysitting as he cares for his own child; Dani being the kind of mom who scrolls online mommy forums to confirm her ideas about motherhood — both of them giving Lotte constant attention and love and care. Dani’s new friends are wealthy and chic — with their cocktail brunches, athletic tights, affogatos, and momfluencer blogs — and while the details of Dani’s modern experience are different from my days as a stay-at-home mom, Hogarth absolutely captured the ambivalence of the situation; of feeling both gratitude and resentment; being both anchored and trapped. When Dani starts a friendship with the owner of The Temple, this Renata explains that men, too, are trapped in their roles, as they have had the “crucial feminine” stamped out of them since birth:
“Imagine if men could enjoy tenderness, could connect with other people, the way they did when they were infants. Imagine the world this could be. Right now, a lot of men, not all men but a lot of them, when they indulge in tenderness, when they experience vulnerability, they become enraged, ashamed, humiliated. It makes them want to kill us, literally. Hurt people. But the men that come to The Temple, the men we work with, they’re changing. And they’re changing each other. They’re changing their brothers, their nephews. Their sons. We’re making a difference here, Dani. Maybe even saving the fucking world.”
I’m just hitting some of the beats here — there’s plenty more plot going on to develop the characters and relate the truths — but again, I winced and laughed and nodded my head with recognition throughout; this reads like lived experience, and I saw myself in it. I enjoy Hogarth’s voice and style and I will read her again.
March 3, 2024
Multi-level marketing schemes meet sexual liberation in this quirky feminist romp. Witty, and filled with sarcastic charm, Normal Women turns convention on its head, challenging traditional gender roles and they ways in which women have to prove themselves as an impossible culmination of contradictions: desirable but chaste, dependent but not needy, helpful but not controlling. Funny, dark, and timely satire.
November 2, 2023
God I am heartbroken to be rating this two stars but I am so disappointed!
I loved Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth and so I was I incredibly excited for her next novel (thank you Atlantic Books for an early copy). The cover is amazing and the blurb definitely had me enticed but it was such a let down.
The story follows Dani grappling with motherhood, and balancing this with her marriage, her friends, and her searching for belonging. She stumbles across ‘The Temple’ which is a mysterious organisation that help men ‘reach their full potential and befriends one of the staff members.
When I reached the half way point I was already bored and felt the story was so slow but I was open minded as Motherthing was definitely a slow burner too. However, the 300 pages built up to practically nothing. The story definitely could have been chopped down to 150-200 pages without losing anything of importance.
I still enjoyed Hogarth’s writing style and will read future releases from her, but I’m sad to say Normal Women was not it.
I loved Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth and so I was I incredibly excited for her next novel (thank you Atlantic Books for an early copy). The cover is amazing and the blurb definitely had me enticed but it was such a let down.
The story follows Dani grappling with motherhood, and balancing this with her marriage, her friends, and her searching for belonging. She stumbles across ‘The Temple’ which is a mysterious organisation that help men ‘reach their full potential and befriends one of the staff members.
When I reached the half way point I was already bored and felt the story was so slow but I was open minded as Motherthing was definitely a slow burner too. However, the 300 pages built up to practically nothing. The story definitely could have been chopped down to 150-200 pages without losing anything of importance.
I still enjoyed Hogarth’s writing style and will read future releases from her, but I’m sad to say Normal Women was not it.
October 6, 2023
This book definitely won't be for everyone but I really LOVE this author's sense of humor and her ability to write about motherhood, marriage and modern women's sense of self/loneliness and so much more!
This story follows Dani from when she's about to give birth, to when she becomes a stay at home mother and later as she seeks out some kind of purpose and finds it in an exclusive/reclusive sex club type institution.
While I wasn't a huge fan of the lying, infidelity and sex worker angle, the way the author writes about makes it completely believable. I especially enjoyed the sense of female empowerment, turning sex work from something traditionally seen as shameful to something admirable and necessary, even helpful for society.
