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Slug
From Finnish saunas and soppy otters to grief, grandparents and Kellogg's anti-masturbation pants, Slug is a book which holds a mirror lovingly up to the world, past and present, through Hollie's driving, funny, hopeful poetry and prose. Slug is about the human condition: of birth and death and how we manage the possibilities in-between.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published May 13, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews
February 22, 2022
could not put into words how perfect this book was for me at this time in my life
May 19, 2022
Who knew a collection of poems containing stories about being fingered to the soundtrack of Ed Sheeran, inserting tampons, blue balls and fifty ways to wank would be so powerful and inspiring!
Right aye, these poems are fucking hilarious but Hollie has made me think about things I’ve never really thought of before! (Also made me cry so bloody much- see “grandchild” and “in the Holocaust camps”)
As someone who has started thinking about parenthood I found Hollies thoughts on how we speak to our children about subjects such as periods, safe sex and what is or isn’t appropriate for a child to wear absolutely fascinating. I also was today years old when I realised that it’s a vulva not a vagina so thanks Hollie!
Be prepared to laugh out loud and be pushed far out of your comfort zone; it’s worth it!
Right aye, these poems are fucking hilarious but Hollie has made me think about things I’ve never really thought of before! (Also made me cry so bloody much- see “grandchild” and “in the Holocaust camps”)
As someone who has started thinking about parenthood I found Hollies thoughts on how we speak to our children about subjects such as periods, safe sex and what is or isn’t appropriate for a child to wear absolutely fascinating. I also was today years old when I realised that it’s a vulva not a vagina so thanks Hollie!
Be prepared to laugh out loud and be pushed far out of your comfort zone; it’s worth it!
June 11, 2023
I bloody love Hollie McNish! 💜
January 1, 2025
Book Club pick 📚
Now I'm not a poetry gal, it reminds me of the dumpster fire that was Higher English, but maybe I could become a poetry gal?
I'll be honest, I preferred the essays and short stories to the poems as they were much more relatable. I actually found the the whole book really interesting and thought-provoking. It's a really good entry-level book of poetry and essays for women. I agreed with a lot of what McNish was saying. She also did the impossible task of making poetry and short stories accessible, well done Hollie.
My favourite entry was Push - which is odd because pregnancy gives me the literal fear.
Now I'm not a poetry gal, it reminds me of the dumpster fire that was Higher English, but maybe I could become a poetry gal?
I'll be honest, I preferred the essays and short stories to the poems as they were much more relatable. I actually found the the whole book really interesting and thought-provoking. It's a really good entry-level book of poetry and essays for women. I agreed with a lot of what McNish was saying. She also did the impossible task of making poetry and short stories accessible, well done Hollie.
My favourite entry was Push - which is odd because pregnancy gives me the literal fear.
April 25, 2023
4 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was just so brilliantly British and Hollie has the best sense of humour.
I think I am probably the target audience for this book as I am around Hollie's age so a lot of our experiences in school, in the times before constant technology and with the worst possible sex education etc will have been very similar.
I adored the parts about Hollie's Gran, who sounded like an amazing woman and I am so glad Hollie got to have such a fun and interesting relationship with her. It was one of my favourite parts of the book purely because it was so unexpected and because Hollie's Gran sounds like a hoot!
The format was so interesting to have a memoir section that spoke about a part of Hollie's life or some of her views and then that lead into a few poems on the subject. I think thisnworked really well and added a lot of background in general but also to the poems.
If you like reading modern poetry with a side of feminism, then definitely pick this one up!!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was just so brilliantly British and Hollie has the best sense of humour.
I think I am probably the target audience for this book as I am around Hollie's age so a lot of our experiences in school, in the times before constant technology and with the worst possible sex education etc will have been very similar.
I adored the parts about Hollie's Gran, who sounded like an amazing woman and I am so glad Hollie got to have such a fun and interesting relationship with her. It was one of my favourite parts of the book purely because it was so unexpected and because Hollie's Gran sounds like a hoot!
