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A Modern Growth
In 2043, Pamela just wants to stop feeling like shit.
Enter a black market biotechnology known as U++ that promises her a radically and permanently improved new body. The horrifying discovery? Pam's genetic code has very different ideas about what constitutes her "best self."
As Pam's grotesque transformation accelerates, her desperate husband Mark sees why not document her metamorphosis as an unscripted show? With their finances crashing, a new baby to support, and the future-Texas heat literally killing people, exploiting Pam's condition (through the powerful art of reality TV) might be their only path to survival.
A savage satire of late-stage capitalism, reality television, and our obsession with self-improvement, "A Modern Growth" when everything is content, what's left of being human?
Enter a black market biotechnology known as U++ that promises her a radically and permanently improved new body. The horrifying discovery? Pam's genetic code has very different ideas about what constitutes her "best self."
As Pam's grotesque transformation accelerates, her desperate husband Mark sees why not document her metamorphosis as an unscripted show? With their finances crashing, a new baby to support, and the future-Texas heat literally killing people, exploiting Pam's condition (through the powerful art of reality TV) might be their only path to survival.
A savage satire of late-stage capitalism, reality television, and our obsession with self-improvement, "A Modern Growth" when everything is content, what's left of being human?
276 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2025
About the author
Holland Graham
1 book5 followersHolland Graham makes films and television in Houston, Texas, where the heat makes everyone a little crazy. He writes weird fiction, watches bad horror movies, and chases around a four-year-old who already has better taste than he does. He thinks Norm MacDonald was a genius and that reality TV hasn’t gotten dystopian enough yet.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 19, 2025
“The revolution will not be televised…it will actually be presented through a short form content subscription streaming service…”
This book provided a window into a not-so-far future in which climate change, unregulated capitalism, and modern media have their way with society. It was thought provoking! It was just realistic enough to induce fear about the near future and fantastical enough to protect my sanity…for now.
This book provided a window into a not-so-far future in which climate change, unregulated capitalism, and modern media have their way with society. It was thought provoking! It was just realistic enough to induce fear about the near future and fantastical enough to protect my sanity…for now.
August 12, 2025
Interesting book. An original story, that sometimes was really bizarre. Characters are totally messed up people, yet their thinking touches existential issues common among all of us. All together, this created a weird book that I couldn't out down until the last page.
July 25, 2026
This book was a wild ride.
It has some really gonzo, crazy turns, and our main character is--kinda gross, but she is still compelling. To be fair, most of the characters we're following are rather selfish and flailing in life, which maybe is relatable or understandable. Our story is set a few decades in the future, a world where summers regularly reach and stay in the triple digits, costs for energy, air conditioning, healthcare, and most other things are astronomical.
A lot of people seem dissatisfied with their lives, and becoming your "best" self with a little experimental procedure is quite compelling.
I do appreciate several aspects of this story, but it definitely dips into body horror, and feels like a B-movie at times, I feel like it stuck the landing, and in spite of some ridiculous moments, it became both an interesting commentary, and a campy romp, so I rated it higher than I would have expected to at the lowest moments.
It has some really gonzo, crazy turns, and our main character is--kinda gross, but she is still compelling. To be fair, most of the characters we're following are rather selfish and flailing in life, which maybe is relatable or understandable. Our story is set a few decades in the future, a world where summers regularly reach and stay in the triple digits, costs for energy, air conditioning, healthcare, and most other things are astronomical.
A lot of people seem dissatisfied with their lives, and becoming your "best" self with a little experimental procedure is quite compelling.
I do appreciate several aspects of this story, but it definitely dips into body horror, and feels like a B-movie at times, I feel like it stuck the landing, and in spite of some ridiculous moments, it became both an interesting commentary, and a campy romp, so I rated it higher than I would have expected to at the lowest moments.
May 19, 2026
What a bizarre and fun book. I always admire when fictional novels can mention companies/events from reality without feeling like those mentions are doing all the heavy lifting.
This book is absurd, but it's not unrealistically absurd. We've got millionaires drinking children's blood to look youthful. The U ++ pill is the saner option.
I also quite enjoyed the fourth wall breaks where the author speaks to us directly, in my opinion it gives the work a Twilight Zone feel.
When trying to explain this book to friends, I compare it to The Substance, but U ++ is its own beast entirely. Less about beauty and more about chasing identity in a technologically advanced world that promised everything and gave nothing.
This book is absurd, but it's not unrealistically absurd. We've got millionaires drinking children's blood to look youthful. The U ++ pill is the saner option.
I also quite enjoyed the fourth wall breaks where the author speaks to us directly, in my opinion it gives the work a Twilight Zone feel.
When trying to explain this book to friends, I compare it to The Substance, but U ++ is its own beast entirely. Less about beauty and more about chasing identity in a technologically advanced world that promised everything and gave nothing.
May 15, 2026
Darkly humorous, completely bonkers ultimately fun and entertaining
Appreciated the bizarre yet plausible parables with modern life
Appreciated the bizarre yet plausible parables with modern life
July 17, 2025
Not your average unraveling
I didn’t expect this book to sit with me the way it has. It’s one of those reads that doesn’t try to impress you with prose or plot. Instead, it just tells the truth in a really strange, compelling way — and that truth feels uncomfortable and familiar at the same time.
Pam is the kind of character that feels more like someone you’ve known than someone you’re reading about. She’s unraveling in slow motion — dealing with motherhood, depression, a future that feels just slightly more dystopian than now — and she’s not interested in pretending things are okay. That honesty makes her feel real. And the absurdity that slips in along the way somehow makes the whole thing even sharper.
It’s not a “feel-good” read. It’s not polished. It’s not tidy. But it’s original. And it respects your intelligence. That’s rare.
