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The Hitch
From the author of the cult classic Treasure Island!!!, a delightfully unhinged comedy following a woman as she attempts to exorcise the spirit of a dead corgi from her nephew and renegotiate the borders of her previously rational world
Rose Cutler defines herself by her exacting standards. As an anti-racist, Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior, she is convinced she knows the right way to do everything, including parent her six-year-old nephew Nathan. When Rose offers to look after him while his parents visit Mexico for a week, her brother and sister-in-law reluctantly agree, provided she understands the rules—routine, bedtime, homework—and doesn’t overstep. But when Rose’s Newfoundland attacks and kills a corgi at the park, Nathan starts acting barking, overeating, talking to himself. Rose mistakes this behavior as repressed grief over the corgi’s death, but Nathan insists he isn’t grieving, and the dog isn’t dead. Her soul leaped into his body, and now she’s living inside him. Now Rose must banish the corgi from her nephew before the week ends and his parents return to collect their child.
With the ferocious absurdity of Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch and the dark, brazen humor of Melissa Broder’s Death Valley, The Hitch is a tantalizingly bizarre novel about loneliness, bad boundaries, and the ill-fated strategy of micromanaging everything and everyone around you.
Rose Cutler defines herself by her exacting standards. As an anti-racist, Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior, she is convinced she knows the right way to do everything, including parent her six-year-old nephew Nathan. When Rose offers to look after him while his parents visit Mexico for a week, her brother and sister-in-law reluctantly agree, provided she understands the rules—routine, bedtime, homework—and doesn’t overstep. But when Rose’s Newfoundland attacks and kills a corgi at the park, Nathan starts acting barking, overeating, talking to himself. Rose mistakes this behavior as repressed grief over the corgi’s death, but Nathan insists he isn’t grieving, and the dog isn’t dead. Her soul leaped into his body, and now she’s living inside him. Now Rose must banish the corgi from her nephew before the week ends and his parents return to collect their child.
With the ferocious absurdity of Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch and the dark, brazen humor of Melissa Broder’s Death Valley, The Hitch is a tantalizingly bizarre novel about loneliness, bad boundaries, and the ill-fated strategy of micromanaging everything and everyone around you.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 13, 2026
100 people are currently reading
8376 people want to read
About the author
Sara Levine
13 books126 followersHi! My novel THE HITCH is available for pre-order now and will be published January 13, 2026.
I am also the author of the novel TREASURE ISLAND!!! and the short story collection SHORT DARK ORACLES.
If you haven't read Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND, I recommend the Penguin's Mass Market paperback which includes my Afterword.
Sign up for my newsletter at
https://delusionsofgrammar.substack.com/
I am also the author of the novel TREASURE ISLAND!!! and the short story collection SHORT DARK ORACLES.
If you haven't read Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND, I recommend the Penguin's Mass Market paperback which includes my Afterword.
Sign up for my newsletter at
https://delusionsofgrammar.substack.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
January 15, 2026
3.5 Stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of The Hitch by Sara Levine. This is a dark, unique, and bizarre story. It is told with humour, which sometimes seems forced. It is a quirky combination of comedy and character study with supernatural elements.
Rose Cutler describes herself as an anti-racist Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior. Others tend to describe her as a misanthrope, judgmental, intense, self-righteous, and lacking in emotional connections with most people. She becomes estranged from her friend Omar and is lonely. She has fixed opinions. She dislikes a Polish restaurant because of the Polish government's actions during WW2, and believes Aunt Jemima pancakes (name now discontinued) referred to slaves making pancakes for their masters. She tends to micromanage everything.
There are vegan recipes and food discussions scattered throughout the book. Rose has run a yogurt company, and her food consisted of grains, vegetarian and dairy products. She is now trying to sell her yogurt company after a Chinese study suggested the evils of dairy products. The fact that her latest yogurt flavour was contaminated is a drawback for possible sales.
She is devoted to her Newfoundland dog, Walter and dislikes corgis. Rose wants to look after her 6-year-old nephew, Nathan, after she learns that his parents are visiting Mexico for a week. They reluctantly agree, insisting that Nathan follow his strict home and school routine. Rose is excited about Nathan's upcoming visit and redecorates a spare bedroom for him. She paints it a shade of grey, which her nephew will call sweatsock grey. She prepares a list of nutritious vegan foods for him.
There is trouble on his first day. Rose walks her Newfoundland dog to a park with Nathan. Her huge dog kills a corgi. Nathan begins to act strangely, barking, overeating, and frequently behaving like a dog. Rose believes he is traumatized from seeing the corgi killed. Instead, Nathan is delighted. He believes the corgi's spirit has entered his body, becoming part of him. He was never allowed to have a pet dog, cat, or even a tiny animal, and now he has an 'inside dog.'
Rose is in a panic, as she must find a way to banish the corgi's spirit from inside Nathan before his parents' return. She believes the ordeal has made her a better person, which, selfishly, she attributes to success. Little character change or growth is displayed. She remains a caricature.
Recommended for readers who enjoy an unusual. humorous, offbeat story. Publication is scheduled for January 13/2026.
Rose Cutler describes herself as an anti-racist Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior. Others tend to describe her as a misanthrope, judgmental, intense, self-righteous, and lacking in emotional connections with most people. She becomes estranged from her friend Omar and is lonely. She has fixed opinions. She dislikes a Polish restaurant because of the Polish government's actions during WW2, and believes Aunt Jemima pancakes (name now discontinued) referred to slaves making pancakes for their masters. She tends to micromanage everything.
There are vegan recipes and food discussions scattered throughout the book. Rose has run a yogurt company, and her food consisted of grains, vegetarian and dairy products. She is now trying to sell her yogurt company after a Chinese study suggested the evils of dairy products. The fact that her latest yogurt flavour was contaminated is a drawback for possible sales.
She is devoted to her Newfoundland dog, Walter and dislikes corgis. Rose wants to look after her 6-year-old nephew, Nathan, after she learns that his parents are visiting Mexico for a week. They reluctantly agree, insisting that Nathan follow his strict home and school routine. Rose is excited about Nathan's upcoming visit and redecorates a spare bedroom for him. She paints it a shade of grey, which her nephew will call sweatsock grey. She prepares a list of nutritious vegan foods for him.
There is trouble on his first day. Rose walks her Newfoundland dog to a park with Nathan. Her huge dog kills a corgi. Nathan begins to act strangely, barking, overeating, and frequently behaving like a dog. Rose believes he is traumatized from seeing the corgi killed. Instead, Nathan is delighted. He believes the corgi's spirit has entered his body, becoming part of him. He was never allowed to have a pet dog, cat, or even a tiny animal, and now he has an 'inside dog.'
Rose is in a panic, as she must find a way to banish the corgi's spirit from inside Nathan before his parents' return. She believes the ordeal has made her a better person, which, selfishly, she attributes to success. Little character change or growth is displayed. She remains a caricature.
Recommended for readers who enjoy an unusual. humorous, offbeat story. Publication is scheduled for January 13/2026.
September 7, 2025
Ever dreamed of a book mixing vegan recipes, food lectures, and a six-year-old sharing his body with the soul of a corgi named Hazel? Look no further—Sara Levine’s The Hitch delivers.
The protagonist is Rose Cutler, an “anti-racist, Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior” … and she is every bit as intense as that sounds. From moralizing about eating at a Polish restaurant in Chicago [because of the Anschluss—how Poles voted to join Nazi Germany], to a dissertation on Jefferson’s “pancake-making slaves,” to vegan recipes including one for chocolate silk pie where “nobody ever knows they’re eating tofu” [I asked a vegan friend and fantastic baker who said the recipe would “make something that would resemble a chocolate silk pie” but that people would definitely know it was tofu], Rose is a character I personally came to love—even as her obsessions make life harder for herself and everyone around her.
One of Rose’s favorite people is her 6-year-old nephew, Nathan. When his parents go to Mexico for a week, Rose campaigns hard to watch him. When they reluctantly agree, Rose goes… full Rose. She creates a binder of researched vegan meal plans and designs a bespoke bedroom painted Wevet [what Nathan calls “sweatsock grey”] because “inky blue seemed better for an accent wall… and yellow too reminiscent of a weeping clown.”
Rose—who runs a multinational yogurt company she now wants to sell after reading a Chinese study on the evils of dairy—has two other main loves: her Newfoundland, Walter, and her best friend Omar, who dares to start using Grindr again just when she needs him most. And she needs him—because on a walk with Nathan, Walter kills a corgi named Hazel. Hazel, a corgi who inexplicably knows all of Shakespeare and has telepathy, chooses not to move on and instead inhabits Nathan’s body.
Nathan, whose mother won’t let him have so much as a grasshopper mouse, is delighted—he finally has his “inside dog.” Rose is… well, let’s just say, less than delighted. As her life begins to unravel—her company won’t sell, her new yogurt flavor Gotcha Matcha [“I eat it at my dacha” campaign] goes wrong, Nathan’s parents (through Nathan) reveal what they really think of her [6-year-olds, after all, tell the truth], and her blow-up with Omar strains her closest friendship—Rose has less than a week to put everything back together before Nathan’s parents return.
The Hitch is offbeat, sharp, and full of oddball charm. While Rose can be exhausting, she’s also strangely endearing, and Levine never loses sight of the humanity beneath the satire. If you enjoy books that are witty, messy, and completely unlike anything else you’ve read this year, this one is worth the ride.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Grove Atlantic for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
The protagonist is Rose Cutler, an “anti-racist, Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior” … and she is every bit as intense as that sounds. From moralizing about eating at a Polish restaurant in Chicago [because of the Anschluss—how Poles voted to join Nazi Germany], to a dissertation on Jefferson’s “pancake-making slaves,” to vegan recipes including one for chocolate silk pie where “nobody ever knows they’re eating tofu” [I asked a vegan friend and fantastic baker who said the recipe would “make something that would resemble a chocolate silk pie” but that people would definitely know it was tofu], Rose is a character I personally came to love—even as her obsessions make life harder for herself and everyone around her.
One of Rose’s favorite people is her 6-year-old nephew, Nathan. When his parents go to Mexico for a week, Rose campaigns hard to watch him. When they reluctantly agree, Rose goes… full Rose. She creates a binder of researched vegan meal plans and designs a bespoke bedroom painted Wevet [what Nathan calls “sweatsock grey”] because “inky blue seemed better for an accent wall… and yellow too reminiscent of a weeping clown.”
Rose—who runs a multinational yogurt company she now wants to sell after reading a Chinese study on the evils of dairy—has two other main loves: her Newfoundland, Walter, and her best friend Omar, who dares to start using Grindr again just when she needs him most. And she needs him—because on a walk with Nathan, Walter kills a corgi named Hazel. Hazel, a corgi who inexplicably knows all of Shakespeare and has telepathy, chooses not to move on and instead inhabits Nathan’s body.
Nathan, whose mother won’t let him have so much as a grasshopper mouse, is delighted—he finally has his “inside dog.” Rose is… well, let’s just say, less than delighted. As her life begins to unravel—her company won’t sell, her new yogurt flavor Gotcha Matcha [“I eat it at my dacha” campaign] goes wrong, Nathan’s parents (through Nathan) reveal what they really think of her [6-year-olds, after all, tell the truth], and her blow-up with Omar strains her closest friendship—Rose has less than a week to put everything back together before Nathan’s parents return.
The Hitch is offbeat, sharp, and full of oddball charm. While Rose can be exhausting, she’s also strangely endearing, and Levine never loses sight of the humanity beneath the satire. If you enjoy books that are witty, messy, and completely unlike anything else you’ve read this year, this one is worth the ride.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Grove Atlantic for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
January 9, 2026
Two words: ghost corgi. Ok, now that I have your attention, this book is so can’t and absurd and unlike anything I’ve ever read. It was a wild ride from start to finish and an experience unlike any other. Not only was this story unpredictable, but it also proffered some hard-hitting reminders: life can’t simply be split into good and bad, eight-piece Finnish dining room sets and yogurt bloat, and sometimes it takes a probably-not-evil dog entity to remind us of that. Though I don’t fully understand what I just read (I’m either not intellectual or not possessed enough), I have no complaints. And, full disclosure, I expect to have ghost corgis on the brain for the foreseeable future.
