Feb 1

Feb 1 She Did WHAT?!

Written by Jules Rivera

Hello, my friend. Looking for something that speaks to your inner demons? Me too! All the time! I find books about women fighting and overcoming, (or even better) marinating and indulging in their inner monsters to be thought provoking, enticing, and oh so thrilling. Here are a few books with absolutely insane plots with even more insane women that I still think about every day. A plus? They’re all written by women, too! Take a little look!

She Did WHAT?!

Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier

“Her name was Jenny Hauser and every Wednesday I put pickles on her pizza.”

She’s 18, she works at a pizza shop, and she’s pregnant. Life is exactly fine and at times cumbersome for Pizza Girl. She works every day, has a supportive mother, a loving boyfriend, a fun work best friend- and a dead dad. All of these mix together to create a foundation this protagonist can hardly stand on. That is, until she meets Jenny Hauser: an overwhelmed, stressed single mother who needs to get her son to eat something. Pizza Girl’s shop is the only pizza place that attempts to make the pie that reminds him of home: cheese with pickles on top. Every time the phone rings and Jenny orders, her lasso reels Pizza Girl in just a teensy bit more. As her obsession begins to build, her demons go along with it and we begin to see what happens when you push away your grief rather than process it head on. How many times will your problems shapeshift when you try to drown them out? This debut novel by Frazier is zesty in just the right way- one you don’t even want to THINK about missing.

She saw WHAT?!

Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby

“Cassandra is tired of running at wooden horses with nothing but the flame of the smallest match.”

It all starts with Cassandra: cursed with eternal knowledge and damned by the truth. Forever doomed to never be believed, seen, or heard. In each story we see what could happen, what has, what hasn’t, and what never could. Women who have biologically evolved to develop defenses against predatory men- while still following fashion trends. A damning Yelp review of a crab shack. A softball team about to play the team of the school who just survived a tragedy- do they let them win? Or is that worse? The ghost of a preacher who will not give a woman a break. A crossdressing female pirate. A young girl’s first kiss and love in Mexico. A woman tries to get a grip of life by breaking up with herself. A midwestern girl that is just exhausted. An incredible collection of stories that asks you to think of the human experience and then dial up the pressure by 100. A fun ride of empathy, love, survival, and exhaustion.

She ate WHO?!

A Certain Hunger, Chelsea G. Summers

“I have carved my place in your memory , cut to the quick of American consciousness. How many women- hungry as we are for immutability -can say the same?”

Written in the style of a memoir, we follow a biting tale following the writer, turned food critic, turned freelance writer, and full time seductive cannibal protagonist. Through gorgeous and visceral culinary style writing we watch her avoid love, commitment, and the law- all while whipping up and enjoying meal after scurrilous meal. We see her travel to Europe and back to New York, bouncing between lovers who are guaranteed to meet an untimely demise. She builds up the fantasy, takes you on a journey, and drags you right down with her when things get messy. You will find yourself rooting for her and desperately hoping she doesn’t get caught. Why?! How!? In the end, you’ll be sweating, biting your nails, jumping up and down, and wanting to buy a cookbook. An absolute must read that I, for the life of me, cannot stop talking about.

She turned into WHAT?

The Vegetarian, Han Kang

“There was nothing the matter. It was a fact. Everything would be fine as long as she kept going, just carried on with her life as she had always done. In any case, there was no other way.”
Zoom in on Yeong-hye, her husband, and their child living a calm, normal life, in love and peaceful. Little by little, Yeong-hye’s mind begins to become wrought with formidable images of blood and gore. In an attempt to rid these thoughts she decides to take meat out of her diet, and thus out of her mind. This lifestyle change does not go unnoticed, and she begins to face an immense amount of criticism from those around her, including her husband. This decision becomes not only an act of self-preservation and salvation, but of rebellion and independence. Slowly, things begin to change for her, first on the inside, then out. Yikes!! Told from varying points of view, this is an incredibly gripping story about how the trauma you experience can live and grow inside you for so long it has nowhere else to go but out. By the time you finish, you will not be sure which end is up, but you’ll certainly have your mind made up on each character. Han Kang is a master of lacing together allegory, torment, and love. A translated must read!!!!

She drove WHERE?!

Your Driver is Waiting, Priya Guns

“There really is a thud when you hit a body. A thud you can feel from the bumper to the wheel of your seat. Then your stomach drops.”

Damani is a young Indian independent cab driver who is an absolutely exhausted workout fiend. She cares for her mother after her father’s sudden passing, and driving is the only thing that provides her a somewhat sustainable income. Regardless of the circumstances, Damani rides through it: surging rates, radical protests, and mothers with obnoxious children. There’s nothing she, nor the heavy duty duct tape, rope, and cleaning supplies in her trunk can’t handle. Yet once Jolene, a cool, rich, privileged, yet politically correct white girl with a great rating hops in Damani’s car needing a ride, Damani falls head over heels! However, once Jolene makes an immense Oopsie, a chain of insanity follows. A satirical riff on DeNiro’s Taxi Driver, this book is insane. Insanely good.

She did WHO?!

Big Swiss, Jen Beagin

“Greta focused on a crack in the ceiling. If they were going to do this regularly, she might tack a picture up there. Something calming. The ocean? Although, Bis Swiss herself seemed increasingly sealike: vast, unknowable, capable of swallowing Greta whole.”

Greta has ditched her old life and is starting anew- and she has gotten herself into a bit of a mess. She lives in an old Dutch house in Hudson, NY with her roommate Sabine and thousands upon thousands of bees. She now works for a sex therapist transcribing audio clips for his new book- and she makes good money doing it. After transcribing a session, she becomes intrigued by one specific client she calls “Big Swiss”. A tall, monotone, married, presumably beautiful, Swiss woman who she quickly develops an obsession for. She relates to Big Swiss, seeing as they have both lived through and “overcome” traumatic experiences. One day in public, after recognizing Big Swiss’ voice, Greta suddenly lies about her identity to pursue a potential relationship with her. Chaos ensues.

Big Swiss is out this month, don’t miss it!

A super large, huge, massive, enormous thanks to Amali for letting me get my grubby little paws on Your Driver is Waiting and Big Swiss- and so quickly! Thanks to Anna, Alexa, and Alyse (lots of A’s) for the help with recommendations!