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Wife Shaped Bodies
Not yet published
Expected 14 Apr 26
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, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 14, 2026
13 people are currently reading
15127 people want to read
About the author
Laura Cranehill
4 books42 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 90 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!
not-yet-released
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.
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
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
----
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Want to read
October 1, 2025Is this book worth the read or I like the cover a little to much !!!! LOL
October 30, 2025
A book about mushroom women repressed by their husbands in a post-apocalyptic town... count me in. It's almost hard to believe that this is the author's first book because the concept and prose is gorgeous and tender. That said, at times I did find it hard to follow the exact story, which is a stylistic choice, but one that I'm not a fan of. That said, the beauty of the writing makes up for it.
October 8, 2025
Between nuclear wars and a plague caused by their fallout, human women no longer exist. A small compound surrounded by a contaminated forest is attempting to bring life back to the Earth through mycology--growing mushroom-women who reach adulthood quickly and share a striking resemblance to the women they once loved. Nicole was born to be Silas's wife, and though she's disgusted by his warmth and his mammalian smell, the house they share is large enough that she can avoid him. When an odd wife named Teagan begins to visit her, Nicole begins to question the only society she's known.
'Wife Shaped Bodies' is difficult to summarize without giving too much away, but it's one of the most unnerving and uncomfortable books I've read in a while. The horror comes from three places: an oppressive society where women are married off in their second year of life to a man they were promised to before they were conceived, the fungal mustiness and self-mutilation that happens when these toadstool-women force themselves to be 'wife-shaped', and the secrets that the men are keeping from their spore-bearing wives. In clumsier hands, 'What if men and women were a different species?' would sound like a terrible stand-up routine, but Cranehill absolutely nails the terror of two completely different organisms trying to share a life with one another.
The almost-alien perspective of the protagonist, Nicole, is something that Cranehill accomplishes beautifully. While the exact body composition of the wives are left to the reader's imagination, we know that they're mostly-bloodless organisms with slightly translucent skin, that they're more comfortable in moist, dark places and that heat is uncomfortable to them, and that they mushrooms that grow on their skin can contaminate other women, so they should never touch one another. Since she's our perspective character, all of this seems natural, especially when she compares herself to her human husband.
'Wife Shaped Bodies' is an incredible debut novel, the literary equivalent to entering a mildew-infested cellar or to having a clammy hand firmly grab your shoulder without permission. It's absolutely not for the faint of heart, and will probably haunt my dreams for months to come, but it's a fascinating read for someone who wants to be challenged and disturbed by a work of fiction. Laura Cranehill is a name I'll definitely be looking out for in the future--and same with Kior Ko, because what an incredible cover illustration!
'Wife Shaped Bodies' is difficult to summarize without giving too much away, but it's one of the most unnerving and uncomfortable books I've read in a while. The horror comes from three places: an oppressive society where women are married off in their second year of life to a man they were promised to before they were conceived, the fungal mustiness and self-mutilation that happens when these toadstool-women force themselves to be 'wife-shaped', and the secrets that the men are keeping from their spore-bearing wives. In clumsier hands, 'What if men and women were a different species?' would sound like a terrible stand-up routine, but Cranehill absolutely nails the terror of two completely different organisms trying to share a life with one another.
The almost-alien perspective of the protagonist, Nicole, is something that Cranehill accomplishes beautifully. While the exact body composition of the wives are left to the reader's imagination, we know that they're mostly-bloodless organisms with slightly translucent skin, that they're more comfortable in moist, dark places and that heat is uncomfortable to them, and that they mushrooms that grow on their skin can contaminate other women, so they should never touch one another. Since she's our perspective character, all of this seems natural, especially when she compares herself to her human husband.
