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Wife Shaped Bodies
Sorrowland
meets Manhunt in this literary horror debut in which an isolated newlywed—covered in mushroom growths like all the other wives in her community—strikes a precarious balance between following her husband’s strict rules and pursuing an intense connection with a woman who makes her question everything.
Forbidden from leaving her house from girlhood until marriage, Nicole has only her mother's lessons and what she can see from her bedroom window to draw on in forming her view of the world, and of herself. Taught that the mushrooms which cover the women in her village are repulsive and dangerous, she conforms to a rigid set of rules to protect herself and those around her.
When her wedding day arrives, Nicole moves from one prison to another—an empty mansion on the very outskirts of town belonging to the husband she’s been promised to since birth. As she haunts the edges of Silas's unknowable life and decaying home, maintaining control over her own transforming body becomes increasingly impossible. And when another wife with rebellious tendencies pays Nicole an unexpected visit, something within her cracks open. Their furtive explorations yield confusing answers, unearthing the long-buried secrets of the generations of resentful brides that came before. Unmoored, angry, and at last awakened, Nicole must reckon with who she really is, and perhaps, give in to what she truly wants.
Raw, visceral, and relentless, Wife Shaped Bodies is an exploration of gender, power, and community through the lens of mycological body horror and an ode to the unsettling beauty of the natural world.
Forbidden from leaving her house from girlhood until marriage, Nicole has only her mother's lessons and what she can see from her bedroom window to draw on in forming her view of the world, and of herself. Taught that the mushrooms which cover the women in her village are repulsive and dangerous, she conforms to a rigid set of rules to protect herself and those around her.
When her wedding day arrives, Nicole moves from one prison to another—an empty mansion on the very outskirts of town belonging to the husband she’s been promised to since birth. As she haunts the edges of Silas's unknowable life and decaying home, maintaining control over her own transforming body becomes increasingly impossible. And when another wife with rebellious tendencies pays Nicole an unexpected visit, something within her cracks open. Their furtive explorations yield confusing answers, unearthing the long-buried secrets of the generations of resentful brides that came before. Unmoored, angry, and at last awakened, Nicole must reckon with who she really is, and perhaps, give in to what she truly wants.
Raw, visceral, and relentless, Wife Shaped Bodies is an exploration of gender, power, and community through the lens of mycological body horror and an ode to the unsettling beauty of the natural world.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2026
98 people are currently reading
20364 people want to read
About the author
Laura Cranehill
4 books65 followersLaura Cranehill is an amalgamation of horrific faceless things living in the Pacific Northwest with her spouse, three children, and three cats. She was born in Michigan where she grew up on a haunted peacock farm. Wife Shaped Bodies is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
October 11, 2025
full rtc closer to pub day but one of the creepier horror novels with phenomenal commentary on female bodies and the multitude of ways abuse is inflicted upon them i’ve read lately!
Want to Read
August 13, 2025oh hell yes, oppressed mushroom wives??
January 23, 2026
Wife Shaped Bodies is a post-apocalyptic novel with feminist and queer themes. The book follows the story of Nicole, who is a wife living in a compound where women's bodies are covered in mushrooms and they are bound by rules set by the men in the community. The story of Nicole takes some time for the reader to understand as she has spent most of her life confined to a small world where she has rarely left her house. After her marriage, she begins to learn more and more beyond the secrets and lies that have filled her life up to that point. She forms a relationship with another wife named Teaghan who helps her to expand her world even further.
This book touches upon issues such as the cycle of abuse and coming to terms with one's body and sexuality while using the science of mycology as its background. The exploration of the symbiotic relationship that characterizes fungi was especially intriguing and worked well within the setting of a horror driven narrative. While this book may not be for everyone, I found it to be unique with multiple layers that will have me continuing to ponder for some time.
This book touches upon issues such as the cycle of abuse and coming to terms with one's body and sexuality while using the science of mycology as its background. The exploration of the symbiotic relationship that characterizes fungi was especially intriguing and worked well within the setting of a horror driven narrative. While this book may not be for everyone, I found it to be unique with multiple layers that will have me continuing to ponder for some time.
April 23, 2026
This is a wild, intimate story. There is a constant sense of wonder erupting on every page, lush, reflective and descriptive. The setting and the world are perfect – it is disorienting, similar enough to the world as we know it now for the reader to land on their feet but different enough that each step is cautious. We learn bits and pieces of what happened to make the world as it is, but never a full explanation, and never any confidence that everything we learn is exactly correct. Every bit of information we receive is unreliable, because none of the characters are reliable, whether that is due to their naivete and sheltered existence, in the case of the main character, or whether due to their insistence on manipulation and control, in the case of the men in the community. This is highly effective, it makes everything have this penumbrous feeling, revelation and uncertainty in equal measure. Yes, the world as presented is a wild fever dream of mycological body horror and the dying gasps of an over-extended and inherently inadequate patriarchy, but it is entirely recognizable. It is more than easy to see ourselves and our world, our society, in every darkened, moist crevice of this story. There is a type of fragile, sumptuous relatability that makes the story eminently compelling.
The ideas that it explores are all pretty much on the nose, but there is nothing didactic or preachy. It wants to know how we exist in the shadows of those who control us “for our own good.” The ways women’s bodies are cultivated and owned, yet somehow also the site of danger if uncontrolled, is explored in various ways. The dangerous power that comes from self-knowledge, along with the powers of radical community and empathy. What it means to grow in the shadow of unachievable expectations built upon nostalgia. What freedom looks like, and how it doesn’t need to fit the shape that the moldering captivity of the status quo insists upon. These and so much more, delicately and curiously investigated, arriving at confident character determinations even if the world and narrative refuses neat confinement.
I think that if this was a novella it would have been perfect. The writing itself is really wonderful; I like the flow and cadence. As mentioned it is wonderfully descriptive and never loses its sense of discovery, letting the prose parallel the experiences of the main character. However, there does feel like a good bit of repetition through the first half, and maybe almost the first two-thirds. The writing never feels stale or tried, and the writing itself doesn’t have a sense of dragging to it, but the story does not really go anywhere…. And that is fine, this is as much a character study as anything else. But through the early sections the character herself doesn’t seem to grow or change, and her internal landscape may be expanding and changing, the ways she experiences the world transmogrifying, but it feels like this part of her journey is more about standing in place and observing all directions than it is about making progress on her journey. Since the language is so pleasant to read and the world so inviting I was not put off by this pacing or this internal exploration, but I did feel that if some of that early section was tightened a bit then there would be a greater sense of momentum and movement that would have served the overall story and made the final act not feel quite as rushed or discordant from what had come before. So that is my only mild critique, but it is not one that stopped me from greatly enjoying this story. It was wildly fun to read, offering discomfort and empowerment in equal measures.
(Rounded from 3.5)
The ideas that it explores are all pretty much on the nose, but there is nothing didactic or preachy. It wants to know how we exist in the shadows of those who control us “for our own good.” The ways women’s bodies are cultivated and owned, yet somehow also the site of danger if uncontrolled, is explored in various ways. The dangerous power that comes from self-knowledge, along with the powers of radical community and empathy. What it means to grow in the shadow of unachievable expectations built upon nostalgia. What freedom looks like, and how it doesn’t need to fit the shape that the moldering captivity of the status quo insists upon. These and so much more, delicately and curiously investigated, arriving at confident character determinations even if the world and narrative refuses neat confinement.
I think that if this was a novella it would have been perfect. The writing itself is really wonderful; I like the flow and cadence. As mentioned it is wonderfully descriptive and never loses its sense of discovery, letting the prose parallel the experiences of the main character. However, there does feel like a good bit of repetition through the first half, and maybe almost the first two-thirds. The writing never feels stale or tried, and the writing itself doesn’t have a sense of dragging to it, but the story does not really go anywhere…. And that is fine, this is as much a character study as anything else. But through the early sections the character herself doesn’t seem to grow or change, and her internal landscape may be expanding and changing, the ways she experiences the world transmogrifying, but it feels like this part of her journey is more about standing in place and observing all directions than it is about making progress on her journey. Since the language is so pleasant to read and the world so inviting I was not put off by this pacing or this internal exploration, but I did feel that if some of that early section was tightened a bit then there would be a greater sense of momentum and movement that would have served the overall story and made the final act not feel quite as rushed or discordant from what had come before. So that is my only mild critique, but it is not one that stopped me from greatly enjoying this story. It was wildly fun to read, offering discomfort and empowerment in equal measures.
(Rounded from 3.5)
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Review in the March 2026 issue of Booklist on on the blog https://raforall.blogspot.com/2026/03... (link live on 3/3/26 at 7 am central)
This is 4.5 out of 5. I felt like it was stretched to make it a novel but as a novella it would have been perfect!
Three Words That Describe This Book: sporror/body horror combo, immersive, single pov
Other words: atmospheric, near future, post apocalyptic landscape, eco horror, unease that gets its feelers into you-- you feel the fungus grown on your own body...loved that--Gothic, queer, feminist, original, cults, female rage, multiple levels of abuse of the women here-- a lot of psychological abuse to go with the physical, visceral but not bloody.
Before I go into anything else about this book the unease is enhanced because readers only see this strange, near future, apocalyptic world through the eyes of Nicole and only Nicole. She is unreliable in the literal sense as she has only lived her life locked in her parent's home, is venturing out to be wed and live as a wife in the community as the book opens. This is before we learn about the weird, allowed in community the live in.
The women as all covered in elaborate mushrooms, which they shave once married. The men run this world and are trying to protect the community after the destruction of civilization.
Details are let out in small doses as Nicole befriends and falls in love with another wife (Teaghan)-- but it is not so much romantic as more all consuming-- physically, yes but also Nicole has never had a friend, and this woman is her conduit to the "truth."
Clearly, something is going on with the women in this community. They are being absued physically and psychologically. The men are running things and using them in ways we learn over the course of the book. While the details are let out, they pile up on each other, many of these details are shocking at first, but Cranehill does a great job making every detail build a fuller picture of the world.
It all adds up in the end, giving readers a picture of this strange landscape. We don't have all the answers of what is going on outside their walled community but we do get closure on the world the story is set in. And it is satisfying in every way-- intellectually, emotionally, and most importantly-- revenge worthy!
I cannot stress enough how well Cranehill does weaving the fungus and mushrooms into the entire novel. Readers feel them, smell them, see them. There were times I was batting something away from my eyes or scratching a part of my body because of what was written on the page. WELL DONE!
Great world building, interesting story, immersive in every sense of the word, and Nicole was a naive protagonist uncovering the truth that I wanted to follow.
Reminded me of if the cultish post apocalyptic world of The Unworthy by Bazterrica joined forces with VanderMeer's Southern Reach series. Also reminded my of Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías and Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed
This is 4.5 out of 5. I felt like it was stretched to make it a novel but as a novella it would have been perfect!
Three Words That Describe This Book: sporror/body horror combo, immersive, single pov
Other words: atmospheric, near future, post apocalyptic landscape, eco horror, unease that gets its feelers into you-- you feel the fungus grown on your own body...loved that--Gothic, queer, feminist, original, cults, female rage, multiple levels of abuse of the women here-- a lot of psychological abuse to go with the physical, visceral but not bloody.
Before I go into anything else about this book the unease is enhanced because readers only see this strange, near future, apocalyptic world through the eyes of Nicole and only Nicole. She is unreliable in the literal sense as she has only lived her life locked in her parent's home, is venturing out to be wed and live as a wife in the community as the book opens. This is before we learn about the weird, allowed in community the live in.
The women as all covered in elaborate mushrooms, which they shave once married. The men run this world and are trying to protect the community after the destruction of civilization.
Details are let out in small doses as Nicole befriends and falls in love with another wife (Teaghan)-- but it is not so much romantic as more all consuming-- physically, yes but also Nicole has never had a friend, and this woman is her conduit to the "truth."
Clearly, something is going on with the women in this community. They are being absued physically and psychologically. The men are running things and using them in ways we learn over the course of the book. While the details are let out, they pile up on each other, many of these details are shocking at first, but Cranehill does a great job making every detail build a fuller picture of the world.
It all adds up in the end, giving readers a picture of this strange landscape. We don't have all the answers of what is going on outside their walled community but we do get closure on the world the story is set in. And it is satisfying in every way-- intellectually, emotionally, and most importantly-- revenge worthy!
I cannot stress enough how well Cranehill does weaving the fungus and mushrooms into the entire novel. Readers feel them, smell them, see them. There were times I was batting something away from my eyes or scratching a part of my body because of what was written on the page. WELL DONE!
Great world building, interesting story, immersive in every sense of the word, and Nicole was a naive protagonist uncovering the truth that I wanted to follow.
Reminded me of if the cultish post apocalyptic world of The Unworthy by Bazterrica joined forces with VanderMeer's Southern Reach series. Also reminded my of Pink Slime by Fernanda Trías and Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed
Did Not Finish
November 30, 2025dnf at 63%
I really wanted to love this but for a short book this is extremely slow. It feels like it's moving at a snails pace. The writing is great but I can't connect to any of the characters & nothing even remotely interesting has happened.
I've seen other reviewers talking about the gore that I'm assuming is coming somewhere in the last 30% but it's been so flat up until this point that I just don't care to finish.
I know a lot of people will love this but unfortunately I am not one of them.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review
I really wanted to love this but for a short book this is extremely slow. It feels like it's moving at a snails pace. The writing is great but I can't connect to any of the characters & nothing even remotely interesting has happened.
I've seen other reviewers talking about the gore that I'm assuming is coming somewhere in the last 30% but it's been so flat up until this point that I just don't care to finish.
I know a lot of people will love this but unfortunately I am not one of them.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review
April 23, 2026
My Selling Pitch:
The Handmaid’s Tale mushroom horror
Pre-reading:
This cover is incredible.
(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
Oh, right in on the mushroom horror!
Oh cool, more Handmaid’s Tale shit. (I really need to read and watch it, but I worry it would upset me too much.)
Ha ha, it may be a dystopia, but Saturday is still for the boys!
Oh my god, get the poor girl a new pair of panties!
Detritus sin
SO SHE’S TWO
I'm assuming they're a strain of mushrooms that makes them have a super fast life cycle, but like jesus FUCK.
Was the Crown Royal a bag of fertilizer? (Kinda!)
Is she hallucinating or is it speculum rape or like what is going on omg! (Nailed it.)
His wife grew up in a commune so he thought he could recreate her by abusing another girl?