The format was so interesting to have a memoir section that spoke about a part of Hollie's life or some of her views and then that lead into a few poems on the subject. I think thisnworked really well and added a lot of background in general but also to the poems.
If you like reading modern poetry with a side of feminism, then definitely pick this one up!!!!
September 26, 2023
This collection of poems, short stories, and reflections by Hollie McNish was an absolute joy to read, She covers so many topics that we typically shy away from, but does so with so much wit and candour that she achieves what seems like her primary goal: to make us question why we're so hung up about them in the first place. As a British man, I found this book very helpful, offering many really useful perspectives on issues about which I know so very little (womanhood, motherhood, misogyny etc.) Her writing style makes it extremely easy to read, and I'd recommend this to almost anyone!
I'm withholding the coveted fifth star just because I found that the actual writing style didn't set me aflame, and I would have appreciated more variety across what is really a very long book of poetry.
I'm withholding the coveted fifth star just because I found that the actual writing style didn't set me aflame, and I would have appreciated more variety across what is really a very long book of poetry.
October 8, 2023
Quan vaig començar aquest llibre vaig plorar dues vegades en les primeres 20-25 pàgines. M’ha agradat taaaaaant!!?? És ràpid de llegir (però llarg d’acabar) i parla una mica en general de què és la vida a través de petits poemes i short stories sobre masturbació, menstruació, imatge propia i el dol entre moltes altres coses pero uffffff boníssim, slay.
May 28, 2021
Slug is a collection of poetry, short-stories and Hollie McNish's ramblings about life and discussions about the inspiration behind her poems. This book will make you laugh, will make you cry, will make you mad and will feel like a warm hug (particularly for women because so many issues Hollie writes about are entirely relatable.
Hollie McNish has an incredible talent and her poems and words are relatable, socially astute and also incredibly no-nonsense and funny.
This book is pretty long for poetry, but the way it is broken up into various themes: ENDINGS, GROWING UP, PARENTING, MIRRORS, MASTURBATION, BLOOD, & STRANGERS. Means you can easily dip in and out of different sections and McNish even suggests how you can read the book or not.
Slug is one of those books I wish I'd had ten years ago as an insecure teenager, hearing McNish talk about how we shame female masturbation, how we shame periods, how we shame our body. Her discussions about parenthood, about strangers, about grief. She talks about social and racial inequalities, gender disparities and so much more. There is just so much honesty and beauty to the way she writes.
Poetry is a genre I'm only just coming to love and discover and I think McNish's background discussions to her poems only made me appreciate them more. I felt none of the confusion of "Am I smart enough to interpret this poem" that has often put me off reading poetry and just entirely fell in love.
I am so thankful to the publishers for sending me a copy as this was one of my anticipated releases for May and it did not disappoint in the slightest.
Hollie McNish has an incredible talent and her poems and words are relatable, socially astute and also incredibly no-nonsense and funny.
This book is pretty long for poetry, but the way it is broken up into various themes: ENDINGS, GROWING UP, PARENTING, MIRRORS, MASTURBATION, BLOOD, & STRANGERS. Means you can easily dip in and out of different sections and McNish even suggests how you can read the book or not.
Slug is one of those books I wish I'd had ten years ago as an insecure teenager, hearing McNish talk about how we shame female masturbation, how we shame periods, how we shame our body. Her discussions about parenthood, about strangers, about grief. She talks about social and racial inequalities, gender disparities and so much more. There is just so much honesty and beauty to the way she writes.
Poetry is a genre I'm only just coming to love and discover and I think McNish's background discussions to her poems only made me appreciate them more. I felt none of the confusion of "Am I smart enough to interpret this poem" that has often put me off reading poetry and just entirely fell in love.
I am so thankful to the publishers for sending me a copy as this was one of my anticipated releases for May and it did not disappoint in the slightest.