'Wife Shaped Bodies' is an incredible debut novel, the literary equivalent to entering a mildew-infested cellar or to having a clammy hand firmly grab your shoulder without permission. It's absolutely not for the faint of heart, and will probably haunt my dreams for months to come, but it's a fascinating read for someone who wants to be challenged and disturbed by a work of fiction. Laura Cranehill is a name I'll definitely be looking out for in the future--and same with Kior Ko, because what an incredible cover illustration!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I'm sad that I didn't end up loving the oppressed mushroom women. Because when I say mushroom women I don't mean women gathering mushrooms but women being made out of mushrooms and having fungal growths all over their bodies, and that should be entirely my thing. It was undoubtedly a very strange read and I usually have the softest spot for books like this, but I overall wasn't really vibing with it. I liked the first half a lot, but the second half got trippy and confusing and I wasn't able to follow what was happening anymore. The beginning was intriguing, though. We are introduced to a world where the women are made out of mushrooms while the men remain regular humans. The book opens with the main character Nicole's wedding and her mother's death day. Two major life events that are portrayed in an otherworldly, dystopian way. Horrible situations are presented without the expected emotions and nobody reacted in a human way to death and murder, (marital) rape and child loss. It was fascinating and unsettling at the same time and had quite the effect on me as the reader. It's a bizarre world, but it's not too hard to understand how it's structured, especially since it's also marked by real life problems. Men and women are basically different species, but the world is controlled by men to the point where women do not even have bodily autonomy. The women accept the world without objections, but only because they don't know anything else. At the same time they seem to have a deep aversion to men in general while being drawn to other women. Nicole often read young and naïve while also having strong negative feelings that she doesn't know how to act upon. It was fascinating, really. But that fascination wore off as the story went on and I found reading more and more exhausting. Nicole is losing herself and spends some time in a surreal, dreamlike state where I was constantly asking myself what was actually happening. I didn't like that whole part and it didn't stay a one-time occurrence. The mushroom theme comes with gross body horror and trippy scenes and science talk, and all of this was kinda hard to comprehend for me. I wouldn't recommend this book broadly because of that either. It's kind of challenging to get through all of these scenes and I can't say that there was a pay-off that really made it worth it. If you're looking for a strange read that still offers great commentary, you might still end up loving this, but it wasn't for me.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Saga Press for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of Wife Shaped Bodies! I'm rating 3.5 stars, although I'm sure a lot of people will adore this book.
Wife Shaped Bodies is a weird* post-apocalyptic literary horror novel full of patriarchal violence and body horror, as well as a minor sapphic storyline. It tells a story of motherhood, sisterhood, and grief, as well as power and abuse.
*(Yes, I'm using "weird" as a compliment.)
In a traditional horror story, the women of Wife Shaped Bodies would be the monsters: they're part-human, part-fungi, with ever-changing bodies that make way for plenty of stomach-turning descriptions.
But, that's not the case here. It's the men who control and kill the women (and who, of course, do far worse things — but I don't want to include major spoilers).
Wife Shaped Bodies has beautiful prose and the beginning was deliciously creepy. But while the body horror was unique and impactful, I found myself wishing for more from the dystopian post-apocalyptic world. I felt like I was reading a much older book because the depiction of patriarchal violence felt very 1960s-coded. This book didn't make me reflect on modern-day society the way other books in this genre do, or on the way that different identities affect our experience of patriarchal violence.
I also felt that a lot of the world-building was a bit fuzzy round the edges. Maybe it's because the protagonist doesn't have much knowledge of her world, but it still left me with a lot of questions. For example, the protagonist says that she's two years old, and that all wives are two when they're first married. But I'm still not sure if that's because these fungi-women's bodies grow to "adulthood" really quickly, or if on a societal level, women's ages are rewritten when they're married. The book almost seems to contradict itself: women have to wait their whole lives for the current wives to die before they can be married, so you'd think that they're more than two calendar years old. But the book also mentions multiple times that women think wives are married off too young and more would survive if they waited one more year until they were three.
All the same, I think that if you're looking for a creepy, weird literary horror novel about motherhood, community, male violence, and fungi, then Wife Shaped Bodies could be a good choice for you.
Wife Shaped Bodies is a weird* post-apocalyptic literary horror novel full of patriarchal violence and body horror, as well as a minor sapphic storyline. It tells a story of motherhood, sisterhood, and grief, as well as power and abuse.
*(Yes, I'm using "weird" as a compliment.)
In a traditional horror story, the women of Wife Shaped Bodies would be the monsters: they're part-human, part-fungi, with ever-changing bodies that make way for plenty of stomach-turning descriptions.
But, that's not the case here. It's the men who control and kill the women (and who, of course, do far worse things — but I don't want to include major spoilers).