If you’re into stories that take risks and characters who don't perform likability, give this one a shot. It might not be what you expect — but it’s probably what you need.
I didn’t expect this book to sit with me the way it has. It’s one of those reads that doesn’t try to impress you with prose or plot. Instead, it just tells the truth in a really strange, compelling way — and that truth feels uncomfortable and familiar at the same time.
Pam is the kind of character that feels more like someone you’ve known than someone you’re reading about. She’s unraveling in slow motion — dealing with motherhood, depression, a future that feels just slightly more dystopian than now — and she’s not interested in pretending things are okay. That honesty makes her feel real. And the absurdity that slips in along the way somehow makes the whole thing even sharper.
It’s not a “feel-good” read. It’s not polished. It’s not tidy. But it’s original. And it respects your intelligence. That’s rare.
If you’re into stories that take risks and characters who don't perform likability, give this one a shot. It might not be what you expect — but it’s probably what you need.
January 4, 2026
A cynical, transhuman glimpse into the future
a strange journey in body horror and what it means to be loved.
for fans of wry speculative science fiction thats a little horny.
a strange journey in body horror and what it means to be loved.
for fans of wry speculative science fiction thats a little horny.
June 6, 2026
Well, that was a lot. Some banger lines, enjoyable genre shifts, and satisfying weirdness. I did absolutely hate the authorial intrusion, however. 3.5⭐
Edit: I'm back more than two months later to bump this up a star, as it REALLY stuck with me, and I can't stop thinking how much I enjoyed it. I want more weird literature like this.
4.5⭐
Edit: I'm back more than two months later to bump this up a star, as it REALLY stuck with me, and I can't stop thinking how much I enjoyed it. I want more weird literature like this.
4.5⭐
August 15, 2025
Weird and interesting.
Shades of The Yellow Wallpaper and ‘The Substance’ in this oddly amusing sci-fi take on enhanced genetic engineering. A mother’s postpartum depression forces her to look for a meaning to her life. On a family trip, Pamela discovers a strange world of genetically engineered life forms that gives her hope for a new beginning. When she is given a weird device, U++, and suffers a horrific car accident, things start to get really odd.
Pamela is a flawed character, as is her husband, and their fragile, argumentative relationship is believable and feisty. Although I wasn’t entirely convinced that a woman who is so depressed that she tries to bury herself in the backyard would be up for so much sex. Also, towards the end of the book, Pamela’s voice is lost as she transforms, which was a little disappointing for me, as I would have loved to delve deeper into her consciousness as it slowly evolves into another entity.
Some lovely ideas, such as Prince being transmogrified into a flock of doves in a nature park, kept me reading on to find out what other wacky things were going to happen. I was pleased that the author explained the science behind Doctor Potter’s procedure, which helped to validate the unusual concept as a reality.
Pam’s transformation into a tree is often horrifying and sad, as she struggles to ‘perform’ for the camera despite her physical and mental pain. Mark’s descent into a money-grubbing exploiter adds to Pam’s heartbreaking realisation that her husband is exploiting her for money and cares nothing for her well-being.
Overall, the writing style was okay and easy to read. The use of futuristic devices helped to place the story in the not-too-distant future and a world dominated by AI and self-driving cars. However, there were some clumsy chunks of exposition, and awkward, unnatural dialogue, that made me want to skip some pages in order to get back to the story.
Often gruesome, often funny, this is an interesting tale with a moral message about the dangers of pandering to the reality TV media. Worth a read for the sheer strangeness.
Shades of The Yellow Wallpaper and ‘The Substance’ in this oddly amusing sci-fi take on enhanced genetic engineering. A mother’s postpartum depression forces her to look for a meaning to her life. On a family trip, Pamela discovers a strange world of genetically engineered life forms that gives her hope for a new beginning. When she is given a weird device, U++, and suffers a horrific car accident, things start to get really odd.
Pamela is a flawed character, as is her husband, and their fragile, argumentative relationship is believable and feisty. Although I wasn’t entirely convinced that a woman who is so depressed that she tries to bury herself in the backyard would be up for so much sex. Also, towards the end of the book, Pamela’s voice is lost as she transforms, which was a little disappointing for me, as I would have loved to delve deeper into her consciousness as it slowly evolves into another entity.
Some lovely ideas, such as Prince being transmogrified into a flock of doves in a nature park, kept me reading on to find out what other wacky things were going to happen. I was pleased that the author explained the science behind Doctor Potter’s procedure, which helped to validate the unusual concept as a reality.
Pam’s transformation into a tree is often horrifying and sad, as she struggles to ‘perform’ for the camera despite her physical and mental pain. Mark’s descent into a money-grubbing exploiter adds to Pam’s heartbreaking realisation that her husband is exploiting her for money and cares nothing for her well-being.
Overall, the writing style was okay and easy to read. The use of futuristic devices helped to place the story in the not-too-distant future and a world dominated by AI and self-driving cars. However, there were some clumsy chunks of exposition, and awkward, unnatural dialogue, that made me want to skip some pages in order to get back to the story.
Often gruesome, often funny, this is an interesting tale with a moral message about the dangers of pandering to the reality TV media. Worth a read for the sheer strangeness.
August 23, 2025
DNF. A quarter of the way in and things are starting to happen, but I've lost interest. I don't like the main character at all, the humor doesn't work for me, and I don't have a sense of where this is going. Not for me.
May 19, 2026
Interesting but the graphic sex etc was over the top.
June 14, 2026
Recap for self: Struggle. The actual transformation from
Woman to tree occurs very near the end, there are no twists. Bit too vulgar at times. Didn’t like any characters, found them all unlikeable or unrealistic.
Woman to tree occurs very near the end, there are no twists. Bit too vulgar at times. Didn’t like any characters, found them all unlikeable or unrealistic.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews