I have mixed feelings about this book. I love the format, and the first half had me spellbound with dread, eager to see how much worse things would become. The section titles are so evocative and took my imagination to places that I was a bit disappointed to discover were more depraved than the book's reputation had promised. I really wanted more development of the relationship and, as weird as this might sound, darker and more extreme territory for these characters to explore. I guess that having read things like The Story of the Eye and Earthlings, it takes more than a

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tapeworm

to rattle me. Also,

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why didn't Agnes or Zoe just order tapeworm eggs off of the internet or something? I guess that the spoiled meat scene evokes more visceral disgust, but I just kept thinking that there must be an easier way.

One thing I really liked, though, is how

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LaRocca complicates the reader's perception of the characters. I started the book thinking that it would be a relatively straightforward story of Agnes's exploitation, but by the end I was almost more afraid of her desperation and nihilism than I was of Zoe's bored cruelty.