Great on audio narrated by my absolute fav, Brittany Pressley and recommended for fans of authors like Rachel Yoder or Sarah Rose Etter. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!
This story follows Dani from when she's about to give birth, to when she becomes a stay at home mother and later as she seeks out some kind of purpose and finds it in an exclusive/reclusive sex club type institution.
While I wasn't a huge fan of the lying, infidelity and sex worker angle, the way the author writes about makes it completely believable. I especially enjoyed the sense of female empowerment, turning sex work from something traditionally seen as shameful to something admirable and necessary, even helpful for society.
Great on audio narrated by my absolute fav, Brittany Pressley and recommended for fans of authors like Rachel Yoder or Sarah Rose Etter. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!
July 7, 2023
1.5 stars rounded up - thank you to Vintage and NetGalley for the ARC! I was a fan of Motherthing and Hogarth’s dark humour and quick wit, so Normal Women was on my radar the second it was announced. Unfortunately this ended up being a huge disappointment for me and a stark departure from the qualities I enjoyed in Motherthing.
The novel focuses on Dani navigating the tribulations of motherhood and the social pressures of parenting, marriage and inequities in the roles of motherhood versus fatherhood. Her dissatisfaction with her life draws her to the Temple, an organization of sex workers who Dani slowly integrates herself into for its promise of independence and financial freedom it can provide to her and her daughter. Beyond that, there is an odd fascination with affogatos which get mentioned literally dozens of times throughout the novel?
The pacing of the book is very slow, with much of the book circling around the same topics and doing little to develop the characters beyond the exaggerated tropes they represent. Though I recognize I won’t ever be able to relate to motherhood nor the unequal social pressures women face, the depiction of both motherhood and sex work in this felt at times to be a bit of a mockery rather than satire. The book delves very little into some of the broader discourse at play here (like gentrification, sexism and capitalism), but the dark humour ultimately didn’t land for me. The representation of internet culture, modern stay-at-home moms and gender roles just felt very literal without much exploration, and lacks the sharp wit behind the commentary which made Motherthing so successful. Several subplots are introduced and quickly abandoned with little to no impact on the events of the book.
The plot of the book teases a dark direction (along with several other heavy handed red herrings), but ultimately ends up flatlining and ending in a very obvious and unsatisfactory way. Dani was a very bland and unlikeable protagonist for me, and ancillary characters only existed to push the narrative forward without offering much else. There is certainly allusions to horror elements and an underlying mystery (which the synopsis heavily advertises yet is a very minor part of the book), but ultimately the book is very much a simple domestic fiction with an abrupt and unrealistic ending. I wouldn’t call this a horror or mystery at all.
Certainly not my favourite book this year but may be loved by a target audience I just don’t belong to!
The novel focuses on Dani navigating the tribulations of motherhood and the social pressures of parenting, marriage and inequities in the roles of motherhood versus fatherhood. Her dissatisfaction with her life draws her to the Temple, an organization of sex workers who Dani slowly integrates herself into for its promise of independence and financial freedom it can provide to her and her daughter. Beyond that, there is an odd fascination with affogatos which get mentioned literally dozens of times throughout the novel?
The pacing of the book is very slow, with much of the book circling around the same topics and doing little to develop the characters beyond the exaggerated tropes they represent. Though I recognize I won’t ever be able to relate to motherhood nor the unequal social pressures women face, the depiction of both motherhood and sex work in this felt at times to be a bit of a mockery rather than satire. The book delves very little into some of the broader discourse at play here (like gentrification, sexism and capitalism), but the dark humour ultimately didn’t land for me. The representation of internet culture, modern stay-at-home moms and gender roles just felt very literal without much exploration, and lacks the sharp wit behind the commentary which made Motherthing so successful. Several subplots are introduced and quickly abandoned with little to no impact on the events of the book.
