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A review by minimicropup
Myrrh by Polly Hall
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Probably not for everyone, but I love shots of randomness and piecing together a story from snippets, so I loved this (mostly).
Energy: Erratic. Disorienting. Ambiguous.
Scene: 🏴 Various Southern towns along the coast of England.
Perspective: We get snippets of inner thoughts from various characters. One was adopted as a child. They grew up in a supportive family, but always wondered about the circumstances, which has led to them hearing a disparaging inner voice they’ve termed the ‘goblin’. Another is living with their older spouse and stepchild, desperate for a child of their own. Two other characters are parents whose kids are grown up now.
🐕 Howls: Part of the ending was lost on me (a little too fantastical?flying demon babies )
🐩 Tail Wags: Snapshot chapters. Not always knowing who we’re reading from or why. Unpredictable strangeness (it could be a ‘slice of life’ moment or a ‘wtf did I just read’ moment). Randomness. How the characters and plot end up interconnected.
🤔 Random Thoughts:
This could be a fun buddy read predicting what’s going on, especially if you like discussing symbolism or deeper meaning in stories.
I wouldn’t recommend taking long breaks in between reading, it can be really easy to lose the nuances of the plot, especially earlier in the book.
The thoughts of Myrrh and her worries about why she was put up for adoption are all consuming and brutal sometimes. Check content warnings – this could be too much for some especially in the beginning, or a cathartic read, especially at the conclusion.
🤓 Reader Role: Peeking into the characters’ innermost thoughts, picking up on their energies, without knowing where we are exactly.
🗺️ World-Building: Whispy and intimate. Built through emotion and inner thoughts.
🔥 Fuel: Philosophical insights, moral quandaries, and catharsis. What is Myrrh’s goblin? Can she stop it from taking over her thoughts? Why does Cayenne want a child so badly? Who are the other mothers we hear from?
📖 Cred: Bizarro with a heaping side of hyper-realism
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Petrol. Door slams. Snores. Sighs. Babies crying. Goblins muttering. Garlic breath. Tears. Gardens.
Energy: Erratic. Disorienting. Ambiguous.
Scene: 🏴 Various Southern towns along the coast of England.
Perspective: We get snippets of inner thoughts from various characters. One was adopted as a child. They grew up in a supportive family, but always wondered about the circumstances, which has led to them hearing a disparaging inner voice they’ve termed the ‘goblin’. Another is living with their older spouse and stepchild, desperate for a child of their own. Two other characters are parents whose kids are grown up now.
🐕 Howls: Part of the ending was lost on me (a little too fantastical?
🐩 Tail Wags: Snapshot chapters. Not always knowing who we’re reading from or why. Unpredictable strangeness (it could be a ‘slice of life’ moment or a ‘wtf did I just read’ moment). Randomness. How the characters and plot end up interconnected.
🤔 Random Thoughts:
This could be a fun buddy read predicting what’s going on, especially if you like discussing symbolism or deeper meaning in stories.
I wouldn’t recommend taking long breaks in between reading, it can be really easy to lose the nuances of the plot, especially earlier in the book.
The thoughts of Myrrh and her worries about why she was put up for adoption are all consuming and brutal sometimes. Check content warnings – this could be too much for some especially in the beginning, or a cathartic read, especially at the conclusion.
🤓 Reader Role: Peeking into the characters’ innermost thoughts, picking up on their energies, without knowing where we are exactly.
🗺️ World-Building: Whispy and intimate. Built through emotion and inner thoughts.
🔥 Fuel: Philosophical insights, moral quandaries, and catharsis. What is Myrrh’s goblin? Can she stop it from taking over her thoughts? Why does Cayenne want a child so badly? Who are the other mothers we hear from?
📖 Cred: Bizarro with a heaping side of hyper-realism
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Petrol. Door slams. Snores. Sighs. Babies crying. Goblins muttering. Garlic breath. Tears. Gardens.
- Bizarro exploration of motherhood, choices, and families of all sorts
- Literary psychological horror
- Absurd allegorical endings
- Surreal, existential elements
- Gradually revealed plot, mostly vibes
- Mundane randomness, subtle strangeness, unraveling madness
- Confusing but clever (and meaningful) stories
- Random snapshots of inner minds and moments
- Adoption ponderings, trauma, and anxiety
- No idea what’s going on so just go with the flow writing style
- Grotesque imagery and bit of body horror
Content Heads-Up: Parental rejection/abandonment. Vomit. Foster care. Adoption (in supportive family). Anxiety, insecurity, self-doubt. Childless in want of a child. Struggling to get pregnant. Body horror. Grotesque visions/delusions. Negative, cursing intrusive thoughts. Pregnancy. Loss of a child (baby).
Rep: Egyptian ancestry, White, and ambiguous British. Heterosexual. Cisgender.
📚 Format: Kindle
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Abandonment
Moderate: Child death, Infertility, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit