Strong start with eerie vibes and body horror, but it loses steam in the final stretch. Has some solid body horror and tense moments!

 

Energy: Tumultuous. Neurotic. Distraught. 

 

🐺 Growls Bogged down at tend with negotiations between MC and the Big Bad, explaining the mechanics of what happened, the original plan, what would happen if the MC made certain choices etc etc. 

 

🐕 Howls In the text there are italics when we get flashbacks or a scene change, but on audio there’s no indicator and it was jarring sometimes, I kept rewinding thinking I missed a transition or to rehear it in the right setting. Lost momentum near the end, too dialogue heavy. 

 

🐩 Tail Wags Slow burn with creepy undertones. Chaotic, unpredictable mother character. Gorey, visceral things happening but can’t look away. The nightwalking sequences. Including Jewish traditions and cultural references without it feeling like info dumping (I’m not very familiar with them, so needed some background). 

 

Scene: Set in Kettering, Ohio, USA

Perspective: A fifty-something who lives alone suddenly finds themselves caring for their elderly mother after she’s kicked out of her independent living facility. 

Timeline: 2020s

Fuel: Unsettling vibes and happenings. Mother-daughter dynamics. Unreliable narrator potential. Gore and grossness. Unpredictability. 

Is her mother’s condition due to biology/medical issues or is she being purposeful? Who or what is causing the creepiness? 

Cred: Mix of surreal, spiritual, and hyper-realism. 

 

Boxes. Facetime. Hair. Grilled cheese. DNA test. Dirt. TV. Vomit. 

 

Content Heads-Up: Pandemic/lockdowns (very brief mention; restrictions recently lifted). Menopause (hot flashes). Alcoholism, alcohol abuse (self-medicating, intoxication; descriptively drinking/enjoying). Abusive parent (emotional, alcoholic). Delusions, hallucinations (auditory). Cannabis (gummies, vaping; prescribed). Gaslighting. Parental abandonment, resentment, rejection. Suicide (recall, description). Dementia (signs of). Abortion (memories, discussion). Vomit, body fluids (descriptive on page). Disrespecting dietary restrictions (Jewish, vegetarian). Sexual harassment (brief; of male). Sexual content (consenting). Matriarchy. Burn injury.

 

Rep: American. Jewish. Cis. Hetero. Pink and dark skin tones. Childfree by choice.

 

📚 Format: Library Digital and Everand Audio