Is the powder the old wife’s ashes? (Warmer…)
I dunno, I'm a little tired of the lesbian patriarchy horrors. Like yay representation, and obviously it’s horrific to be subjugated under men when you don't even like them, but I'm kinda craving a more nuanced horror story where like what if all this awful stuff is true and you STILL are only attracted to men. How do you make peace with that? Asking for a friend lmao.
I do think it's good symbolism that the enlightened women are the ones who have to die.
It's not dust, it's spores. Do mushrooms self-pollinate? So women are self-fertilizing and men are moot. Fuckin’ typical.
All the wet mouth vagina mucus is a lottttt
I feel like this is missing some oomph, and I'm not sure why. Because the symbolism is great- like shaving off your unique qualities to please men, A+. But like something just isn't doing it for me. Maybe part of it is that we didn't get to fall in love with Teaghan? It's like all instalust. And our narrator doesn't have much of her own personality to latch onto. She's as clueless as we are.
It reminds me of Spread Me, but it's missing the seduction. Like Spread Me was actually sexy.
Interesting that they have Christianity and the Greek pantheon.
Hello, pregnancy horror.
See, it's funny because you're like ew, a mushroom eating its host, BUT THAT’S WHAT REAL BABIES DO TOO. Their DNA stays in you. How is that not terrifying? (Fun fucking facts: Biological "Theft" During Pregnancy
* Nutrients and Glucose: Fetal cells, particularly those from the father, can manipulate the mother's metabolism to increase the supply of sugary nutrients.
* Calcium: If dietary intake is insufficient, the fetus will take necessary calcium from the mother’s bones.
* Cells: Fetal cells travel into the mother's bloodstream and embed themselves in maternal tissues, including the brain, heart, and liver)
Mushroom vagina dentata omg
Can't educate the women! Can't give them bodily autonomy! If they knew the true horrors of pregnancy they wouldn't do it!
Not the women are manipulators and so are fungi. Oh man, this book is so smart sometimes.
I wasn't loving it earlier, but now that she's got this vicious, hungry streak, I like it much more. But is that her or is it Teaghan’s infection/infection of ideas-which again, so clever.
Wanna try out my fuzzy pink handcuffs 🎶
Is that a typo, should it be she?
Oh no, it's a memory. Carry on.
Oh god, he's farming his son.
God, I think this book would be pretty impossible to read if miscarriage is a trigger for you. Like it’s well done, but I’m sick to my stomach.
I'm like borderline idk if I can keep reading.
Not shit-moist, ew!
You know, mushroom scissoring is not something I ever thought I would read.
And I promise the mushrooms aren't changing your life🎶
The book’s losing me again. This is too long. Too much nature, not enough commentary.
Post-reading:
This should’ve been a banger, but it kinda fell flat for me. The pacing’s a hard one. It’s both too fast and way too slow. Hallucinatory writing is fun and pretty much mandatory with a magic mushroom storyline, but it’s hard to mix that in while your reader and your main character are still learning the world they’ve been dropped into. It makes for a frustrating read. Nicole is kind of a blank slate, and while it’s vibey and mysterious to untangle the world with her, she’s missing a personality to bond the audience to her. The romance trips out of the gate because instead of making the audience fall in love with Teaghan, we’re just told that she digs her and forced to accept it as fact. We have no meaningful interaction between the two characters to justify why she’s willing to sneak out to meet her.
I would’ve liked to see a bit more development of the dystopian world. It’s pretty bare bones. We know they collect rainwater and live in a compound, but the food situation is pretty murky. It’s never made entirely clear why all the women have become mushrooms, but none of the men. You’re telling me the entire compound dosed their families all at the same time off of a small clinical trial? I don’t believe you. I thought the enduring culture references were really interesting. I like the men’s bar songs, and how they refer to everything in the world as it’s useful to them. I would’ve liked to see more of that and explore how they have both the Greek pantheon and Christianity going on. I can’t tell if it was a really subtle men are always thinking about the Roman empire joke, but I don’t think it was.
This book is most successful when it starts in on the pregnancy and miscarriage horror. That shit worked. It was viscerally disturbing and appropriately emotional, and I almost stopped reading. Horror books should upset you. They make you confront society, and I love ‘em for it.
The mushroom smut was also really well written. It was fucking gross, but it was appropriately gnarly.
This book succeeds with a lot of symbolism. Women have to shave off parts of themselves to please their husbands. Enlightened women have to be killed because they’re dangerous. In a world without beauty, nostalgia becomes power is a banger of a line, and a concept I wish the book lingered on more. I would’ve liked to see the psychological toll it’s been taking on these men attempting to reincarnate their wives over and over again, and you know those sick fucks were swapping wives when they first realized they could do this. I would’ve liked to see more about how children are raised. We see a baby and we see an older child, but we don’t see the in-between. What’s the homeschooling like? I would’ve liked to see the book explore more of what it meant to essentially be farming a wife for another man to fuck and impregnate.
Like there’s so much to this book that does work! So it’s a real shame for me to finish and be pretty lukewarm on it. I don’t like the ending at all. I think it’s idiotic. I think it would’ve been a little trite, but I would’ve preferred to see the mushroom women go off and thrive in the wilderness and start their own commune rather than merging into one. I respect the coming home to the mother strain, but I don’t love the forgo your individuality and give up your body for the sake of the children messaging.
It’s just kind of a mixed bag. I think if it intrigues you at all, you should definitely pick it up, and if you like mommy horror, I think you’ll at least enjoy parts of this. I don’t think it’s a horror must read, but I’d pick the author up again.
Who should read this:
Femme horror fans
Queer horror fans
Dystopian horror fans
Ideal reading time:
Summer
Do I want to reread this:
No, I'll remember it
Would I buy this:
Yes.
Similar books:
* Moonflow by Bitter Karella-mushroom horror, revenge thriller, cults, queer, trans
* The Unworthy by Augustina Bazterrica-dystopian, horror, cults, religious and social commentary, queer
* Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazzterrica-dystopian, horror, social commentary
* Spread Me by Sarah Gailey-contagion horror, sci-fi, queer, trans
* You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White-dystopian, pregnancy horror, social commentary, cults, queer, trans, autism
* Overgrowth by Mira Grant-sci-fi thriller, queer, trans, autism
The Handmaid’s Tale mushroom horror
Pre-reading:
This cover is incredible.
(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
Oh, right in on the mushroom horror!
Oh cool, more Handmaid’s Tale shit. (I really need to read and watch it, but I worry it would upset me too much.)
Ha ha, it may be a dystopia, but Saturday is still for the boys!
Oh my god, get the poor girl a new pair of panties!
Detritus sin
SO SHE’S TWO
I'm assuming they're a strain of mushrooms that makes them have a super fast life cycle, but like jesus FUCK.
Was the Crown Royal a bag of fertilizer? (Kinda!)
Is she hallucinating or is it speculum rape or like what is going on omg! (Nailed it.)
His wife grew up in a commune so he thought he could recreate her by abusing another girl?
Is the powder the old wife’s ashes? (Warmer…)
I dunno, I'm a little tired of the lesbian patriarchy horrors. Like yay representation, and obviously it’s horrific to be subjugated under men when you don't even like them, but I'm kinda craving a more nuanced horror story where like what if all this awful stuff is true and you STILL are only attracted to men. How do you make peace with that? Asking for a friend lmao.