The plot of the book teases a dark direction (along with several other heavy handed red herrings), but ultimately ends up flatlining and ending in a very obvious and unsatisfactory way. Dani was a very bland and unlikeable protagonist for me, and ancillary characters only existed to push the narrative forward without offering much else. There is certainly allusions to horror elements and an underlying mystery (which the synopsis heavily advertises yet is a very minor part of the book), but ultimately the book is very much a simple domestic fiction with an abrupt and unrealistic ending. I wouldn’t call this a horror or mystery at all.
Certainly not my favourite book this year but may be loved by a target audience I just don’t belong to!
November 17, 2023
2.5 stars. This was such a disappointment after Motherthing. I found the entire first half of the book so lackluster and I didn't really know where it was going. Sometimes with books I like to just go along with the flow but there didn't seem to be any point to the story at all and it was really losing my attention. About 70% of the way through it actually started to get interesting and I was a lot more invested in the story again. But then the end was just a horrendous let down and I was left feeling so disappointed. It felt like there was so much build up for something I could have told you already and like things happened in the book for no reason. A lot of it was also just really boring. Dani is nowhere as good as the narrator of Motherthing and it's really missing that cutting edge to it. Having finished the book I can see that Hogarth was trying to go for a conspiracy, mystery, inside-job sort of vibe but it was poorly done and really failed to capture my attention. Feel sad I didn't enjoy this as it was one of my most anticipated releases.
May 17, 2023
wonderful and engrossing. snarky and fun and smart and i looooved this read. love anya. i need to go read my copy of motherthing! i do however think that dani should murder clark for his sins.
October 18, 2023
this did not eat. like cmon.
June 30, 2023
do affogatos symbolize gentrifier-core now?
In Normal Women by Ainslie Hogarth, new mother Dani is haunted by her family’s legacy, the thought of losing her husband and all the horrors of wifeluencers.
Normal Women, like mother thing, slowly wades through a domestic life. Unlike motherthing which has a wild third act, normal women tried to cook up way too many ideas into one that concluded in a rushed and unbelievable ending. How can a book be centred on a cultish yoga studio and the MC only hang out in the parking lot? Overall the pacing and commentary didn’t work for me. A lot of things felt random and abrupt.
In Normal Women by Ainslie Hogarth, new mother Dani is haunted by her family’s legacy, the thought of losing her husband and all the horrors of wifeluencers.
Normal Women, like mother thing, slowly wades through a domestic life. Unlike motherthing which has a wild third act, normal women tried to cook up way too many ideas into one that concluded in a rushed and unbelievable ending. How can a book be centred on a cultish yoga studio and the MC only hang out in the parking lot? Overall the pacing and commentary didn’t work for me. A lot of things felt random and abrupt.
January 16, 2024
What even is this plot? I was going to give it 2 stars because I appreciated the feminist commentary and some of the plot (except most of the plot was super tangential) but the end was actually so unserious and now I’m confused. Also the commentary on sex work had next to no nuance which I think is unhelpful to the conversation.
January 20, 2024
This book rocks. So many aspects of the labor women do day-to-day are explored: emotional labor of drawing out and fostering the vulnerabilities of men that have been beat out of them by a patriarchal society, household duties that fall into the category of: wife who doesn't have a job that generates income, physical labor of lugging a kid(s) around, the mental and physical toll of bearing the weight of being an object of $3xual desire.
Hogarth proposes a radical notion: women should be paid for said labor.Not only should they be paid but,
they should have the ability to advocate for their own fulfillment even if it comes from unconventional sources, infringes on time spent at home performing ~homemaker duties~, allows them to spend their energy on themselves and not their husband or child (radical, huh?).
Dani and the other Normal Women brought forth different aspirations and hopes reflected in many women, especially mothers, without shying away from the things that cause doubt and fear. Instead of groveling in these emotions, Dani lied, made excuses, faltered in giving the same energy to herself as she does to Clark and Lotte but in the end, realized she's just as deserving.
