womenvsthevoid's Reviews (244)

Linda works in digital hygiene as a social media content moderator. Largely unbothered by this cumbersome job, Linda’s only focus is on saving enough money to flight once a month in the hopes that she’ll meet her avian soulmate and they will be united for eternity. Linda is one of the most memorable characters you will ever encounter, and bearing witness to her pursuit is immensely enjoyable. Linda is incredibly relatable, quirks and all, and reminds you of feeling adrift, waiting for the sign that you’re where you need to be. Her fear of being judged, of her weirdness being used as a weapon, is particularly resonant. Kate Folk is a hilarious writer and I can’t wait to see what else she comes up with. 

Thank you Kate Folk, Random House, and Netgalley for advance access to Sky Daddy! Stay tuned for its release on April 8, 2025.

I couldn’t imagine what a follow-up to Tender is the Flesh, an iconic novel, would look like but The Unworthy delivers. Agustina Bazterrica continues in her apocalyptic style of creating an alternate universe where we are forced to atone for our treatment of the Earth. It’s challenging to divorce yourself from Bazterrica’s reality check because the aftermath she creates is eerily similar to what’s happening all around us. Bazterrica is hauntingly descriptive in her portrayal of the future and leaves you feeling unsettled in the best way. 

Thank you Agustina Bazterrica, Scribner, and Netgalley for early access to The Unworthy!

Vanishing World creates a society in which sex between married people is considered incest and artificial insemination is taking over procreation. As artificial insemination advances, sex altogether becomes archaic and bodily urges are more inconvenient than exciting. Amane adjusts to this changing world more easily than anticipated, always wanting to be part of what’s “normal” after being raised by a mother who swears by the purity of having sex for both pleasure and to conceive. In Vanishing World, Sayaka Murata recreates the story of Adam and Eve, and makes readers question the future of sex if it’s no longer necessary to have children. In her typical format, Murata constructs a naked version of the world, exploring what generates our most basic human impulses. 

Thank you Sayaka Murata, Grove Press, and Netgalley for advance access to Vanishing World!