I do think it's good symbolism that the enlightened women are the ones who have to die.
It's not dust, it's spores. Do mushrooms self-pollinate? So women are self-fertilizing and men are moot. Fuckin’ typical.
All the wet mouth vagina mucus is a lottttt
I feel like this is missing some oomph, and I'm not sure why. Because the symbolism is great- like shaving off your unique qualities to please men, A+. But like something just isn't doing it for me. Maybe part of it is that we didn't get to fall in love with Teaghan? It's like all instalust. And our narrator doesn't have much of her own personality to latch onto. She's as clueless as we are.
It reminds me of Spread Me, but it's missing the seduction. Like Spread Me was actually sexy.
Interesting that they have Christianity and the Greek pantheon.
Hello, pregnancy horror.
See, it's funny because you're like ew, a mushroom eating its host, BUT THAT’S WHAT REAL BABIES DO TOO. Their DNA stays in you. How is that not terrifying? (Fun fucking facts: Biological "Theft" During Pregnancy
* Nutrients and Glucose: Fetal cells, particularly those from the father, can manipulate the mother's metabolism to increase the supply of sugary nutrients.
* Calcium: If dietary intake is insufficient, the fetus will take necessary calcium from the mother’s bones.
* Cells: Fetal cells travel into the mother's bloodstream and embed themselves in maternal tissues, including the brain, heart, and liver)
Mushroom vagina dentata omg
Can't educate the women! Can't give them bodily autonomy! If they knew the true horrors of pregnancy they wouldn't do it!
Not the women are manipulators and so are fungi. Oh man, this book is so smart sometimes.
I wasn't loving it earlier, but now that she's got this vicious, hungry streak, I like it much more. But is that her or is it Teaghan’s infection/infection of ideas-which again, so clever.
Wanna try out my fuzzy pink handcuffs 🎶
Is that a typo, should it be she?
Oh no, it's a memory. Carry on.
Oh god, he's farming his son.
God, I think this book would be pretty impossible to read if miscarriage is a trigger for you. Like it’s well done, but I’m sick to my stomach.
I'm like borderline idk if I can keep reading.
Not shit-moist, ew!
You know, mushroom scissoring is not something I ever thought I would read.
And I promise the mushrooms aren't changing your life🎶
The book’s losing me again. This is too long. Too much nature, not enough commentary.
Post-reading:
This should’ve been a banger, but it kinda fell flat for me. The pacing’s a hard one. It’s both too fast and way too slow. Hallucinatory writing is fun and pretty much mandatory with a magic mushroom storyline, but it’s hard to mix that in while your reader and your main character are still learning the world they’ve been dropped into. It makes for a frustrating read. Nicole is kind of a blank slate, and while it’s vibey and mysterious to untangle the world with her, she’s missing a personality to bond the audience to her. The romance trips out of the gate because instead of making the audience fall in love with Teaghan, we’re just told that she digs her and forced to accept it as fact. We have no meaningful interaction between the two characters to justify why she’s willing to sneak out to meet her.
I would’ve liked to see a bit more development of the dystopian world. It’s pretty bare bones. We know they collect rainwater and live in a compound, but the food situation is pretty murky. It’s never made entirely clear why all the women have become mushrooms, but none of the men. You’re telling me the entire compound dosed their families all at the same time off of a small clinical trial? I don’t believe you. I thought the enduring culture references were really interesting. I like the men’s bar songs, and how they refer to everything in the world as it’s useful to them. I would’ve liked to see more of that and explore how they have both the Greek pantheon and Christianity going on. I can’t tell if it was a really subtle men are always thinking about the Roman empire joke, but I don’t think it was.
This book is most successful when it starts in on the pregnancy and miscarriage horror. That shit worked. It was viscerally disturbing and appropriately emotional, and I almost stopped reading. Horror books should upset you. They make you confront society, and I love ‘em for it.
The mushroom smut was also really well written. It was fucking gross, but it was appropriately gnarly.
This book succeeds with a lot of symbolism. Women have to shave off parts of themselves to please their husbands. Enlightened women have to be killed because they’re dangerous. In a world without beauty, nostalgia becomes power is a banger of a line, and a concept I wish the book lingered on more. I would’ve liked to see the psychological toll it’s been taking on these men attempting to reincarnate their wives over and over again, and you know those sick fucks were swapping wives when they first realized they could do this. I would’ve liked to see more about how children are raised. We see a baby and we see an older child, but we don’t see the in-between. What’s the homeschooling like? I would’ve liked to see the book explore more of what it meant to essentially be farming a wife for another man to fuck and impregnate.
Like there’s so much to this book that does work! So it’s a real shame for me to finish and be pretty lukewarm on it. I don’t like the ending at all. I think it’s idiotic. I think it would’ve been a little trite, but I would’ve preferred to see the mushroom women go off and thrive in the wilderness and start their own commune rather than merging into one. I respect the coming home to the mother strain, but I don’t love the forgo your individuality and give up your body for the sake of the children messaging.
It’s just kind of a mixed bag. I think if it intrigues you at all, you should definitely pick it up, and if you like mommy horror, I think you’ll at least enjoy parts of this. I don’t think it’s a horror must read, but I’d pick the author up again.
Who should read this:
Femme horror fans
Queer horror fans
Dystopian horror fans
Ideal reading time:
Summer
Do I want to reread this:
No, I'll remember it
Would I buy this:
Yes.
Similar books:
* Moonflow by Bitter Karella-mushroom horror, revenge thriller, cults, queer, trans
* The Unworthy by Augustina Bazterrica-dystopian, horror, cults, religious and social commentary, queer
* Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazzterrica-dystopian, horror, social commentary
* Spread Me by Sarah Gailey-contagion horror, sci-fi, queer, trans
* You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White-dystopian, pregnancy horror, social commentary, cults, queer, trans, autism
* Overgrowth by Mira Grant-sci-fi thriller, queer, trans, autism
April 16, 2026
would have had more fun doing shrooms than i did reading this book.
this was painfully slow & ultimately confusing (not sure i know exactly what happened in the book, was in the dark as much as our main character, nicole). in my humble opinion, silvia moreno-garcia’s mushroom horror in “mexican gothic” can’t be beat, and this book certainly doesn’t even come close.
2 stars for the pretty good writing.
this was painfully slow & ultimately confusing (not sure i know exactly what happened in the book, was in the dark as much as our main character, nicole). in my humble opinion, silvia moreno-garcia’s mushroom horror in “mexican gothic” can’t be beat, and this book certainly doesn’t even come close.
2 stars for the pretty good writing.
September 13, 2025
ARC for review. To be published April 18, 2026.
DNF at 50%
This fable-ish novel is set in a post-apocalyptic world where nearly everything is poisoned or tainted in some way. Especially the women. They are afflicted with mushroom-like growths all over their bodies. They are also assigned to marry certain men at the time of their birth.
Actually there’s more to it than that and the book follows Nicole, a very young woman who doesn’t leave her house, ever, until her wedding day when she goes to live with Silas. Now that she is out in the world she learns about the other women of the settlement.
I think this book just needs to find its people, and, unfortunately, that’s not me. I’m not squeamish but the constant discussion of the “mushrooms” bothered me and the story just didn’t hold my interest. But it may turn out to be a horror-ish book that people love, what do I know?
