Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC!

Crows and piss, piss and crows, that plus the most uncomfortable depiction of female obsession I’ve read in a while is what makes up K-Ming Chang’s latest offering. When I read Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval, I thought for sure that was the pissiest book I’d ever read, but somehow Cecilia has topped it with the amount of piss mentioned. 

I didn’t love it but I also didn’t hate it. I’m a lover of weird fiction but this one sometimes veered into too nebulous a territory even for me. The magical regenerating liver and the crows had me scratching my head. 

However, as mentioned, the depiction of obsessive desire is immaculate. Seven is fully consumed by Cecilia - if you liked Eileen, you might like this one too. There’s a section where Seven rhapsodises about a balloon Cecilia got her for her birthday - because it’s filled with her breath. It goes on for several pages and I’ve never felt so creeped out by a balloon. It’s extraordinary levels of details really.

One for you if you love a gross, weird, queer little read.