Wife Shaped Bodies has beautiful prose and the beginning was deliciously creepy. But while the body horror was unique and impactful, I found myself wishing for more from the dystopian post-apocalyptic world. I felt like I was reading a much older book because the depiction of patriarchal violence felt very 1960s-coded. This book didn't make me reflect on modern-day society the way other books in this genre do, or on the way that different identities affect our experience of patriarchal violence.
I also felt that a lot of the world-building was a bit fuzzy round the edges. Maybe it's because the protagonist doesn't have much knowledge of her world, but it still left me with a lot of questions. For example, the protagonist says that she's two years old, and that all wives are two when they're first married. But I'm still not sure if that's because these fungi-women's bodies grow to "adulthood" really quickly, or if on a societal level, women's ages are rewritten when they're married. The book almost seems to contradict itself: women have to wait their whole lives for the current wives to die before they can be married, so you'd think that they're more than two calendar years old. But the book also mentions multiple times that women think wives are married off too young and more would survive if they waited one more year until they were three.
All the same, I think that if you're looking for a creepy, weird literary horror novel about motherhood, community, male violence, and fungi, then Wife Shaped Bodies could be a good choice for you.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Wife Shaped Bodies is one of those books I was eagerly anticipating but ended up feeling a little let down by. It’s not a hate‑it or love‑it kind of read — more of a “I wish this had been just a little different” experience. The author made the story more complicated than it needed to be, and the result reminded me a bit of The Funeral Song, which I read earlier this year: a fascinating premise that sometimes gets tangled in its own delivery.
This is a perfect example of wanting to like a book more than I actually did. I had high hopes going in, but the storyline felt obtuse and unnecessarily convoluted. The worldbuilding was rough for me, and it took longer than I’d hoped to settle into the rhythm of Cranehill’s writing.
We’re dropped into a world where men are the only survivors of a devastating plague and have created a kind of dust from their wives’ bodies to breed a new form of woman — part human, part mushroom — as a way to stave off loneliness. The mushroom women are kept in the dark about their origins, fed lie after lie, and raised to believe their purpose is simply to be wives and produce more mushroom women so the strange, horrific cycle can continue.
Then we meet Nicole, who has spent most of her life in isolation before her marriage. She befriends the troubled Teaghan, who seems to know more than she should about what the men are doing in the labs where they spend their days. Nicole’s curiosity and stubbornness push her to question everything, and she refuses to simply lie down and be used by her husband, Silas. Her persistence eventually wears him down — helped along by the grief he still carries for his original wife, Pamela, the woman Nicole was designed to replace. When Silas finally confirms the twsited history of their home, the story shifts into something more emotionally charged and unsettling, taking on more of a Frankenstien's monster kind of vibe.
It’s an interesting spin on female autonomy, sheltered communities, body horror, and grief. Not a favorite in this genre by any means, but undeniably unique in its character origins and haunting in its execution once you adjust to the pacing. A compelling idea wrapped in a delivery that didn’t always work for me — but one I’m still glad I read.
This is a perfect example of wanting to like a book more than I actually did. I had high hopes going in, but the storyline felt obtuse and unnecessarily convoluted. The worldbuilding was rough for me, and it took longer than I’d hoped to settle into the rhythm of Cranehill’s writing.
We’re dropped into a world where men are the only survivors of a devastating plague and have created a kind of dust from their wives’ bodies to breed a new form of woman — part human, part mushroom — as a way to stave off loneliness. The mushroom women are kept in the dark about their origins, fed lie after lie, and raised to believe their purpose is simply to be wives and produce more mushroom women so the strange, horrific cycle can continue.
Then we meet Nicole, who has spent most of her life in isolation before her marriage. She befriends the troubled Teaghan, who seems to know more than she should about what the men are doing in the labs where they spend their days. Nicole’s curiosity and stubbornness push her to question everything, and she refuses to simply lie down and be used by her husband, Silas. Her persistence eventually wears him down — helped along by the grief he still carries for his original wife, Pamela, the woman Nicole was designed to replace. When Silas finally confirms the twsited history of their home, the story shifts into something more emotionally charged and unsettling, taking on more of a Frankenstien's monster kind of vibe.
It’s an interesting spin on female autonomy, sheltered communities, body horror, and grief. Not a favorite in this genre by any means, but undeniably unique in its character origins and haunting in its execution once you adjust to the pacing. A compelling idea wrapped in a delivery that didn’t always work for me — but one I’m still glad I read.
September 12, 2025
Five Stars. Absolutely love.