DNF at 50%
This fable-ish novel is set in a post-apocalyptic world where nearly everything is poisoned or tainted in some way. Especially the women. They are afflicted with mushroom-like growths all over their bodies. They are also assigned to marry certain men at the time of their birth.
Actually there’s more to it than that and the book follows Nicole, a very young woman who doesn’t leave her house, ever, until her wedding day when she goes to live with Silas. Now that she is out in the world she learns about the other women of the settlement.
I think this book just needs to find its people, and, unfortunately, that’s not me. I’m not squeamish but the constant discussion of the “mushrooms” bothered me and the story just didn’t hold my interest. But it may turn out to be a horror-ish book that people love, what do I know?
April 30, 2026
If The Handmaid's Tale was full of body horror and covered in mushrooms, they'd probably be cousins.
This novel was an absolute treat and met all my expectations. The world building through slow, patient reveals is one of my favourite things. Even the MC's name is barely present in the book, because it matters to so few people. This is a story about the disposability of women, the hubris of men, and so very much the story of patriarchy. The novel gave me my first true experience of body horror being an aspect of beauty.
This is a novel I'll buy for my shelves and keep for the rest of my days. Highly recommend.
This novel was an absolute treat and met all my expectations. The world building through slow, patient reveals is one of my favourite things. Even the MC's name is barely present in the book, because it matters to so few people. This is a story about the disposability of women, the hubris of men, and so very much the story of patriarchy. The novel gave me my first true experience of body horror being an aspect of beauty.
This is a novel I'll buy for my shelves and keep for the rest of my days. Highly recommend.
February 22, 2026
Weird, but in a disappointing way.
This was unfortunately a rather disappointing book. The first chapter was incredible and genuinely had me thinking that this was going to be a five star read. But it only went downhill from there.
We open on Nicole on ever wedding day. She is set to marry a man she has been promised to since before she was born, a man she has never met. Her mother is preparing her for her his land by cutting off her growths - because all of the women in their community have bungle growing all over their bodies. But because the men do not like looking at the growths, married women are expected to cut them off continuously at a high cost to their own comfort. She now has to leave the house she has been confined to for all of her life - only to move to her husband's house which she will, once again, not be allowed to leave.
Those all sound like great ideas that would add up to a book I’d really like. But unfortunately the ideas proved to be much better than the execution.
Overall, the story just felt directionless, lacking a clear plotline. And there’s books that don’t have a clear plotline and red thread tugging the reader along that are still great and interesting to read, but it just didn’t work for me in this case. Originally what kept me reading was the fact that the world-building information is only conveyed to the reader in small parts, partially because the protagonist herself doesn’t know a lot of things. So, I was curious to know the whole background of this world. But honestly I even lost interest in that about halfway through.
The sapphic romance is also just kinda… meh. I never really felt any sort of spark between the two. I found the dynamic of Nicole developing an obsession with this other woman she sometimes saw through the window but never actually talked to really interesting, but the book just doesn’t do anything with it.
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Thank you to Saga Press for the ARC
This was unfortunately a rather disappointing book. The first chapter was incredible and genuinely had me thinking that this was going to be a five star read. But it only went downhill from there.
We open on Nicole on ever wedding day. She is set to marry a man she has been promised to since before she was born, a man she has never met. Her mother is preparing her for her his land by cutting off her growths - because all of the women in their community have bungle growing all over their bodies. But because the men do not like looking at the growths, married women are expected to cut them off continuously at a high cost to their own comfort. She now has to leave the house she has been confined to for all of her life - only to move to her husband's house which she will, once again, not be allowed to leave.
Those all sound like great ideas that would add up to a book I’d really like. But unfortunately the ideas proved to be much better than the execution.
Overall, the story just felt directionless, lacking a clear plotline. And there’s books that don’t have a clear plotline and red thread tugging the reader along that are still great and interesting to read, but it just didn’t work for me in this case. Originally what kept me reading was the fact that the world-building information is only conveyed to the reader in small parts, partially because the protagonist herself doesn’t know a lot of things. So, I was curious to know the whole background of this world. But honestly I even lost interest in that about halfway through.
The sapphic romance is also just kinda… meh. I never really felt any sort of spark between the two. I found the dynamic of Nicole developing an obsession with this other woman she sometimes saw through the window but never actually talked to really interesting, but the book just doesn’t do anything with it.
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Thank you to Saga Press for the ARC
December 28, 2025
Fantastically weird and delightful in all the best ways. Review coming soon!
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Wife Shaped Bodies is quite the journey. The post-apocalyptic setting, with women whose bodies are covered in mushrooms and the strict patriarchy, created such a unique and memorable novel that will stick with me for a long time.
It all begins with the death of Nicole’s mother, and slowly the truth of the world begins to unravel. There has been radiation poisoning, and as a result, a new society has formed. Cranehill strikes the perfect balance between answering what is happening in this strange new world and leaving some mystery behind. I really enjoy when a story leaves me with a few questions to deeply analyze while still providing a satisfying conclusion.
The body horror elements were incredibly well done. Cranehill has such lush writing, and I found myself feeling completely transported into this peculiar world. This is a phenomenal debut novel, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future releases.
Thank you Netgalley and S&S/Saga Press for an ARC of Wife Shaped Bodies in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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Wife Shaped Bodies is quite the journey. The post-apocalyptic setting, with women whose bodies are covered in mushrooms and the strict patriarchy, created such a unique and memorable novel that will stick with me for a long time.
It all begins with the death of Nicole’s mother, and slowly the truth of the world begins to unravel. There has been radiation poisoning, and as a result, a new society has formed. Cranehill strikes the perfect balance between answering what is happening in this strange new world and leaving some mystery behind. I really enjoy when a story leaves me with a few questions to deeply analyze while still providing a satisfying conclusion.
The body horror elements were incredibly well done. Cranehill has such lush writing, and I found myself feeling completely transported into this peculiar world. This is a phenomenal debut novel, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for future releases.
Thank you Netgalley and S&S/Saga Press for an ARC of Wife Shaped Bodies in exchange for a fair and honest review.
December 8, 2025
I've been really into ecological horror so when I saw Wife Shaped Bodies, I knew I needed to read it asap.
Let's start with what I liked: I enjoyed the fact that I only knew what Nicole herself understood and discovered throughout the novel. The new world is bizarre and terrible and you're drip fed information little bits at a time. This was really cool. But it was also maddening. Because Nicole is young and was isolated her whole life, so she can't offer much in the way of answers. And there isn't a ton of plot happening, so you're left listening to her ruminations. I'm a character driven reader, so this wasn't horrible for me.
On a line level, this book is great. Like honestly the prose is gorgeous. I was eating it up!
But I think I came into this with too many expectations. I thought the sapphic element would play a larger role than it did. The husband is just as big of a character, if not moreso, than the love interest. That's kind of a problem for me. The love interest wasn't around much, therefore I didn't buy into the developing relationship.
Wife Shaped Bodies is less than 300 pages and yet it's too slow. While I enjoyed getting so many of Nicole's thoughts it really hindered the pacing. And then, when things ramped up, they sped up a bit TOO quickly. Every time we hit an interesting scene it felt like we were instantly shifting gears and starting another one. It left me yearning and unsatisfied. Perhaps a bit like Nicole every time she was stuck in the rotting house with Silas rather than her love.