December 28, 2024
This was disappointing. There were a few poems I liked and dog-eared! But overall I really expected something more.. revolutionary. If I had read this when I was 14, I think it would’ve changed my life. But at this point in my life, it came across as white feminism-y. And in the contrary of some people reading short stories and skimming poems, I found myself doing the opposite.
May 16, 2022
loved the poems about wanking x
September 14, 2022
this is (weirdly?) the most comforting book i’ve ever read
December 17, 2023
Slug: a review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I took longer to read this. Why you may ask? Simply because it was by far one of the best books I have read this year. In what can only be described as an incredibly powerful “tour de force”, Hollie Mcnish takes us on a journey of womanhood and motherhood. God I loved this book!
In the different parts of this poetry/shorty story novel, we explore the ups and downs of being a woman. From period cramps to sexual desires, going through the ideas of motherhood, I think these texts really pull back the veil on feelings were taught to disregard or not even think of.
But that doesn’t change the fact we’re human beings. We all want to be loved. We all crave things in life. We all question our past whilst wondering what to make of our future. I know I do.
Mcnish was just honest about this in a way I didn’t know was possible. Let alone allowed. And if I’m being honest, I loved every minute of it.
Side note, poem highlights: Pink or blue, an apology to my daughter in advance, things I have been shown by media and advertising industries that will make me orgasm, finger me, view of the world in the three days before my period is due, modern art.
If you haven’t already, go read this, you can thank me later;)
I took longer to read this. Why you may ask? Simply because it was by far one of the best books I have read this year. In what can only be described as an incredibly powerful “tour de force”, Hollie Mcnish takes us on a journey of womanhood and motherhood. God I loved this book!
In the different parts of this poetry/shorty story novel, we explore the ups and downs of being a woman. From period cramps to sexual desires, going through the ideas of motherhood, I think these texts really pull back the veil on feelings were taught to disregard or not even think of.
But that doesn’t change the fact we’re human beings. We all want to be loved. We all crave things in life. We all question our past whilst wondering what to make of our future. I know I do.
Mcnish was just honest about this in a way I didn’t know was possible. Let alone allowed. And if I’m being honest, I loved every minute of it.
Side note, poem highlights: Pink or blue, an apology to my daughter in advance, things I have been shown by media and advertising industries that will make me orgasm, finger me, view of the world in the three days before my period is due, modern art.
If you haven’t already, go read this, you can thank me later;)
July 3, 2021
This is another outstanding book by Hollie McNish. It is a combination of poetry, memoir, essays and short stories. It is eye-opening, heartbreaking and hilarious, covering a variety of taboo subjects (e.g. bodies, sex, death). Thoroughly recommended!
February 5, 2025
una inglesa divertida contándote sus pensamientos como mujer y madre y persona en este mundo en el que nada te explican. me encantaría tomarme unas cerves con ella y hablar sobre todo lo escatológico que se nos ocurra
June 20, 2022
Probably my favourite read of 2022 so far!
May 11, 2024
I can’t recommend this enough !!!!! Hollie is such an amazing writer and person in general I can’t wait to read more from her. There were so many times throughout this book where I felt seen, experiences I’ve lived but could never put into words but Hollie knew how to!!!
June 24, 2024
this is my first time reading a book where it’s written how i write: a medley of short stories, poems and non fiction prose
and it was great and inspiring and hopeful
and it was great and inspiring and hopeful
October 18, 2024
muy bueno, era para clase así que tengo ganas de empezar a estudiarlo y entender mejor ciertas partes y/o referencias :)
April 16, 2024
A bit long, to be honest, but also powerful and refreshing. Hollie writes about the things we never talk about, but should.
May 23, 2025
How crazy is it if I say Hollie McNish is to me what Jesus is to others
May 23, 2023
Loved this book. Would find the idea of poetry quiet daunting but this is actually very accessible. It is simultaneously funny and a tear jerker.
June 7, 2024
Loved every minute of reading this.