October 2, 2025
This book is so weird and funny and quietly devastating!!! Telling everyone I know to read it <3
August 15, 2025
rocky start, but wow was i amused once Rose met her nephew’s “inside dog” !! totally hilarious, tail-wagging chaos written to the tune of unhinged girl fiction.
+ though it felt a little misplaced, i honestly found her random vegan recipes & food studies musings cute and part of the character building.
Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.
+ though it felt a little misplaced, i honestly found her random vegan recipes & food studies musings cute and part of the character building.
Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.
January 7, 2026
The Hitch by Sara Levine. Thanks to @atlanticgrove for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Rose is watching her six year old nephew while her brother and her sister in law vacation. They were hesitant to leave Nathan with her, but took a leap of faith. When Rose’s Newfoundland kills a corgi in the park, Nathan insists the corgi’s soul is now in his body.
I feel like I need to reread this one to fully understand it, but I did definitely enjoy it. It was very unique, and a bit out there. Rose’s character was not pleasant but she did have some development and learning at the end. It was nice seeing her bond with her nephew, despite her odd views and judgmental personality. The whole corgi thing was interesting and definitely the unique part of the plot.
“Did he really feel, when it came to chances for happiness, a ghost corgi was his best bet?”
Read this if you like:
-Animal or dog characters
-Unique plot lines
-Curmudgeonly main characters
-Family dynamics
The Hitch comes out 1/13.
Rose is watching her six year old nephew while her brother and her sister in law vacation. They were hesitant to leave Nathan with her, but took a leap of faith. When Rose’s Newfoundland kills a corgi in the park, Nathan insists the corgi’s soul is now in his body.
I feel like I need to reread this one to fully understand it, but I did definitely enjoy it. It was very unique, and a bit out there. Rose’s character was not pleasant but she did have some development and learning at the end. It was nice seeing her bond with her nephew, despite her odd views and judgmental personality. The whole corgi thing was interesting and definitely the unique part of the plot.
“Did he really feel, when it came to chances for happiness, a ghost corgi was his best bet?”
Read this if you like:
-Animal or dog characters
-Unique plot lines
-Curmudgeonly main characters
-Family dynamics
The Hitch comes out 1/13.
January 4, 2026
This book RULES. I read it too fast even though I tried not to because it’s like watching a maestro fuck with you. Every word, every sentence, is crafted to both stabilize you and knock you over. It’s so playful and strange and hilarious. Thank god Sara Levine is back!!
December 16, 2025
Quirky, funny, with a slightly manic undercurrent of sadness.
Read
September 6, 2025I first heard of Sara Levine from Emily Temple who published an article on LitHub dot com called The 50 Best Contemporary Novels Under 200 Pages. One of those books was Levine’s Treasure Island!!! Temple said:
”A truly insane novel about a young woman who decides to live her life by the principles of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, those principles being Boldness, Resolution, Independence, and, of course, Horn Blowing. One of the most fun reading experiences I can remember.”
Treasure Island!!! was a fun book. It has been nearly fifteen years, but Levine has written another comic novel which, at least in my opinion, is worth your time.
The Hitch is narrated by Rose Cutler, a single woman living in Chicago who has built her own successful yogurt business called Cultured Cow. This passage gives some idea of the way Rose thinks about the world:
“In my twenties, I had an obsession with Mollie Katzen and the Moosewood Collective. Not that I joined the Collective—or ever visited the restaurant—but I believed in Mollie Katzen, particularly her cookbook The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, and threw myself into making healthy meals out of vegetables, grains, and dairy. For reasons I can no longer fathom, I was particularly keen on serving friends the Moosewood Mushroom Yogurt Pie with Spinach Crust. I also remember a socially strained dinner party at which I served crumbling tofu burgers, baked not fried, in an apartment that had no dining room table; I expected people to eat them in their laps. It was precisely at the height of my fervent Enchanted Broccoli Forest phase that I started an artisanal yogurt business, believing yogurt was a health food” (location 214).
Rose has agreed to watch her six year old nephew Nathan while her brother Victor and sister in law Astrid go on a vacation to Mexico for a week. On the first day, Rose’s dog, Walter, attacks and kills a neighbor’s dog, Hazel. Somehow the boy Nathan finds Hazel living inside him. How this happens is never really explained. The Hitch is not a realistic novel.
Overall I thought Levine’s book was a great example of satire and humorous writing. If the book has one flaw it is the fact that somewhere between the halfway point and the two thirds point, Levine seems to take the plot a little too seriously.
The title of the book is never really explained except in this brief exchange between Rose and her brother Victor toward the end of the book:
“What’s the hitch? There’s no hitch. There’s always a hitch” (location 3518).
A better title for the book would be Inside Dog. This book will appeal to people who enjoy reading about someone who takes herself way too seriously.
epub. 304 pgs. Read 5 September 2025. Scheduled for publication 13 January 2026.
”A truly insane novel about a young woman who decides to live her life by the principles of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, those principles being Boldness, Resolution, Independence, and, of course, Horn Blowing. One of the most fun reading experiences I can remember.”
Treasure Island!!! was a fun book. It has been nearly fifteen years, but Levine has written another comic novel which, at least in my opinion, is worth your time.
The Hitch is narrated by Rose Cutler, a single woman living in Chicago who has built her own successful yogurt business called Cultured Cow. This passage gives some idea of the way Rose thinks about the world:
“In my twenties, I had an obsession with Mollie Katzen and the Moosewood Collective. Not that I joined the Collective—or ever visited the restaurant—but I believed in Mollie Katzen, particularly her cookbook The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, and threw myself into making healthy meals out of vegetables, grains, and dairy. For reasons I can no longer fathom, I was particularly keen on serving friends the Moosewood Mushroom Yogurt Pie with Spinach Crust. I also remember a socially strained dinner party at which I served crumbling tofu burgers, baked not fried, in an apartment that had no dining room table; I expected people to eat them in their laps. It was precisely at the height of my fervent Enchanted Broccoli Forest phase that I started an artisanal yogurt business, believing yogurt was a health food” (location 214).
Rose has agreed to watch her six year old nephew Nathan while her brother Victor and sister in law Astrid go on a vacation to Mexico for a week. On the first day, Rose’s dog, Walter, attacks and kills a neighbor’s dog, Hazel. Somehow the boy Nathan finds Hazel living inside him. How this happens is never really explained. The Hitch is not a realistic novel.
Overall I thought Levine’s book was a great example of satire and humorous writing. If the book has one flaw it is the fact that somewhere between the halfway point and the two thirds point, Levine seems to take the plot a little too seriously.
The title of the book is never really explained except in this brief exchange between Rose and her brother Victor toward the end of the book:
“What’s the hitch? There’s no hitch. There’s always a hitch” (location 3518).
A better title for the book would be Inside Dog. This book will appeal to people who enjoy reading about someone who takes herself way too seriously.
epub. 304 pgs. Read 5 September 2025. Scheduled for publication 13 January 2026.
January 12, 2026
The Hitch surprised me a lot. On the surface, it’s an entertaining, fast‑moving story with plenty of humour and chaos, but Sara Levine threads deeper themes through the book without ever weighing it down. Sara Levine has a talent for crafting characters who feel absurd and painfully real. I found myself laughing at the sheer unpredictability of the story while also pausing to sit with the emotional thoughts, woven between the lines. If you enjoy fiction that blends humor with heart, and isn’t afraid to get a little weird, this is a great one to pick up. Thank you Sara Levine, Roxane Gay Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
October 4, 2025
When Rose's brother and sister-in-law go on vacation to Mexico, they reluctantly leave their six year old son, Nathan, with Rose for the week. Rose has the perfect week planned, until things go wrong on the first day when Rose's dog, Walter, bites a corgi named Hazel in the neck and kills her. Rose quickly discovers that things have gone even more wrong when Nathan informs her that Hazel's soul has jumped into his body.
This book is quite quirky. Rose is a very strange character and the plot is obviously pretty bizarre. But it's a short read and entertaining.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book is quite quirky. Rose is a very strange character and the plot is obviously pretty bizarre. But it's a short read and entertaining.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 27, 2026
a book with corgis, possession, & multiple bunion references is obviously a book i’m going to read. this was weird & funny & my well-over 30 lb corgi is offended that the author said corgis are under 30 lbs.
Read
January 12, 2026I can recommend you read it, but I can't assign a star value to it.
January 26, 2026
Funny and bizarre.
January 30, 2026
Loud bark deep bite
February 4, 2026
Absolutely
January 18, 2026
“The Hitch” had everything going for it: a curious premise, with a dog at the center of the narrative. The choice of a stream-of-consciousness style is, in fact, a strength — it pulls the reader directly into the protagonist’s mind in an immediate and unsettling way, creating a strong sense of isolation. The book falters, however, exactly where it most needs to hold attention: in its protagonist. Rose is written so thinly that she borders on caricature; what may have been intended as ironic or eccentric comes across as simply exhausting. Her limited self-awareness, combined with a rushed and forced final arc of transformation, makes deeper emotional engagement difficult and drains any sense of narrative payoff. There are flashes of sharper writing, moments when the text hints at something more thoughtful beneath the surface, but they are ultimately lost in a deliberately flat narrative voice. A book of wasted potential.
January 19, 2026
This was a fun concept and amusing at times but I was hoping for something way more interesting or at least strange. The way the protagonist was written was so exhausting and frustrating to read that I really couldn’t get into it. I’m all for an unlikeable main character but Rose was so one note, self absorbed, and by the end she didn’t seem to change much and it had me thinking, what was even the point of all this? I feel this book needed a way more nuanced main character to illustrate its point more effectively, or it needed to be like 10x weirder.
August 23, 2025
This book is a wonderfully chaotic and sharply funny ride through the mind of a brilliantly neurotic narrator. From the start, the book throws you into a whirlwind of absurdity and offbeat storytelling, so much so that the first few pages can feel almost too erratic to follow. But stick with it. Once I hit the 25% mark and really started connecting with the main character, everything clicked into place, and I couldn’t put it down!
The plot is pure chaos. It’s weird, wild, and completely unpredictable, but in a way that somehow works. The characters, especially the lead, are anxious, unhinged, and hilariously relatable. I found myself fully embracing the madness and loving every twist and turn.
What kept this from being a full five-star read for me was the ending. While the journey was full of quirky brilliance, I felt the finale lacked the punch I was hoping for, especially as things reached a head with other family members. Still, that didn’t take away from the overall experience.
This is definitely a must-read for fans of weird girl fiction. Think chaotic female energy, a dose of existential dread, and a heavy helping of dark humor. It’s offbeat, it’s clever, and it’s an absolute slay.
4 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC!
The plot is pure chaos. It’s weird, wild, and completely unpredictable, but in a way that somehow works. The characters, especially the lead, are anxious, unhinged, and hilariously relatable. I found myself fully embracing the madness and loving every twist and turn.
What kept this from being a full five-star read for me was the ending. While the journey was full of quirky brilliance, I felt the finale lacked the punch I was hoping for, especially as things reached a head with other family members. Still, that didn’t take away from the overall experience.
This is definitely a must-read for fans of weird girl fiction. Think chaotic female energy, a dose of existential dread, and a heavy helping of dark humor. It’s offbeat, it’s clever, and it’s an absolute slay.
4 stars
Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC!
August 28, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC of "The Hitch" in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
The main character, Rose, is an "anti racist, vegan, eco warrior." She is in fact a caricature of a garden variety self righteous, virtue signaling, misanthrope.
Rose is taking care of her young nephew, Nathan, for the week. What started off as quirky quickly became insufferable the more we learn about Rose. As the story progressed, the less it was about Rose's love for Nathan, and more about Rose's lack of emotional connection to other human beings.
I like stories that feature precocious children as long as they are written responsibly, but I did not like how Rose constantly failed Nathan with each of her deleterious actions compromising his emotional and physical safety.
I think she's the most egregious towards the end. Rose feels like their time together is some sort of great success because she's made some revelations about herself and decides to be a better person. This is after all the chaos she has created.
Maybe Rose's character was a little too familiar for my liking. I also know people who will inflict pain and discomfort on others as long as they feel better about themselves.
My final grievance is that the author wasn't clear on what genre this story belonged to. Was it a comedy? Debatable. An interpretation of grief? Perhaps. Magical realism with a shot of the supernatural? I still don't know.
The main character, Rose, is an "anti racist, vegan, eco warrior." She is in fact a caricature of a garden variety self righteous, virtue signaling, misanthrope.
Rose is taking care of her young nephew, Nathan, for the week. What started off as quirky quickly became insufferable the more we learn about Rose. As the story progressed, the less it was about Rose's love for Nathan, and more about Rose's lack of emotional connection to other human beings.
I like stories that feature precocious children as long as they are written responsibly, but I did not like how Rose constantly failed Nathan with each of her deleterious actions compromising his emotional and physical safety.
I think she's the most egregious towards the end. Rose feels like their time together is some sort of great success because she's made some revelations about herself and decides to be a better person. This is after all the chaos she has created.
Maybe Rose's character was a little too familiar for my liking. I also know people who will inflict pain and discomfort on others as long as they feel better about themselves.
My final grievance is that the author wasn't clear on what genre this story belonged to. Was it a comedy? Debatable. An interpretation of grief? Perhaps. Magical realism with a shot of the supernatural? I still don't know.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
To anyone overrun with solitariness, carried away by melancholy thoughts, unable to sleep even after taking five melatonin, I can prescribe no better remedy than a row-and-column spreadsheet program, provided you’re adept at the higher functions. Crunching numbers, organizing lists, creating a pivot table—nothing is more soothing to a troubled mind. Because I had a sizable backlog of work at Cultured Cow and no chance of falling asleep, I opened Excel and slowly, methodically, picked my way through the cells.
An interview anecdote by the author (who I understand has previously written “Treasure Island!!!” a rather unique book with a protagonist who bases her life around Core Values taken from Stevenson’s classic) is the perfect introduction to this equally sui generis second novel.
“A few months ago at a party l overheard a novelist regaling a group of people about her new book which sounded Important and Serious and Cognizant of The Most Pressing Issues of Our Time. I started inching towards the cupcake table when another guest remembered I was a writer and tried to include me. This was nice, but also horribly awkward.
NICE PARTY GUEST: Sara, what's your novel about?
ME: [after a dazed pause] A dead corgi's soul takes possession of a six-year-old boy, and his aunt has seven days to exorcise the spirit.”
The brilliantly portrayed first party protagonist Rose Cutler is a secular-Jewish, anti-racist, feminist (several other -ist), eco-warrior, healthy-living nut obsessive and evangeliser – who also happens to run a successful natural yoghurt business which she is now trying to sell to investors (having become an anti-dairy fanatic) – she is also a compulsive planner and organiser, so when her sister in law (whose almost antithetical lifestyle to Rose’s own causes mutual antipathy) and brother ask her to look after her nephew Nathan while they holiday in Mexico (a holiday of which Rose heartily disapproves) she seems it as an opportunity (one she lacks on her usual weekend only times with him) to build her bonds with him and finally correct their wayward parenting and plans everything to the n-th degree including their health-food (brief recipes from which constantly appear in Rose’s retelling).
But early on in his visit Rose’s over-exuberant Newfoundland Walter surprisingly kills a corgi – and rather more surprisingly Walter then claims that the corgi Hazel now lives within him – and his change in behaviour (acting like a dog, telling off-colour knock knock jokes) and sudden almost clairvoyant insights make her realise it could be true. And while struggling with a double blow to her business, the seller pulling out followed by a forced product recall after contamination of her gotcha matcha flavour – luckily she has insurance – she sets out to find a way to get Nathan free of Hazel (very much against his wishes) all while trying to avoid the calls of her sister in law (prior to the latter being involved in a dolphin attack) and rather neglecting a long term friendship with the owner of an inland town diving shop. Late on this involves an attempt at a form of exorcism via some very odd spiritual healers (a chapter or two where the healer exorcises Rose as a trial which gets rather too weird was the only major misstep for me in the novel, with perhaps a minor one a diagnosis of Corgi owners which seems to be almost contradictory to the most famous historical owner of them).
Where the novel is particularly effective as well as very enjoyable is that all of this rather zany humour is cover for an actually moving tale about connection and loneliness – in the same way we (and late on she herself) impute that much of Rose’s behaviour is a cover for her own need for connection. And while Rose herself comes to terms with how her behaviour is controlling and her views unnecessarily judgmental the book impressively avoids too redemptive an ending.
Overall unique and recommended.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic for an ARC via NetGalley
“Everyone calls a boisterous yellow Lab a family dog,” I said. “But when a black dog bounces or slobbers or barks, people shrink back like he’s Cerberus at the gates of hell. Have you ever noticed that?” Colorism was not a familiar concept to them.
January 25, 2026
This was one of the wildest, most creative books I’ve read in some time. I'll never look at corgis the same way again!
Rose is an anti-racist, secular Jewish feminist eco-warrior, a believer in eating healthy foods, and the owner of an artisanal yogurt business. She’s unmarried and doesn’t have children of her own, but she dotes on her six-year-old nephew Nathan and her beloved Newfoundland, Walter.
Rose is one of those people who knows everything about everything. She has an article, a study, a program to back up all of her opinions. And one of her opinions is that she should get to spend more time with Nathan, but her brother and sister-in-law don’t necessarily think she’s the best influence on him.
However, when her brother and sister-in-law take a vacation to Mexico, they agree to leave Nathan in Rose’s care. Rose is so excited; she has her spare bedroom redone for him, and has outlined a vegan meal plan for the week. But only one day into her caregiving stint, disaster strikes. When Rose, Nathan, and Walter are in the park, Walter attacks and kills a corgi.
Walter has never acted aggressively before. And when Nathan starts acting strangely, Rose figures it’s his reaction to the incident. But then Nathan tells Rose that the corgi’s soul is living inside him. And this dog is a troublemaker. If Rose can’t fix this, she’ll never be trusted to care for Nathan again.
Although the concept of the book sounds silly, it’s actually quite moving and thought-provoking. Rose is not the most likable character but she does grow a bit by the end, and she really does love Nathan. I’ll be thinking about this for a long while!!
