gmdsreads's Reviews (199)

I was excited to read Good Dirt, having been so moved by Charmaine Wilkerson’s Black Cake. This novel explores the layered complexities of memory, grief, and family through a reflective, multi-timeline structure. As an ARC, it’s clear this story has heart and vision, though the execution still feels in progress.

Ebby is a compelling protagonist, and Wilkerson writes her with real emotional texture. Her bond with Avery brought warmth and surprise to the story, while Henry Pepper, though frustrating at times, is written with nuance. These character dynamics are where the novel truly shines.

The shifting timelines offer a rich view of how the past shapes the present, but the transitions sometimes felt jarring. I occasionally lost the thread just as I was getting into a scene. Still, the payoff in the final chapters is strong—the ending gave me chills and almost had me in tears. It came so close to reaching the emotional power of Black Cake, and I could feel echoes of Wilkerson’s lyrical storytelling throughout.

I’m hopeful that the final edition will smooth over some of the clarity and pacing issues. This ARC suggests a deeply moving book is just beneath the surface.

3.75 ⭐️ 
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to pick up The Unworthy, having been deeply affected by Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender Is the Flesh and its disturbing vision of a dystopian society. Once again, Bazterrica crafts a chilling, thought-provoking world—this time centering on a ruthless religious order operating in the midst of global turmoil.

The novel centers on an unnamed young woman confined within a rigid and oppressive convent ruled by the Sacred Sisterhood. Branded as an "unworthy," she is forced to endure harsh rituals and strict hierarchies while desperately striving to earn a place among the revered Enlightened. Isolated and silenced, she secretly records her thoughts and experiences in a forbidden diary, scrawling her truth with whatever materials she can find—discarded ink, dirt, even her own blood— no matter how crude or desperate.

Bazterrica’s writing is both haunting and poetic, pulling readers deep into the grim reality of the protagonist’s existence. She has a rare talent for crafting dystopian worlds that feel disturbingly plausible—less like an imagined future and more like a hidden truth lurking beneath the surface. Her storytelling doesn’t just depict bleak realities; it immerses you in them, making every brutal detail feel urgent and unavoidable. The Unworthy once again blurs the line between fiction and foresight, leaving readers unsettled by how easily her nightmarish vision could become our own. Told through diary entries, the narrative feels intimate and immediate, heightening the novel’s emotional impact—I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one sitting!

Having grown up Catholic, I found that the religious rituals in The Unworthy, though grotesque and extreme, struck a deeply unsettling chord. Agustina Bazterrica draws from her own experiences in Catholic school, where she witnessed a stark contrast between the ideals of love and the often cruel reality of human behavior. While some aspects were definitely hyperbolic, they didn’t lessen the novel’s impact—though they may be more divisive for certain readers.

Overall, The Unworthy is a harrowing and hypnotic read, one that lingers long after the final page. Bazterrica masterfully weaves horror and social commentary into a narrative that is both visceral and thought-provoking, forcing readers to confront unsettling questions about faith, power, and survival. Her ability to create immersive, nightmarish worlds makes this novel an unflinching and unforgettable experience. Fans of Tender Is the Flesh or dystopian fiction that pushes boundaries will find much to admire here.