God, and the ending! On one hand, it's horror. I understand that a big aspect of horror is unhappy or bittersweet endings. But something about it didn't quite land for me.
Wife Shaped Bodies might not have been my perfect fit but I'm excited to see what else Laura Cranehill writes.
Thank you to NetGalley, Saga Press, and Laura Cranehill for the ARC.
Let's start with what I liked: I enjoyed the fact that I only knew what Nicole herself understood and discovered throughout the novel. The new world is bizarre and terrible and you're drip fed information little bits at a time. This was really cool. But it was also maddening. Because Nicole is young and was isolated her whole life, so she can't offer much in the way of answers. And there isn't a ton of plot happening, so you're left listening to her ruminations. I'm a character driven reader, so this wasn't horrible for me.
On a line level, this book is great. Like honestly the prose is gorgeous. I was eating it up!
But I think I came into this with too many expectations. I thought the sapphic element would play a larger role than it did. The husband is just as big of a character, if not moreso, than the love interest. That's kind of a problem for me. The love interest wasn't around much, therefore I didn't buy into the developing relationship.
Wife Shaped Bodies is less than 300 pages and yet it's too slow. While I enjoyed getting so many of Nicole's thoughts it really hindered the pacing. And then, when things ramped up, they sped up a bit TOO quickly. Every time we hit an interesting scene it felt like we were instantly shifting gears and starting another one. It left me yearning and unsatisfied. Perhaps a bit like Nicole every time she was stuck in the rotting house with Silas rather than her love.
God, and the ending! On one hand, it's horror. I understand that a big aspect of horror is unhappy or bittersweet endings. But something about it didn't quite land for me.
Wife Shaped Bodies might not have been my perfect fit but I'm excited to see what else Laura Cranehill writes.
Thank you to NetGalley, Saga Press, and Laura Cranehill for the ARC.
September 25, 2025
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy of "Wife Shaped Bodies" by Laura Cranehill.
This is one of the most haunting and beautifully written dystopian novels. Cranehill creates a world that feels both familiar and otherworldly, where women are part fungi living in a compound overseen by men who are farmers and mycologist. The prose is lyrical and strange in the best way, filled with images that linger. There are echoes of "The Handmaid's Tale" in its critique of gender roles and echoes of "Circe" in its mythic and bodily transformations, but the story remains wholly its own. This book lingers like spores in the air until you realize it has rooted itself in you.
This is one of the most haunting and beautifully written dystopian novels. Cranehill creates a world that feels both familiar and otherworldly, where women are part fungi living in a compound overseen by men who are farmers and mycologist. The prose is lyrical and strange in the best way, filled with images that linger. There are echoes of "The Handmaid's Tale" in its critique of gender roles and echoes of "Circe" in its mythic and bodily transformations, but the story remains wholly its own. This book lingers like spores in the air until you realize it has rooted itself in you.
April 25, 2026
3.5 rounded up to 4.
January 1, 2026
4.0⭐️ Nicole lives an isolated life with her mom and her mothers husband until the day of her wedding when she is allowed out to go live at her new husbands house. Now that she is able to become part of the community, she begins to form a connection with another wife who has made some very interesting discoveries about their community that spark certain things in Nicole’s brain and make her begin to question everything he knows
I greatly enjoyed this book and thought it strikes a perfect balance of grotesque horror and mystery nicely. I’ve never written this in a review before, but I actually I think the metaphors are a little too light-handed. I would have loved less of Nicole brooding and hallucinating alone in her mansion and more of the interactions between the men and the wives, showing their fear and disdain for their bodies, even if just told from afar to keep the symbolic distance Nicole feels from the rest of her community. I could also do with a tad less of the fever-dream, what-is-actually-going-on-here writing. I do love an unreliable narrator and it definitely works here, but the percentage of it to actual story-propelling or character-establishing scenes is a little skewed.
Points deducted for unnecessary violence against cats, one of my pet peeves, but at least here it wasn’t gratuitously descriptive.
I greatly enjoyed this book and thought it strikes a perfect balance of grotesque horror and mystery nicely. I’ve never written this in a review before, but I actually I think the metaphors are a little too light-handed. I would have loved less of Nicole brooding and hallucinating alone in her mansion and more of the interactions between the men and the wives, showing their fear and disdain for their bodies, even if just told from afar to keep the symbolic distance Nicole feels from the rest of her community. I could also do with a tad less of the fever-dream, what-is-actually-going-on-here writing. I do love an unreliable narrator and it definitely works here, but the percentage of it to actual story-propelling or character-establishing scenes is a little skewed.
Points deducted for unnecessary violence against cats, one of my pet peeves, but at least here it wasn’t gratuitously descriptive.
September 2, 2025
Hell of a debut, and someone I'll be keeping my eyes on in the future. My only criticism is I wanted a little bit more of the lesbian mushrooms and maybe a bit more connective tissue overall, but this was the excellent mushroom based horror book I was looking for. Weird patriarchy holding down a more pagan-ish mushroom lady population, and two wonderful lesbian mushrooms finding out the possibilities of their bodies together and as a community. The weird mushroom sex is pretty damn great, and at times the metaphor of literally carving pieces of yourself off to fit a mold feels Too Real, and you're counting down till all the men get super dead. Pick this up this spring and enjoy the ride.
October 26, 2025
Feminist dystopia grips you by the heart and doesn’t let go until the final, brutal, heartbreaking page. Tackling topics of marriage, sexual repression, motherhood, and the concessions women make to survive. Unlike anything I’ve read before I loved this novel, and was shaken loose by the gory, beautiful, devastation of it all. 4.5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and SagaPress for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and SagaPress for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.
March 11, 2026
3.5/5 stars
wow what an absolutely insane story. i’m not usually a horror girl, but i’ve been trying to step out of my comfort zone more this year. this book came across as really interesting to me as an ecological horror. this was really creepy at times and during those times i was entertained and wanted to keep reading, but i also found that this really dragged along during other parts. i also found this to be a bit confusing when it came to the pacing and plot line. i think for those who are really into horror, this would maybe land more and i didn’t dislike this book by any means, but it didn’t get me super hooked on the genre. i also don’t think that body horror is for me personally, but i’d never read it so how was i to know?! i also did not like the part involving cats and found that pretty upsetting. i also thought it was very interesting that the women grow fungal bits whereas the men remain perfectly untouched. i do wish this had more of an emphasis on the sapphic romance because i feel like it was really glanced over and it was an aspect to this story i was really looking forward to.
wow what an absolutely insane story. i’m not usually a horror girl, but i’ve been trying to step out of my comfort zone more this year. this book came across as really interesting to me as an ecological horror. this was really creepy at times and during those times i was entertained and wanted to keep reading, but i also found that this really dragged along during other parts. i also found this to be a bit confusing when it came to the pacing and plot line. i think for those who are really into horror, this would maybe land more and i didn’t dislike this book by any means, but it didn’t get me super hooked on the genre. i also don’t think that body horror is for me personally, but i’d never read it so how was i to know?! i also did not like the part involving cats and found that pretty upsetting. i also thought it was very interesting that the women grow fungal bits whereas the men remain perfectly untouched. i do wish this had more of an emphasis on the sapphic romance because i feel like it was really glanced over and it was an aspect to this story i was really looking forward to.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
This was definitely a weird one!
*Review to come*
*Review to come*
May 6, 2026
3.5
I don't know why I've read so many post-apocalyptic feminist lesbian novels lately but this is by far the weirdest one.
I don't know why I've read so many post-apocalyptic feminist lesbian novels lately but this is by far the weirdest one.
April 19, 2026
Wife Shaped Bodies was like a trippy, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic version of the Stepford Wives — but in here the wives are sapphic and made of mushrooms.
I had a fun time reading this one! There were a few moments when the plot dragged on and aspects of the world felt overexplained. I think this would’ve worked better as a novella with more ambiguity and mystery, but overall this was such a compelling and interesting read!
Thank you to Saga Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I had a fun time reading this one! There were a few moments when the plot dragged on and aspects of the world felt overexplained. I think this would’ve worked better as a novella with more ambiguity and mystery, but overall this was such a compelling and interesting read!
Thank you to Saga Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book is weird, unsettling, and had me thinking about aspects of it after reading it. The mix of fungi, body horror, and sapphic tension should not work this well, but it absolutely does and had my full attention. I’ll admit, the book has a slow pacing, but it worked for me. I loved the creepy build and how uncomfortable the transformations felt without doing too much. I wanted more in a few spots, but this was absolutely a strong debut.
Thank you S&S Crew and NetGalley for the gifted ARC!
Thank you S&S Crew and NetGalley for the gifted ARC!
August 24, 2025
Thank you NetGallery for the eARC!! 4.5 ⭐️
What an utterly strange and intriguing read. I’ve read a few novels that get into fungi and the possibilities when combined with humans, but this is by far the most interesting one. Cranehill’s research really shines throughout the novel and builds out interesting characters.
One thing that really stood out was the body horror/uncanny descriptions. Understanding how Nicole’s body functioned unraveled slowly throughout the read, which I quite appreciated. They were always intense, but not ever too much that I felt overwhelmed. What I really want is more—more from the start of this experiment and more from the other women’s experiences.
I don’t really know what else to say—I really enjoyed this read. Teaghan and Nicole’s sapphic endeavors were intriguing. It very much encapsulates the want to be ‘one’ with your partner, especially in a queer way. I would have loved a perspective from her character, but I understand why it wouldn’t work as well if it was.
Definitely a recommended read. Horror and intense world/character building I long to see more of. An impressive debut novel, for sure.
What an utterly strange and intriguing read. I’ve read a few novels that get into fungi and the possibilities when combined with humans, but this is by far the most interesting one. Cranehill’s research really shines throughout the novel and builds out interesting characters.
One thing that really stood out was the body horror/uncanny descriptions. Understanding how Nicole’s body functioned unraveled slowly throughout the read, which I quite appreciated. They were always intense, but not ever too much that I felt overwhelmed. What I really want is more—more from the start of this experiment and more from the other women’s experiences.
I don’t really know what else to say—I really enjoyed this read. Teaghan and Nicole’s sapphic endeavors were intriguing. It very much encapsulates the want to be ‘one’ with your partner, especially in a queer way. I would have loved a perspective from her character, but I understand why it wouldn’t work as well if it was.
Definitely a recommended read. Horror and intense world/character building I long to see more of. An impressive debut novel, for sure.
November 11, 2025
An engrossing and uncomfortable horror novel that follows the embodiment of a symbiotic relationship between mushrooms and humans, the disturbing behavior of men, and their mistreatment toward women, even after the world’s collapsed into ruin.
There were multiple reveals in this book that shocked me, almost to the point I wasn’t sure I could keep reading. But that’s good horror, isn’t it?
I finished this book with a deeper appreciation for mushrooms and find myself less grossed out by them, too, in a strange perverse way. It also reaffirmed my healthy fear of men. The things they did!!!
Personally, I can’t wait for mushrooms to grow out of my flesh.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!
There were multiple reveals in this book that shocked me, almost to the point I wasn’t sure I could keep reading. But that’s good horror, isn’t it?
I finished this book with a deeper appreciation for mushrooms and find myself less grossed out by them, too, in a strange perverse way. It also reaffirmed my healthy fear of men. The things they did!!!
Personally, I can’t wait for mushrooms to grow out of my flesh.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!
April 14, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Wife Shaped Bodies is a gorgeous and grotesque tale of a post-apocalyptic world and an eerie community of with mushroom-covered women and their husbands. The main character, Nicole, has just lost her mother and is rushed into a marriage with her new husband, Silas, who is widowed and gigantic and scary and lives in a huge house far down the road from the rest of the community.
Nicole is attempting to adjust to married life, shaving off her fungal growths to look prettier for her husband, heeding her mother’s advice about husbands and their tempers, never angering her husband lest he decide to kill her as she is aware that the first year of marriage is the deadliest, etc. Devastating and realistic depictions of what being a woman can feel like, amped up a bit with the especially depraved and traumatized post-apocalyptic men and their mycelic wives.
Then, Nicole meets a woman who is loud and brave and angry. She helps to awaken Nicole from her life, the roles she’s been forced into, the reality of why they are the way that they are. They enter into a relationship, a passionate friendship, trying to see each other when they can but Nicole is under the controlling eye of her watchful husband. Their yearning and understanding of one another was strange and beautiful to read. Undertones of that classic young queer codependent friendship that could become more… might be more… is more…
Wife Shaped Bodies lyrically tells a horror story about the disturbing realties of being a woman, a wife, a mother. It reflects on gender roles and sexuality, how suffocating it can feel to be forced into heteronormativity when it all feels wrong to you, and the beauty of relentlessly fighting it and finding yourself despite it all. And (mushroom) capped off with the fascinating science around these mycological women! This is a truly fantastic debut from Laura Cranehill. She is certainly one to watch!
Wife Shaped Bodies is a gorgeous and grotesque tale of a post-apocalyptic world and an eerie community of with mushroom-covered women and their husbands. The main character, Nicole, has just lost her mother and is rushed into a marriage with her new husband, Silas, who is widowed and gigantic and scary and lives in a huge house far down the road from the rest of the community.
Nicole is attempting to adjust to married life, shaving off her fungal growths to look prettier for her husband, heeding her mother’s advice about husbands and their tempers, never angering her husband lest he decide to kill her as she is aware that the first year of marriage is the deadliest, etc. Devastating and realistic depictions of what being a woman can feel like, amped up a bit with the especially depraved and traumatized post-apocalyptic men and their mycelic wives.
Then, Nicole meets a woman who is loud and brave and angry. She helps to awaken Nicole from her life, the roles she’s been forced into, the reality of why they are the way that they are. They enter into a relationship, a passionate friendship, trying to see each other when they can but Nicole is under the controlling eye of her watchful husband. Their yearning and understanding of one another was strange and beautiful to read. Undertones of that classic young queer codependent friendship that could become more… might be more… is more…
Wife Shaped Bodies lyrically tells a horror story about the disturbing realties of being a woman, a wife, a mother. It reflects on gender roles and sexuality, how suffocating it can feel to be forced into heteronormativity when it all feels wrong to you, and the beauty of relentlessly fighting it and finding yourself despite it all. And (mushroom) capped off with the fascinating science around these mycological women! This is a truly fantastic debut from Laura Cranehill. She is certainly one to watch!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Wife Shaped Bodies follows Nicole, a woman/mushroom hybrid that lives an isolated life inside a patriarchal compound in a post-nuclear apocalyptic world. l found this to be a very sad and lonely book. Strange and dreamlike, beautifully written. There are themes of feminism, sapphic love, power, abuse, ownership, belonging, sexual identity, body horror and motherhood.