August 31, 2024
After having seen Hollie live, I knew I had to read her books. This one is a one is a medley of poems and short stories on various topics (periods!, grandmas, strangers etc) that made me laugh, cry, and reflect all the way through the end.
January 14, 2022
Certain chapters made me question some of my opinions and other chapters made me laugh out loud (lol) at times. I enjoyed the darker more thought provoking poetry. I found this book somewhat repetitive around specific subjects, but overall very relatable as a female reader.
February 10, 2024
i’m not built for poetry
April 18, 2024
With her shift from poetry alone to a blend of poetry and essays in her marvellous 2016 collection
Nobody Told Me
Hollie McNish added a rich layer of commentary and insight to her work. She continues the approach here, however shifting form from the 2016 chronology to a collection built around seven themes. In them, she explores death, aging, parenthood, identities, sex (well, masturbation), menstruation and forms of social safety and security. They’re big issues of daily life, unavoidable and yet in many ways secret or unspoken.
In places the essays explain or provide some background to the poems, in others they are more free standing commentaries, anecdotes, confessionals, or musings on the ways of our times. Alongside them side tightly crafted, sharp pieces of verse – some poignant, some witty, some sharply observant, some achingly difficult, some achingly beautiful and continually worth revisiting. Amid all this she also sneaks in three short stories, I assume because at times there things neither poetry nor essays can encapsulate.
I have dipped in and out of this, reviewed, revisited, and lingered over sections meaning that it has taken a long time to get to the end – but it was worth it. Quite, quite splendid.
In places the essays explain or provide some background to the poems, in others they are more free standing commentaries, anecdotes, confessionals, or musings on the ways of our times. Alongside them side tightly crafted, sharp pieces of verse – some poignant, some witty, some sharply observant, some achingly difficult, some achingly beautiful and continually worth revisiting. Amid all this she also sneaks in three short stories, I assume because at times there things neither poetry nor essays can encapsulate.
I have dipped in and out of this, reviewed, revisited, and lingered over sections meaning that it has taken a long time to get to the end – but it was worth it. Quite, quite splendid.
June 25, 2023
Hyvä ja kiinnostava teos, muttei mitenkään mullistava. Jos olisin 10 vuotta vanhempi, olisin varmaan kokenut voimakkaampia tunteita.
Äitiydestä ja tyttäryydestä kirjoitetaan tarkkasilmäisesti. Meinasin itkeä töissä. Muutenkin teoksen aiheita käsitellään ronskisti ja henkilökohtaisesti, mutta silti jotenkin herkästi.
En kuitenkaan ihan rakastunut tekstiin. Kirjoittaja osaa kirjoittaa, mutta tyyli ei iske. Varsinkin lyriikka on usein vähän liian nykyaikaista (tämä ei ole kritiikki, vaan mun oman maun tiettyä rajallisuutta). Teos on varsin pitkä, muttei tylsistytä juuri siksi, että pidempien tekstien välissä on lyriikkaa. Toisin sanoen: tahditus on onnistunutta.
Kasuaali kirjoitustyyli saa aina aikaseksi sen, että tekee itsekin mieli kirjoittaa. Mikään ajatus ei ole mitätön, ja asioiden sanoittaminen (sekä laajemman keskustelun luominen) voi olla itsessään arvokasta.
Teoksen usein humoristinen ote on miellyttävä, muttei juurikaan onnistu naurattamaan. Jälleen kerran: varmaan olisi uponnut paremmin, jos olisin 10 vuotta vanhempi.
Äitiydestä ja tyttäryydestä kirjoitetaan tarkkasilmäisesti. Meinasin itkeä töissä. Muutenkin teoksen aiheita käsitellään ronskisti ja henkilökohtaisesti, mutta silti jotenkin herkästi.
En kuitenkaan ihan rakastunut tekstiin. Kirjoittaja osaa kirjoittaa, mutta tyyli ei iske. Varsinkin lyriikka on usein vähän liian nykyaikaista (tämä ei ole kritiikki, vaan mun oman maun tiettyä rajallisuutta). Teos on varsin pitkä, muttei tylsistytä juuri siksi, että pidempien tekstien välissä on lyriikkaa. Toisin sanoen: tahditus on onnistunutta.