I gave myself time to sit with this one for a week. I wasn't sure what I was walking into initially. Was it body horror? feminist narrative? social commentary? Yes, to all - but not in the way I expected.
The world has ended. For some. In a time where the women are covered in mushroom growths, they are born and raised to be wives for the still-human men in their compound. That is their one and only real function and we start off this story with the day of Nicole's wedding and the death of her mother. Two life-changing situations that our protagonist internalizes in the way of someone siphoning sunshine into their skin. As she navigates the life of a married person, she seeks truth and connection and purpose outside of her husband's house.
This story reads like a dream. The prose is poetic without feeling pretentious, grounded by the narrator's point of view. Nicole, in her fully grown state, is technically only two years old, and she pursues the world with all the hunger of youth even as she does all she can to ensure her survival to do so. I think the pace may bore some people. This is not particularly exciting until the end. It is internal. A look into the heart and mind and skin of a creature who knows deep down in her bone marrow that there is more to her, to all the women, than what they have been told. Her husband is a scientist that studies mushrooms, and in his loneliness he shares things with her that the other men wouldn't dare. Through the other Wife that enthralls her, she learns just what that means and more.
There is so much to spoil, so I will refrain. This story is about the connection between mothers, daughters, lovers, and ancestors. The truth and horror of feminine rage, the kind that draws back through time and lives in our bodies and moves on with our descendants long after we're gone. It feels wrong to slap labels on it as only "sapphic" and "feminist" and "horror" but if that piques your interest, we'll start there. In the end, it was a fascinating, grisly, psychedelic experience that I simply couldn't put down.
I gave myself time to sit with this one for a week. I wasn't sure what I was walking into initially. Was it body horror? feminist narrative? social commentary? Yes, to all - but not in the way I expected.
The world has ended. For some. In a time where the women are covered in mushroom growths, they are born and raised to be wives for the still-human men in their compound. That is their one and only real function and we start off this story with the day of Nicole's wedding and the death of her mother. Two life-changing situations that our protagonist internalizes in the way of someone siphoning sunshine into their skin. As she navigates the life of a married person, she seeks truth and connection and purpose outside of her husband's house.
This story reads like a dream. The prose is poetic without feeling pretentious, grounded by the narrator's point of view. Nicole, in her fully grown state, is technically only two years old, and she pursues the world with all the hunger of youth even as she does all she can to ensure her survival to do so. I think the pace may bore some people. This is not particularly exciting until the end. It is internal. A look into the heart and mind and skin of a creature who knows deep down in her bone marrow that there is more to her, to all the women, than what they have been told. Her husband is a scientist that studies mushrooms, and in his loneliness he shares things with her that the other men wouldn't dare. Through the other Wife that enthralls her, she learns just what that means and more.
There is so much to spoil, so I will refrain. This story is about the connection between mothers, daughters, lovers, and ancestors. The truth and horror of feminine rage, the kind that draws back through time and lives in our bodies and moves on with our descendants long after we're gone. It feels wrong to slap labels on it as only "sapphic" and "feminist" and "horror" but if that piques your interest, we'll start there. In the end, it was a fascinating, grisly, psychedelic experience that I simply couldn't put down.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Saga Press for the ARC!
Wife Shaped Bodies is a visceral and immersive debut that will disgust you in all the ways a great horror book like this should.
I loved the writing style from the very first line of the book. The way Laura Cranehill can describe things in a way that makes you want to look away, but also makes you want to dive even deeper into the story is incredible. There was one moment where she described the scents of a character early on in the book that left me disturbed for the remaining pages. It was so perfectly disgusting that I couldn't get it out of my head.
The character dynamics and the mushroom element of the story were not at all what I expected them to be, but they couldn't have been any better. Everything from the body horror to the relationships to the depictions of grief, for people and other things, were absolutely incredible. Cranehill is a wonderful talent, and this book makes that clear.
As much as I loved most of this book, there were a couple things that bothered me too much to give it five stars. One was the fact that I don't think we got enough of an explanation for most things is this book. There's a dystopian sort of setting, but not much backstory to give it the depth I think it needed. I also would've loved a deeper look into the mushrooms and the wives and how they ended up in the situation they're in. I typically love when books explain things subtly and leave a lot of room for the reader to think, but I wanted more from this one.
Other than the slight confusion throughout the book, I noticed the pacing in the last 40% didn't feel as strong as the first 60%. This is a fairly short book, and I think it would have worked well if the second half had a bit more time to play out.
Though it wasn't the perfect read for me, I absolutely loved this book. The horror elements and the writing were fantastic. I know I'll be recommending this to so many people, and I'll be picking up any book Laura Cranehill releases in the future. If you're looking for a strange and beautifully disgusting eco-horror book that will fill you with dread but keep your eyes glued to the pages, this is a great choice for you.
Wife Shaped Bodies is a visceral and immersive debut that will disgust you in all the ways a great horror book like this should.
I loved the writing style from the very first line of the book. The way Laura Cranehill can describe things in a way that makes you want to look away, but also makes you want to dive even deeper into the story is incredible. There was one moment where she described the scents of a character early on in the book that left me disturbed for the remaining pages. It was so perfectly disgusting that I couldn't get it out of my head.
The character dynamics and the mushroom element of the story were not at all what I expected them to be, but they couldn't have been any better. Everything from the body horror to the relationships to the depictions of grief, for people and other things, were absolutely incredible. Cranehill is a wonderful talent, and this book makes that clear.
As much as I loved most of this book, there were a couple things that bothered me too much to give it five stars. One was the fact that I don't think we got enough of an explanation for most things is this book. There's a dystopian sort of setting, but not much backstory to give it the depth I think it needed. I also would've loved a deeper look into the mushrooms and the wives and how they ended up in the situation they're in. I typically love when books explain things subtly and leave a lot of room for the reader to think, but I wanted more from this one.
Other than the slight confusion throughout the book, I noticed the pacing in the last 40% didn't feel as strong as the first 60%. This is a fairly short book, and I think it would have worked well if the second half had a bit more time to play out.
Though it wasn't the perfect read for me, I absolutely loved this book. The horror elements and the writing were fantastic. I know I'll be recommending this to so many people, and I'll be picking up any book Laura Cranehill releases in the future. If you're looking for a strange and beautifully disgusting eco-horror book that will fill you with dread but keep your eyes glued to the pages, this is a great choice for you.
October 3, 2025
"Wife Shaped Bodies" read like a mashup of body horror fever dream and social commentary, and it was absolutely fascinating.
In a world where "normal" women no longer exist, a new breed of women — who are really more mushroom than woman at this point — has taken their place. But these women do not get to live normal lives as their main purpose is just to be wives for their husbands. They're there to keep the men company as well as provide new daughters to help continue the cycle. This novel mainly follows the story of Nicole, an extremely sheltered woman who has just now reached the age where she is to be wed to her husband.
Cranehill's prose is descriptive, evocative, and unsettling. This wasn't just a novel I could visualize in my mind's eye, but it's one that I could almost feel, smell, and even taste. The detailed descriptions of the women's fungi covered bodies really cemented just how unnatural their existence was while also giving off the sense of both wonder and disgust.
This is also a novel that feels more like an experience instead of simply a story. While we do have a plot that touches on themes of oppression and gender inequality, a lot of the story is used just broadcasting Nicole's inner thoughts and feelings. The novel is written in first person so we get an intimate insight into Nicole's emotions, thoughts, and physical senses. So while the plot is important to set the scene of the novel, the real story is getting to watch Nicole grow and see how her experiences shape her own personality and her relationships with others.
If you're interested in stories that are a bit weird or off kilter, and the blurb sounds interesting to you, then I highly recommend you pick up a copy of "Wife Shaped Bodies" for yourself. It's quite a unique read and I don't think a review will really be able to properly convey the experience — you really just need to read it for yourself to understand!
(Thank you to Saga Press for providing me with an advance review copy for free via NetGalley! I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.)
In a world where "normal" women no longer exist, a new breed of women — who are really more mushroom than woman at this point — has taken their place. But these women do not get to live normal lives as their main purpose is just to be wives for their husbands. They're there to keep the men company as well as provide new daughters to help continue the cycle. This novel mainly follows the story of Nicole, an extremely sheltered woman who has just now reached the age where she is to be wed to her husband.
Cranehill's prose is descriptive, evocative, and unsettling. This wasn't just a novel I could visualize in my mind's eye, but it's one that I could almost feel, smell, and even taste. The detailed descriptions of the women's fungi covered bodies really cemented just how unnatural their existence was while also giving off the sense of both wonder and disgust.
This is also a novel that feels more like an experience instead of simply a story. While we do have a plot that touches on themes of oppression and gender inequality, a lot of the story is used just broadcasting Nicole's inner thoughts and feelings. The novel is written in first person so we get an intimate insight into Nicole's emotions, thoughts, and physical senses. So while the plot is important to set the scene of the novel, the real story is getting to watch Nicole grow and see how her experiences shape her own personality and her relationships with others.
If you're interested in stories that are a bit weird or off kilter, and the blurb sounds interesting to you, then I highly recommend you pick up a copy of "Wife Shaped Bodies" for yourself. It's quite a unique read and I don't think a review will really be able to properly convey the experience — you really just need to read it for yourself to understand!
(Thank you to Saga Press for providing me with an advance review copy for free via NetGalley! I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.
4.00 / 5.00
In a dystopian future where women’s bodies are more mushroom than human, Nicole’s story slowly unfolds. Being a wife changes everything she thought she knew about life, the universe, and everything.
There was a lot going on in this book - themes of feminism, bodily autonomy, the idea of “wife,” what it means to love another… and I think some of it went over my head. I found myself pretty confused at times, but kept reading because even though I didn’t understand it all, I wanted to. Cranehill had a very engaging way of writing that kept me wanting more.
The world-building was insane to wrap my head around, but I felt like I was right there with these women living in a state of almost ignorant bliss. Cranehill keeps building, building, building throughout the story until we get to the fever dream of an ending - pure intensity that reminded me of the movie Mother. Even though I didn’t totally connect with this one, I’d definitely read more from this author!
The song “Evolution” by Sheryl Crow was running through my head while reading this book. While the song is actually about Crow questioning AI and its effect on our environment, I see a lot of parallels. Nicole and her fellow mushroom-women are the next evolution of female life - granted the opportunity to “live” thanks to the foremothers before them. “Is it beyond intelligence? / As if the soul need not exist.” The women in this book are basically carbon copies of the women before them, only existing to appease the men’s notions of what it means to be alive. But are the women really alive? Are they beings with autonomy from their mothers before them, or just another clone in every possible way? “We can create, we can destroy / We can feel pain, we can feel joy / We can plant seeds and watch love grow.” While the women may be capable of all this and more, are they allowed to? Or will the men shape and rebuild the world in the way only they want? You’ll have to read Wife Shaped Bodies to find out!
4.00 / 5.00
In a dystopian future where women’s bodies are more mushroom than human, Nicole’s story slowly unfolds. Being a wife changes everything she thought she knew about life, the universe, and everything.
There was a lot going on in this book - themes of feminism, bodily autonomy, the idea of “wife,” what it means to love another… and I think some of it went over my head. I found myself pretty confused at times, but kept reading because even though I didn’t understand it all, I wanted to. Cranehill had a very engaging way of writing that kept me wanting more.
The world-building was insane to wrap my head around, but I felt like I was right there with these women living in a state of almost ignorant bliss. Cranehill keeps building, building, building throughout the story until we get to the fever dream of an ending - pure intensity that reminded me of the movie Mother. Even though I didn’t totally connect with this one, I’d definitely read more from this author!
The song “Evolution” by Sheryl Crow was running through my head while reading this book. While the song is actually about Crow questioning AI and its effect on our environment, I see a lot of parallels. Nicole and her fellow mushroom-women are the next evolution of female life - granted the opportunity to “live” thanks to the foremothers before them. “Is it beyond intelligence? / As if the soul need not exist.” The women in this book are basically carbon copies of the women before them, only existing to appease the men’s notions of what it means to be alive. But are the women really alive? Are they beings with autonomy from their mothers before them, or just another clone in every possible way? “We can create, we can destroy / We can feel pain, we can feel joy / We can plant seeds and watch love grow.” While the women may be capable of all this and more, are they allowed to? Or will the men shape and rebuild the world in the way only they want? You’ll have to read Wife Shaped Bodies to find out!
December 6, 2025
Wife Shaped Bodies is a novel that starts with heavy action, then gradually dilutes itself until the near end. Nicole’s story begins with the death of her mother, which happened to fall on the same day as her arranged marriage. After coming to terms with her fate, she starts to learn more about her husband while continuously seeking out the company of another woman.
Like the main protagonist, the reader is mostly in the dark about the background of this novel’s world and has to piece together its history themselves. Little by little, truths unfold as Nicole learns more about the man she married and the world she was born into. After nuclear warfare ravaged most of Earth, a fungal plague spread amongst the remaining humans, killing most of the men and drastically altering the women. Mushroom growths spread from the pores of every woman's skin and their life cycle diminished greatly, limited to no more than ten or so years.
As a woman who spent her brief childhood indoors, Nicole enters married life naively and, as the narrator, tells the reader little about the true events around her. One problem with this novel is that it skips over the world's details and focuses more on Nicole's inner monologue. While her monologue is written well with lyrical prose, it often leaves the reader confused as major events will happen within a paragraph or page with little explanation and a quick transition.
This book might have worked better as a longer novel but it is still an enjoyable, if not an eerily dark, read. In a twisted mix of The Handmaid's Tale and The Last of Us, Wife Shaped Bodies combines themes of mushroom horror, the importance of freedom, and a sapphic love story.
Like the main protagonist, the reader is mostly in the dark about the background of this novel’s world and has to piece together its history themselves. Little by little, truths unfold as Nicole learns more about the man she married and the world she was born into. After nuclear warfare ravaged most of Earth, a fungal plague spread amongst the remaining humans, killing most of the men and drastically altering the women. Mushroom growths spread from the pores of every woman's skin and their life cycle diminished greatly, limited to no more than ten or so years.
As a woman who spent her brief childhood indoors, Nicole enters married life naively and, as the narrator, tells the reader little about the true events around her. One problem with this novel is that it skips over the world's details and focuses more on Nicole's inner monologue. While her monologue is written well with lyrical prose, it often leaves the reader confused as major events will happen within a paragraph or page with little explanation and a quick transition.
This book might have worked better as a longer novel but it is still an enjoyable, if not an eerily dark, read. In a twisted mix of The Handmaid's Tale and The Last of Us, Wife Shaped Bodies combines themes of mushroom horror, the importance of freedom, and a sapphic love story.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4 stars
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew! It's a good eew, though. Listen. If you're not already making fast friends with the vast variety of mushrooms in your life and environment, the time to start is now.
I queued this book because the synopsis references _Sorrowland_, a book I love for entirely different reasons, but the seemingly random connection paid off. I get the tie - and the same with _Manhunt_ (another memorable read), but this is really bringing something (ironically) fresh to the table.
Nicole is having a big day. Unfortunately, her mom has just died. Also, she's getting married. But the more you get to know Nicole, the easier it is to realize that these are nowhere near her biggest issues.
The best advice I can give to a prospective reader is to know as little as possible about the details going in. I LOVED learning about these characters' bodies, points of origin, histories, and community mores. To be clear, almost all of this is horrific. I didn't like WHAT I learned and I'm thrilled I'm sharing in the experience vicariously from a great distance. But I DID love entering this world in theory. The commentary? SPOT ON.
This book grossed me out on multiple levels and also made me cheer aloud more than once. Fans of body horror and women's stories and cultural commentary relating to women's interactions with men will find a lot to like (and feel explosive over) here. I cannot wait for more from this author.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew! It's a good eew, though. Listen. If you're not already making fast friends with the vast variety of mushrooms in your life and environment, the time to start is now.
I queued this book because the synopsis references _Sorrowland_, a book I love for entirely different reasons, but the seemingly random connection paid off. I get the tie - and the same with _Manhunt_ (another memorable read), but this is really bringing something (ironically) fresh to the table.
Nicole is having a big day. Unfortunately, her mom has just died. Also, she's getting married. But the more you get to know Nicole, the easier it is to realize that these are nowhere near her biggest issues.
The best advice I can give to a prospective reader is to know as little as possible about the details going in. I LOVED learning about these characters' bodies, points of origin, histories, and community mores. To be clear, almost all of this is horrific. I didn't like WHAT I learned and I'm thrilled I'm sharing in the experience vicariously from a great distance. But I DID love entering this world in theory. The commentary? SPOT ON.
This book grossed me out on multiple levels and also made me cheer aloud more than once. Fans of body horror and women's stories and cultural commentary relating to women's interactions with men will find a lot to like (and feel explosive over) here. I cannot wait for more from this author.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
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