Check out my best reads of 2025 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2025.html .
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
Rose is an anti-racist, secular Jewish feminist eco-warrior, a believer in eating healthy foods, and the owner of an artisanal yogurt business. She’s unmarried and doesn’t have children of her own, but she dotes on her six-year-old nephew Nathan and her beloved Newfoundland, Walter.
Rose is one of those people who knows everything about everything. She has an article, a study, a program to back up all of her opinions. And one of her opinions is that she should get to spend more time with Nathan, but her brother and sister-in-law don’t necessarily think she’s the best influence on him.
However, when her brother and sister-in-law take a vacation to Mexico, they agree to leave Nathan in Rose’s care. Rose is so excited; she has her spare bedroom redone for him, and has outlined a vegan meal plan for the week. But only one day into her caregiving stint, disaster strikes. When Rose, Nathan, and Walter are in the park, Walter attacks and kills a corgi.
Walter has never acted aggressively before. And when Nathan starts acting strangely, Rose figures it’s his reaction to the incident. But then Nathan tells Rose that the corgi’s soul is living inside him. And this dog is a troublemaker. If Rose can’t fix this, she’ll never be trusted to care for Nathan again.
Although the concept of the book sounds silly, it’s actually quite moving and thought-provoking. Rose is not the most likable character but she does grow a bit by the end, and she really does love Nathan. I’ll be thinking about this for a long while!!
Check out my best reads of 2025 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2025.html .
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
January 20, 2026
I really anticipated this to be a DNF when I started. I wasn't sure I could stomach the dog attack and subsequent death. However, for those like me who are sensitive to this stuff, it's pretty much one paragraph and the end of a chapter is it isn't overly detailed, bloody or for lack of a better word, savage.
Rose lives alone and owns a frozen yogurt company. However, she is averse to all things dairy and is trying to sell it. She is also obsessed with her six-year-old nephew, Nathan. His parents only allow her two hours a week with him on Saturdays, but a trip to Mexico means Rose will get to watch him for a full week. She plans everything, right down to the icky food she expects a child that young to eat and the activities they will participate in such as lengthy chess games. All this goes out the window when a trip to the dog park leads to a Corgi named Hazel dying and then her soul inhabiting Nathan's body. Rose goes on a journey to hide what is happening from her brother and his wife all the while trying to convince Nathan he is imagining the whole thing. When that doesn't work, despite her better judgement, she turns to a spiritual healer and ends up experiencing her own exorcism.
As I said, I liked this book more than I expected to. Rose was a piece of work though, and I can't find the words to describe her although neurotic came to mind more than once while reading it. Nathan was a sweetheart and I felt badly for him because he only wants to be a kid. Also, reading this book felt a little like ADHD. Rose would be describing something and all of a sudden break into a recipe for some health-related menu planning and then hop back to why Nathan didn't like his antique chess set.
While I would recommend this book, I will say it probably isn't for everyone. I'm not sure if there really was a Corgi soul inhabiting Nathan or if Rose was just projecting a lot of her own issues on others. The ending is just rather blunt as well, but I fully understand the decisions that were made.
Rose lives alone and owns a frozen yogurt company. However, she is averse to all things dairy and is trying to sell it. She is also obsessed with her six-year-old nephew, Nathan. His parents only allow her two hours a week with him on Saturdays, but a trip to Mexico means Rose will get to watch him for a full week. She plans everything, right down to the icky food she expects a child that young to eat and the activities they will participate in such as lengthy chess games. All this goes out the window when a trip to the dog park leads to a Corgi named Hazel dying and then her soul inhabiting Nathan's body. Rose goes on a journey to hide what is happening from her brother and his wife all the while trying to convince Nathan he is imagining the whole thing. When that doesn't work, despite her better judgement, she turns to a spiritual healer and ends up experiencing her own exorcism.
As I said, I liked this book more than I expected to. Rose was a piece of work though, and I can't find the words to describe her although neurotic came to mind more than once while reading it. Nathan was a sweetheart and I felt badly for him because he only wants to be a kid. Also, reading this book felt a little like ADHD. Rose would be describing something and all of a sudden break into a recipe for some health-related menu planning and then hop back to why Nathan didn't like his antique chess set.
While I would recommend this book, I will say it probably isn't for everyone. I'm not sure if there really was a Corgi soul inhabiting Nathan or if Rose was just projecting a lot of her own issues on others. The ending is just rather blunt as well, but I fully understand the decisions that were made.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4 stars
I like to know as little as possible about a book - within reason - before I crack it. After reading a compelling recommendation that included limited plot-related info, I immediately requested and then - based on the rapidly approaching publication date - started reading. My plan to read a couple of chapters and then move onto other things quickly went by the wayside. Once I got started, I was hooked.
What got and kept me engaged was the absolutely wild nature of the events and the entire make up of the protagonist (and not just her - really every character, human and canine alike...ALL solidly memorable). Frequently, I'm exhausted by the predictable nature of what I'm reading. That is not what I experienced here at all. I did not know where this was going, and I loved how bizarre and (I'm not sure if I should admit this) relatable aspects of this book were.
While the pleasantly unpredictable flow was a lot of fun, what I will remember most about this book is how often I cracked up. Levine has a real knack for phrasing, setting a scene, and describing the most mundane in utterly hilarious ways. There's a guy in my neighborhood who is walking his three corgis every morning when I'm driving home from the gym, and I will always ONLY think about their eyes in one way from now on (IYKYK).
24 hours ago, I had never heard of this book, and now I can say confidently that this read has given me some of the most consistent laughs - along with some of the darker elements - that I've received from a read in a long time. This is an extremely quirky one, but it's fun and original, and I'm glad I got to read it.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Roxane Gay Books for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I like to know as little as possible about a book - within reason - before I crack it. After reading a compelling recommendation that included limited plot-related info, I immediately requested and then - based on the rapidly approaching publication date - started reading. My plan to read a couple of chapters and then move onto other things quickly went by the wayside. Once I got started, I was hooked.
What got and kept me engaged was the absolutely wild nature of the events and the entire make up of the protagonist (and not just her - really every character, human and canine alike...ALL solidly memorable). Frequently, I'm exhausted by the predictable nature of what I'm reading. That is not what I experienced here at all. I did not know where this was going, and I loved how bizarre and (I'm not sure if I should admit this) relatable aspects of this book were.