Kasuaali kirjoitustyyli saa aina aikaseksi sen, että tekee itsekin mieli kirjoittaa. Mikään ajatus ei ole mitätön, ja asioiden sanoittaminen (sekä laajemman keskustelun luominen) voi olla itsessään arvokasta.
Teoksen usein humoristinen ote on miellyttävä, muttei juurikaan onnistu naurattamaan. Jälleen kerran: varmaan olisi uponnut paremmin, jos olisin 10 vuotta vanhempi.
April 2, 2022
I love writing poetry and I love Hollies poetry. Despite this I own few poetry collections myself.
I saw this book on a well loved booktubers channel so ordered it for myself. I got it Thursday night and despite the fact I worked a ten hour shift yesterday have still managed to finish it today. I don’t know how to describe this book, it’s bloody brilliant. Each segment is a set of poems based on life as the average person lives it and a lovely bit of writing beforehand about how this links into Hollies life or way of thinking. It’s just amazing. I scheduled a day to myself today especially for reading this book; as in I turned off my phone so no one could reach me, went to the shops especially for ice cream and Prosecco then just sat on my settee and soaked in the words. It’s the best book I’ve read in years. I want to pass it onto every one I think will enjoy it but I can’t bear the thought of not having a copy for myself so I’ll just have to buy lots of copies!
From one holly to another (I know your an Ie spelling of holly!) thank you thank you thank you 📚
I saw this book on a well loved booktubers channel so ordered it for myself. I got it Thursday night and despite the fact I worked a ten hour shift yesterday have still managed to finish it today. I don’t know how to describe this book, it’s bloody brilliant. Each segment is a set of poems based on life as the average person lives it and a lovely bit of writing beforehand about how this links into Hollies life or way of thinking. It’s just amazing. I scheduled a day to myself today especially for reading this book; as in I turned off my phone so no one could reach me, went to the shops especially for ice cream and Prosecco then just sat on my settee and soaked in the words. It’s the best book I’ve read in years. I want to pass it onto every one I think will enjoy it but I can’t bear the thought of not having a copy for myself so I’ll just have to buy lots of copies!
From one holly to another (I know your an Ie spelling of holly!) thank you thank you thank you 📚
September 5, 2024
Okay this is kind of a split review because this book is made up of the author’s poems and then surrounding those is a bunch of prose reflecting on her life and experiences as a woman, talking about all kinds of things from menstruation, to masturbating, to breast feeding, to mothering, to encounters with strangers and more. And while I was rather lukewarm on the poems (some of them I really liked but a lot I just felt pretty neutral about), the prose was phenomenal. Really, really excellent reflection on womanhood and being a person in this world with attention to diversity in gender and race beyond the author’s own identity which was well tied in and acknowledged frequently. You can tell McNish has really spent a lot of time reading and talking with people different from her and has developed quite a nuanced and complex view of the world through this.
I think it was a really engaging, funny, interesting, thoughtful and beautiful book, with decent poetry along with it!
I think it was a really engaging, funny, interesting, thoughtful and beautiful book, with decent poetry along with it!
June 17, 2022
*Somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars*
This was absolutely fantastic. I find the term that is currently circling tiktok "none of us have had a unique experience in our lives" can sometimes be incredibly comforting and help us feel normal. That is exactly what "Slug" does. Prose, poems, short stories, essays and part memoir - Slug is funny, transgressive and completely honest.
I definitely need more Hollie McNish in my life now.
This was absolutely fantastic. I find the term that is currently circling tiktok "none of us have had a unique experience in our lives" can sometimes be incredibly comforting and help us feel normal. That is exactly what "Slug" does. Prose, poems, short stories, essays and part memoir - Slug is funny, transgressive and completely honest.
I definitely need more Hollie McNish in my life now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 293 reviews