For its short length, it took me an embarrassing amount of time to digest this novel. There were parts of the book that were compelling and quick-paced, and others when I couldn't keep my eyes open.
I also feel like this book posed more questions than it was able to answer. Perhaps that was the authors intent with the single POV, but I was left wanting to know more...for another perspective that would help make sense of the world, more horror, more Teaghan.
And the epilogue. It really gutted me for some reason.
The absolute best part of this book to me was the language used for describing the fungal growths, the fruiting bodies, of these women. I have never read such sensual, viseral passages about fungi. The author clearly did her research on mycology and has an appreciation for mushrooms of all types. As her debut, this book makes me look forward to what Laura Cranehill writes next.
3.8 out of 5.
Thanks to Netgalley and Saga Press for the ARC.
For its short length, it took me an embarrassing amount of time to digest this novel. There were parts of the book that were compelling and quick-paced, and others when I couldn't keep my eyes open.
I also feel like this book posed more questions than it was able to answer. Perhaps that was the authors intent with the single POV, but I was left wanting to know more...for another perspective that would help make sense of the world, more horror, more Teaghan.
And the epilogue. It really gutted me for some reason.
The absolute best part of this book to me was the language used for describing the fungal growths, the fruiting bodies, of these women. I have never read such sensual, viseral passages about fungi. The author clearly did her research on mycology and has an appreciation for mushrooms of all types. As her debut, this book makes me look forward to what Laura Cranehill writes next.
3.8 out of 5.
Thanks to Netgalley and Saga Press for the ARC.
April 14, 2026
3.5 rounded up to 4
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, there is a community of normal human men and women covered in mushrooms that in some ways are more mycelium than human. Nicole was born and raised in a strict home. She was kept inside for most of her life and told that touching other women's mushrooms could be dangerous, as they could over power her own and lead to death. Once an adult Nicole is married off to a man that lives on the outskirts of the community, trading one prison for another. Life takes a turn when a rebellious woman sets her sights on making Nicole her friend. Nicole is torn between what she is told to do and what she wants to do as she discovers more about the community.
This is a very beautifully written nature horror novel that explores community, gender, and oppression. Its slower paced with a sense of dread hanging over the story. It felt like a little bit of a mystery. I kept trying to guess what was happening in this town and what some of the characters were up to. I felt like the story ended with a few questions still unanswered for me. But I feel like it was maybe meant to be that way. If you are a fan of lyrical prose this will definitely leave you happy. The ending took a turn I wasn't expecting and its kind of bittersweet. For a debut this author did a fantastic job, definitely one I will keep my eyes on.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, there is a community of normal human men and women covered in mushrooms that in some ways are more mycelium than human. Nicole was born and raised in a strict home. She was kept inside for most of her life and told that touching other women's mushrooms could be dangerous, as they could over power her own and lead to death. Once an adult Nicole is married off to a man that lives on the outskirts of the community, trading one prison for another. Life takes a turn when a rebellious woman sets her sights on making Nicole her friend. Nicole is torn between what she is told to do and what she wants to do as she discovers more about the community.
This is a very beautifully written nature horror novel that explores community, gender, and oppression. Its slower paced with a sense of dread hanging over the story. It felt like a little bit of a mystery. I kept trying to guess what was happening in this town and what some of the characters were up to. I felt like the story ended with a few questions still unanswered for me. But I feel like it was maybe meant to be that way. If you are a fan of lyrical prose this will definitely leave you happy. The ending took a turn I wasn't expecting and its kind of bittersweet. For a debut this author did a fantastic job, definitely one I will keep my eyes on.
November 23, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, Saga Press, and Laura Cranehill for the honor of reading this early. I am truly grateful that my begging on Instagram worked.
There are so many intricate and interesting tidbits unveiled throughout the story that I’m unsure of how to review this without spoilers! I have been going feral for this ARC before it was even on NetGalley, and I have the DM’s to Laura Cranehill to prove it.
Nicole has never known a life outside of her home, except for peaking out a window. She longs to find friendship and happiness, but is really only alive to serve as a wife. Once she’s married and moved to a new home with a stranger for a husband, she becomes privy to the secrets and traditions of her community.
By the end of the novel, I found myself thinking about I Who Have Never Known Men. Wife Shaped Bodies explores similar themes of being in a community while still being “other.” The descriptions of Nicole’s body and the growths on every woman were excellent.
Cranehill’s prose is poetic in a way that still feels accessible and not lofty. Her descriptions are also extremely immersive. Throughout my reading, I felt grounded in each scene.
When you read this, you have to let the story take you. I promise you won’t know where it’s going and you just have to let it happen like that. At no point did I feel confident in my predictions (they were all wrong anyway).
Overall, I think this book is for the weirdos. Cranehill mentions that in her dedication, but I need you to know that she hit the nail on the head. If you like The Last of Us mixed with a little bit of cult vibe, or if you just like weird shit in general, this book is made for you.
There are so many intricate and interesting tidbits unveiled throughout the story that I’m unsure of how to review this without spoilers! I have been going feral for this ARC before it was even on NetGalley, and I have the DM’s to Laura Cranehill to prove it.
Nicole has never known a life outside of her home, except for peaking out a window. She longs to find friendship and happiness, but is really only alive to serve as a wife. Once she’s married and moved to a new home with a stranger for a husband, she becomes privy to the secrets and traditions of her community.
By the end of the novel, I found myself thinking about I Who Have Never Known Men. Wife Shaped Bodies explores similar themes of being in a community while still being “other.” The descriptions of Nicole’s body and the growths on every woman were excellent.
Cranehill’s prose is poetic in a way that still feels accessible and not lofty. Her descriptions are also extremely immersive. Throughout my reading, I felt grounded in each scene.
When you read this, you have to let the story take you. I promise you won’t know where it’s going and you just have to let it happen like that. At no point did I feel confident in my predictions (they were all wrong anyway).
Overall, I think this book is for the weirdos. Cranehill mentions that in her dedication, but I need you to know that she hit the nail on the head. If you like The Last of Us mixed with a little bit of cult vibe, or if you just like weird shit in general, this book is made for you.
April 5, 2026
Dark, somber atmosphere from the very first page. Unrelentingly bleak.
Nicole was a prisoner, confined to her childhood home until she was married off to a husband she'd been promised to since birth. When another wife visited with rebellious tendencies, secrets about generations of resentful brides began to surface.
This gave me feminist dystopian vibes. A world where women had no agency, everything dictated by a patriarchal village with duties and expectations forced upon them. I was curious enough to follow Nicole. Her voice was that of someone starting naive but building inner strength as the story progressed.
I loved the mycelium as a metaphor for women's sisterhood - the way it connected these women was beautiful.
What held this back: While this was a compelling story, I found it hard to turn the pages. The relentless tone had me dragging. I wasn't as invested in the character as I usually would be.
You'll love this if: You want dark feminist horror, atmospheric dystopian villages, stories about women finding sisterhood, and symbolic mushroom metaphors.
Thanks to Saga Press and NetGalley for the advance copy.
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