While the pleasantly unpredictable flow was a lot of fun, what I will remember most about this book is how often I cracked up. Levine has a real knack for phrasing, setting a scene, and describing the most mundane in utterly hilarious ways. There's a guy in my neighborhood who is walking his three corgis every morning when I'm driving home from the gym, and I will always ONLY think about their eyes in one way from now on (IYKYK).
24 hours ago, I had never heard of this book, and now I can say confidently that this read has given me some of the most consistent laughs - along with some of the darker elements - that I've received from a read in a long time. This is an extremely quirky one, but it's fun and original, and I'm glad I got to read it.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Roxane Gay Books for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
February 1, 2026
The Hitch had an unusual and intriguing premise — a tightly wound aunt looking after her six-year-old nephew Nathan for a week, only for the boy to start acting strangely after a park incident in which Rose’s Newfoundland kills a corgi, and Nathan becomes convinced the corgi’s spirit now lives inside him. 
I wanted to like this more than I did. The premise promised a blend of surreal humour and unexpected emotional insight, and there are genuinely funny moments — the absurdity of a “possessed” child and Rose’s attempts to banish the corgi are, on their own, quirky and entertaining. 
But for me the execution didn’t quite land. Rose Cutler is portrayed as an anti-racist, Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior who believes she knows the right way to do everything, from vegan meal planning to moral arguments about restaurants — and that intensity quickly became overwhelming rather than endearing.  The narrative often felt weighed down by her own self-righteous rants and judgmental worldview, and she remained too much of a caricature: amusing in flashes, but without the nuance or emotional depth that might have made her growth believable or engaging.
Nathan’s strange behaviour and the bizarre situation with the corgi could have anchored a compelling story about control, family and unexpected connection, but instead they highlighted how thinly drawn the central character feels. There were moments where I cared about what happened, but more often I was impatient for the absurdity to turn into something more grounded. 
In the end, The Hitch was an okay read with flashes of cleverness, but for me the energetic premise wasn’t matched by equally compelling character development.
I wanted to like this more than I did. The premise promised a blend of surreal humour and unexpected emotional insight, and there are genuinely funny moments — the absurdity of a “possessed” child and Rose’s attempts to banish the corgi are, on their own, quirky and entertaining. 
But for me the execution didn’t quite land. Rose Cutler is portrayed as an anti-racist, Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior who believes she knows the right way to do everything, from vegan meal planning to moral arguments about restaurants — and that intensity quickly became overwhelming rather than endearing.  The narrative often felt weighed down by her own self-righteous rants and judgmental worldview, and she remained too much of a caricature: amusing in flashes, but without the nuance or emotional depth that might have made her growth believable or engaging.
Nathan’s strange behaviour and the bizarre situation with the corgi could have anchored a compelling story about control, family and unexpected connection, but instead they highlighted how thinly drawn the central character feels. There were moments where I cared about what happened, but more often I was impatient for the absurdity to turn into something more grounded. 
In the end, The Hitch was an okay read with flashes of cleverness, but for me the energetic premise wasn’t matched by equally compelling character development.
January 19, 2026
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗦
Rose is both an aunt and a yogurt mogul. Two things can be true at once.
Except the deal to sell her company for big bucks if falling through, and her nephew also houses the soul of the corgi Rose’s Newfoundland killed at the dog park.
Let’s back up a minute.
Rose is a bit of an oddball. A Jewish, feminist, vegan who struggles with interpersonal relationships, she adores Nathan, her nephew. When her brother and wife decide to take a vacation to Mexico for a week, Rose convinces them to leave Nathan in her care.
This is a big deal as normally they only trust her with him for a couple of hours on a Saturday.
Things…don’t go so great from the start and when Nathan tells her he’s sharing his body with Hazel’s - the corgi - soul, everything goes off the rails.
Yes, that’s when it goes off the rails.
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦
Bonkers.
This book is bonkers. I feel like it looked at weird girl lit and said, “Hold my beer.”
I’m not even sure where to start but I will say that I read this in a few hours because it was impossible to put down.
It’s so weird but also oddly touching?
At the core I think it’s meant to be about feeling lonely and alone, what it means to set boundaries that are healthy, and the perils of trying to control everything.
It’s wild and hilarious and disturbing and I really enjoyed it.
𝗩𝗜𝗕𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗞
…checks notes to see if any other book I’ve read has dog possession in the description…
𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗
Definitely not for everyone but I did find Rose to be oddly sympathetic and Nathan to be a truly delightful child.
Rose is both an aunt and a yogurt mogul. Two things can be true at once.
Except the deal to sell her company for big bucks if falling through, and her nephew also houses the soul of the corgi Rose’s Newfoundland killed at the dog park.
Let’s back up a minute.
Rose is a bit of an oddball. A Jewish, feminist, vegan who struggles with interpersonal relationships, she adores Nathan, her nephew. When her brother and wife decide to take a vacation to Mexico for a week, Rose convinces them to leave Nathan in her care.
This is a big deal as normally they only trust her with him for a couple of hours on a Saturday.
Things…don’t go so great from the start and when Nathan tells her he’s sharing his body with Hazel’s - the corgi - soul, everything goes off the rails.
Yes, that’s when it goes off the rails.
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦
Bonkers.
This book is bonkers. I feel like it looked at weird girl lit and said, “Hold my beer.”
I’m not even sure where to start but I will say that I read this in a few hours because it was impossible to put down.
It’s so weird but also oddly touching?
At the core I think it’s meant to be about feeling lonely and alone, what it means to set boundaries that are healthy, and the perils of trying to control everything.
It’s wild and hilarious and disturbing and I really enjoyed it.
𝗩𝗜𝗕𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗞
…checks notes to see if any other book I’ve read has dog possession in the description…
𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗
Definitely not for everyone but I did find Rose to be oddly sympathetic and Nathan to be a truly delightful child.