Hogarth proposes a radical notion: women should be paid for said labor.Not only should they be paid but,
they should have the ability to advocate for their own fulfillment even if it comes from unconventional sources, infringes on time spent at home performing ~homemaker duties~, allows them to spend their energy on themselves and not their husband or child (radical, huh?).
Dani and the other Normal Women brought forth different aspirations and hopes reflected in many women, especially mothers, without shying away from the things that cause doubt and fear. Instead of groveling in these emotions, Dani lied, made excuses, faltered in giving the same energy to herself as she does to Clark and Lotte but in the end, realized she's just as deserving.
September 6, 2023
I really hate that I had to DNF this but I've never been so bored and unengaged with a book. I really appreciate what Ainslie tried to do by addressing women issues involving battling postpartum depression, how we feel about our bodies, and our own independence. Unfortunately, it only touched on it in the literal sense when there are numerous underlying points she could have expanded on. Sadly, 2 stars.
Thank you to Netgallery and Vintage Anchor for this arc.
Thank you to Netgallery and Vintage Anchor for this arc.
February 25, 2025
3.5 Rounded up because it’s pretty funny but just didn’t stick the landing for me. Good, but Motherthing is better.
June 3, 2023
I received an advanced copy of Ainslie Hogarth's newest novel, Normal Women, and I immediately rushed to start it. Motherthing is one of my top reads of the year, and I knew how much I adored Ainslie Hogarth's writing and plot formation. She is the queen of writing into existence 'woman-slowly-unraveling'.
Normal Women follows the dismal, post-partum life of Dani--a suburban wife and new mother navigating a crisis of identify after the birth of her first baby. Her days feel directionless, full of budding momfluencer friends who she is unsure if she even enjoys, and trying to win a battle with her husband about who will learn to use the espresso machine. She's become a woman terrified of her thoughts about her daughter, a woman terrified that her husband may either be dying or evil, and she's not sure which is worse. When Dani meets Renata, a magnetic and revolutionary force, she introduces her to a lifestyle that Dani can't help but feel drawn to with shameful desire. And then? Renata goes missing. Dani, invigorated with fresh perspective, is desperate to find out what happened to her friend.
I really enjoyed this book, and so much of that is Ainslie Hogarth's writing. The start was a little slow for me, and I think I may have been bothered by that if I didn't enjoy the writing style as much as I do. Her characters are always so layered, relatable without being cliche. I loved Dani, and I think that the voice that she gave her helped me to really understand her restlessness and paranoia.
Hogarth gracefully explores post-partum worlds of stay-at-home moms, concerns about domestic distribution, misogyny, and female/male sexuality. The storyline was so unique, and I really enjoyed it overall. It wasn't five stars only because I didn't feel entirely satisfied with the ending. It may have been the slow start, but I felt rushed towards the end just a little.
Definitely recommend if you're a fan of: Mona Awad, Lisa Taddeo, Ottessa Moshfegh
Normal Women follows the dismal, post-partum life of Dani--a suburban wife and new mother navigating a crisis of identify after the birth of her first baby. Her days feel directionless, full of budding momfluencer friends who she is unsure if she even enjoys, and trying to win a battle with her husband about who will learn to use the espresso machine. She's become a woman terrified of her thoughts about her daughter, a woman terrified that her husband may either be dying or evil, and she's not sure which is worse. When Dani meets Renata, a magnetic and revolutionary force, she introduces her to a lifestyle that Dani can't help but feel drawn to with shameful desire. And then? Renata goes missing. Dani, invigorated with fresh perspective, is desperate to find out what happened to her friend.
I really enjoyed this book, and so much of that is Ainslie Hogarth's writing. The start was a little slow for me, and I think I may have been bothered by that if I didn't enjoy the writing style as much as I do. Her characters are always so layered, relatable without being cliche. I loved Dani, and I think that the voice that she gave her helped me to really understand her restlessness and paranoia.
Hogarth gracefully explores post-partum worlds of stay-at-home moms, concerns about domestic distribution, misogyny, and female/male sexuality. The storyline was so unique, and I really enjoyed it overall. It wasn't five stars only because I didn't feel entirely satisfied with the ending. It may have been the slow start, but I felt rushed towards the end just a little.
Definitely recommend if you're a fan of: Mona Awad, Lisa Taddeo, Ottessa Moshfegh
July 5, 2023
I read this in two fevered days and nights of attempting to ignore my family, shirk work responsibilities, and stay up way too late. A profound, strange, hilarious, dark, gross, compelling page turner that considers the ways in which women labor. As a mother to a baby and a toddler, I found the depictions of motherhood and its struggles and ambivalences to be right on the mark. Any "unbelievable" plot points mentioned by reviewers seem to me to be entirely purposeful and emphasize (in the most hilarious way) the absurdity of modern American culture.
You’ll find yourself wondering whether you should finally schedule that family portrait you’ve been vaguely considering or just burn society to the ground. Hogarth's best work yet. As a bookseller I'll be putting it in everyone's hands this fall. (Also I hate Amazon but love this book enough to write a goodreads review!!)
You’ll find yourself wondering whether you should finally schedule that family portrait you’ve been vaguely considering or just burn society to the ground. Hogarth's best work yet. As a bookseller I'll be putting it in everyone's hands this fall. (Also I hate Amazon but love this book enough to write a goodreads review!!)
January 9, 2024
mfers are missing the point. this book rules
January 27, 2024
1.5 ⭐
Niet het slechtste boek ooit, maar een compleet ander verhaal dan de achterflap doet vermoeden. Met pijn en moeite uitgelezen in de hoop dat er nog een twist kwam. Voortaan lees ik eerst de reviews voordat ik blind iets aanschaf.
Niet het slechtste boek ooit, maar een compleet ander verhaal dan de achterflap doet vermoeden. Met pijn en moeite uitgelezen in de hoop dat er nog een twist kwam. Voortaan lees ik eerst de reviews voordat ik blind iets aanschaf.
December 29, 2023
I don't understand the sweeping criticism of this book, especially for those who enjoyed Motherthing. Stylistically and tonally, it's consistent with Hogarth's other works. It delivers well on its promise of being darkly witty, subversive, and biting. It makes explicit the connection between women's paid and unpaid labor and is a hilarious send-up to gendered expectations surrounding appearance, motherhood, and societal value. The real issue is the synopsis of the book which does it a disservice by centering around the supposed mystery of a missing person, making readers feel dissatisfied by its conclusion when that subplot isn't really the point of the book.
dnf
April 15, 2024Dnf 40%
July 19, 2023
Thank you Netgalley and Vintage Anchor for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!
Summary: Dani is a new mother who has moved back to her hometown with her husband who took a very lucrative job. Dani is going through a lot mentally after having her daughter, Lotte. She is majorly depressed and confused about her purpose in life. One day she notices a place called The Temple, which holds yoga during the day but really is a brothel at night. She is intrigued and decides to scope it out without her husband's knowledge. She befriends one of the workers, Renata, who winds up missing. Dani becomes more confused and carried away about herself, her husband, and what happened to Renata.
Ugh, this is a hard one for me to rate. I highly enjoyed Ainslie Hogarth's book, Motherthing. It was a great horror novel because it was dark and comedic; and it escalated...spiraling out of control with a crazy ending. I feel like that was the main idea here, but it missed the mark for me, unfortunately.
The plot itself was confusing to me from the beginning. I couldn't tell if this was another horror, mystery, or just literary fiction. I think, by the end, it felt like mostly literary fiction with a touch of mystery. It says it contains dark humor, but it really wasn't that humorous. It felt a bit all over the place. The writing was very dense, especially at the beginning. Almost too much description and ramblings with little to no dialogue. This is a shorter story and it shouldn't feel so hard to get through. And I felt like I was reading two stories/writings merged together, because once we got to the part where Dani meets Renata for the first time, the story actually picks up pace and becomes interesting....only to end up going back to being dense and boring in between.
I liked the main idea and mystery. And I actually would have rated this at least another star if the ending was more exciting or something that was more impactful. However, it was highly anticlimactic.
I understand what Ainslie was trying to convey regarding themes of postpartum depression, postpartum body complications, women's everyday struggles with inequality of parenthood, life, etc....but it was not executed well enough for me in my opinion.
Summary: Dani is a new mother who has moved back to her hometown with her husband who took a very lucrative job. Dani is going through a lot mentally after having her daughter, Lotte. She is majorly depressed and confused about her purpose in life. One day she notices a place called The Temple, which holds yoga during the day but really is a brothel at night. She is intrigued and decides to scope it out without her husband's knowledge. She befriends one of the workers, Renata, who winds up missing. Dani becomes more confused and carried away about herself, her husband, and what happened to Renata.
Ugh, this is a hard one for me to rate. I highly enjoyed Ainslie Hogarth's book, Motherthing. It was a great horror novel because it was dark and comedic; and it escalated...spiraling out of control with a crazy ending. I feel like that was the main idea here, but it missed the mark for me, unfortunately.
The plot itself was confusing to me from the beginning. I couldn't tell if this was another horror, mystery, or just literary fiction. I think, by the end, it felt like mostly literary fiction with a touch of mystery. It says it contains dark humor, but it really wasn't that humorous. It felt a bit all over the place. The writing was very dense, especially at the beginning. Almost too much description and ramblings with little to no dialogue. This is a shorter story and it shouldn't feel so hard to get through. And I felt like I was reading two stories/writings merged together, because once we got to the part where Dani meets Renata for the first time, the story actually picks up pace and becomes interesting....only to end up going back to being dense and boring in between.
I liked the main idea and mystery. And I actually would have rated this at least another star if the ending was more exciting or something that was more impactful. However, it was highly anticlimactic.
I understand what Ainslie was trying to convey regarding themes of postpartum depression, postpartum body complications, women's everyday struggles with inequality of parenthood, life, etc....but it was not executed well enough for me in my opinion.
November 7, 2023
Did Not Finish.
The first quarter was entertaining, but I spent the next quarter waiting for the plot to move forward. It felt like a chore to read so I decided I’d rather switch to something else.
The first quarter was entertaining, but I spent the next quarter waiting for the plot to move forward. It felt like a chore to read so I decided I’d rather switch to something else.
November 22, 2023
4.5 ✨ so funny and relatable, was not expecting any of this and was so pleasantly surprised. Loved!!
February 29, 2024
Really wish I hadn’t stuck it out for that ending
July 14, 2024
3.5
I really enjoyed most of this book. The climax was a little meh, but i liked the themes and Hogarth's writing is exactly the style that I love
I really enjoyed most of this book. The climax was a little meh, but i liked the themes and Hogarth's writing is exactly the style that I love
November 9, 2024
i wouldnt wish this book on my worst enemy
February 16, 2024
This is the book I will be telling everyone is my sll time favorite. Same goes for the author who is now one of my favorites and it goes without saying I will be reading everything Ainsley puts out, even if it is her grocery list.
Long story short-it is about Dani, normal woman, who is struggling to find herself after giving birth to Lotte. It is about Clark, normal man, husband, creature with pain. It is about Dani’s friends, normal women and their normal life. Until Dani befriends Renata, owner of a company that is on paper a religious place, but is very much, actually not.
Cultish vibes, thoughts on motherhood, beautiful writing and unpredictable ending- I couldn’t ask for more.
Long story short-it is about Dani, normal woman, who is struggling to find herself after giving birth to Lotte. It is about Clark, normal man, husband, creature with pain. It is about Dani’s friends, normal women and their normal life. Until Dani befriends Renata, owner of a company that is on paper a religious place, but is very much, actually not.
Cultish vibes, thoughts on motherhood, beautiful writing and unpredictable ending- I couldn’t ask for more.
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