October 8, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Roxane Gay Books for sending me an ARC of this one. I had a complicated time with "The Hitch." On one hand, the stream-of-consciousness style really works, it pulls you right into the protagonist's headspace in this unsettling, immediate way. You feel her isolation out there on those empty roads, and the writing itself is genuinely skillful when it comes to capturing that vast, tense landscape that is her mindset. The secondary characters, surprisingly, have real dimension to them despite the fragmented narrative, and honestly? The dog might be the most vividly rendered character in the whole book
I struggled with the fractured memory structure, it left me constantly trying to piece things together, which I think was intentional, but it got exhausting. If you're someone who needs clear answers and a straightforward timeline, this probably isn't your book. There's also a lot of heavy stuff presented: trauma, risky behavior, emotional weight that doesn't let up. This can be tough, especially if you're not in the right headspace for something this dark and unrelenting.
"The Hitch" is definitely atmospheric and psychologically intense, but the unconventional storytelling approach won't be for everyone. If you like experimental narratives and don't mind working for your understanding, give it a shot. If you prefer traditional structure and lighter fare, maybe sit this one out.
I struggled with the fractured memory structure, it left me constantly trying to piece things together, which I think was intentional, but it got exhausting. If you're someone who needs clear answers and a straightforward timeline, this probably isn't your book. There's also a lot of heavy stuff presented: trauma, risky behavior, emotional weight that doesn't let up. This can be tough, especially if you're not in the right headspace for something this dark and unrelenting.
"The Hitch" is definitely atmospheric and psychologically intense, but the unconventional storytelling approach won't be for everyone. If you like experimental narratives and don't mind working for your understanding, give it a shot. If you prefer traditional structure and lighter fare, maybe sit this one out.
December 8, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic - Roxane Gay Books, and Sara Levine for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rose Cutler is set to be “fun aunt” for her six-year-old nephew, Nathan, while his parents are on vacation in Mexico. Rose has planned perfect vegan meals, decorated a bedroom for Nathan, and knows she can make Nathan a chess champion. She is determined that Nathan will have so much fun with her that he will demand more than just their weekly Saturday visit.
All of Rose’s plans are thwarted when, with Nathan looking on, her beloved Newfoundland fatally attacks a corgi. As Nathan starts barking and rolling on the ground, he is adamant that the corgi is living inside him.
Nathan’s possession is happening while Rose’s artisan yogurt company is - amidst a pending sale - fighting a listeria outbreak. Her best friend, Omar, is threatening to break up with her; and, Rose is realizing that not everyone wants to hear her unsolicited advice or judgment.
The Hitch is at times hilarious. From the first page, Rose is a bitingly funny heroine. Nathan’s possession by the corgi includes subtle descriptions of dog-like behaviors in a human and knock-knock jokes that Nathan swears are the work of the corgi. For me, The Hitch took a dark turn toward the end with a heavy message about what Rose needs to do to make her life better.
Readers who enjoy a quirky and stingingly funny novel with a strong heroine will enjoy Sara Levine’s The Hitch.
Rose Cutler is set to be “fun aunt” for her six-year-old nephew, Nathan, while his parents are on vacation in Mexico. Rose has planned perfect vegan meals, decorated a bedroom for Nathan, and knows she can make Nathan a chess champion. She is determined that Nathan will have so much fun with her that he will demand more than just their weekly Saturday visit.
All of Rose’s plans are thwarted when, with Nathan looking on, her beloved Newfoundland fatally attacks a corgi. As Nathan starts barking and rolling on the ground, he is adamant that the corgi is living inside him.
Nathan’s possession is happening while Rose’s artisan yogurt company is - amidst a pending sale - fighting a listeria outbreak. Her best friend, Omar, is threatening to break up with her; and, Rose is realizing that not everyone wants to hear her unsolicited advice or judgment.
The Hitch is at times hilarious. From the first page, Rose is a bitingly funny heroine. Nathan’s possession by the corgi includes subtle descriptions of dog-like behaviors in a human and knock-knock jokes that Nathan swears are the work of the corgi. For me, The Hitch took a dark turn toward the end with a heavy message about what Rose needs to do to make her life better.
Readers who enjoy a quirky and stingingly funny novel with a strong heroine will enjoy Sara Levine’s The Hitch.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Hitch by Sara Levine is exactly as unhinged as the synopsis promises, and that’s very much a compliment. This is absurd, sharp, and unapologetically strange.
Our narrator is the embodiment of the most aggressively self righteous stereotype imaginable: the kind of ethical absolutist who can’t let you eat, wear, or say anything without launching into a moral lecture. She proudly describes herself as “a scientifically literate person with ethical standards,�� and she is, without question, deeply unlikable. And yet, she’s also oddly magnetic: a commanding business owner, intellectually rigid, and completely unraveling as she reaches the limits of her certainty.
Enter the catalyst for total chaos: her nephew becomes possessed by a corgi. Yes, really. From there, the book spirals into pure absurdity. Hilarious, biting, and unexpectedly thoughtful. Beneath the satire is a surprisingly earnest exploration of control, moral superiority, and what happens when certainty collides with the utterly inexplicable. Short, bizarre, and very funny, The Hitch is one of those books that knows exactly what it’s doing. If you enjoy literary weirdness, uncomfortable protagonists, and satire that doesn’t pull its punches, this one is well worth the ride.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Sara Levine, and Grove Atlantic for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Our narrator is the embodiment of the most aggressively self righteous stereotype imaginable: the kind of ethical absolutist who can’t let you eat, wear, or say anything without launching into a moral lecture. She proudly describes herself as “a scientifically literate person with ethical standards,�� and she is, without question, deeply unlikable. And yet, she’s also oddly magnetic: a commanding business owner, intellectually rigid, and completely unraveling as she reaches the limits of her certainty.
Enter the catalyst for total chaos: her nephew becomes possessed by a corgi. Yes, really. From there, the book spirals into pure absurdity. Hilarious, biting, and unexpectedly thoughtful. Beneath the satire is a surprisingly earnest exploration of control, moral superiority, and what happens when certainty collides with the utterly inexplicable. Short, bizarre, and very funny, The Hitch is one of those books that knows exactly what it’s doing. If you enjoy literary weirdness, uncomfortable protagonists, and satire that doesn’t pull its punches, this one is well worth the ride.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Sara Levine, and Grove Atlantic for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
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