Wow. I finished this last night and haven't been able to get it out of my head. The more I think about it, the richer its multitude of meanings becomes. As others have noted, saying too much about the plot will ruin this for future readers. However, as a mother, this was terrifying. The genre bends (as might your interpretation of events), so it's hard to simply characterize this as any certain type of novel. It's part thriller, horror, psychological suspense, and maybe even sci-fi. The first 30% or so of the novel is absolutely anxiety-provoking: you know from the first lines of the story that Molly is home alone with her two young children when she thinks she hears an intruder in the house. The scenes that follow are scary--really scary. I couldn't put it down during those early chapters.

As the plot unfolds, the pace of the early part of the novel slows and becomes a slow, suspenseful build. You will have many questions. Most won't be answered directly. I've read the ending three times now and I've come up with three different interpretations.

I don't know if all readers will be affected in the same way by this, but I think people (especially women) with young children will connect on many levels. It rings true in so many ways that it almost becomes stressful to read. It also might force readers to think about their own lives: how well they know themselves, how they understand their roles as mothers, and how we move forward with the oppressive yet euphoric role of being a parent.

I enjoyed Phillips’ earlier novel, The Beautiful Bureaucrat, it was delightfully weird. And The Need is delightfully weird, too at time. But overall I just didn’t quite get what was happening.

What a creepy story! A mother suddenly has to deal with a masked intruder in her house, an intruder that happens to know her very well.

I don’t want to give too much away. I highly suggest going into this without reading too much about it and just seeing what you think! Definitely a weird one.

Knocking off a star because the ending just didn’t really pull it all together for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a different kind of psychological thriller. The beginning, when Molly first encounters the intruder, is intensely creepy and disturbing. There continue to be disturbing moments throughout the book, but nothing quite as visual as the events that take place in the beginning of The Need. I don't know if I would compare it directly to the weirdness of Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation series, as his standalone book Borne might be a better fit for a comparison. Anyway, definitely a good read for fans of strange thrillers and weird scifi.

A fascinating take on the twisted fulfillment of a wish I think a lot of parents have had - if you can't be with your kids, wouldn't you want it to be someone who'd care for them just as you do? I was left with so many thoughts and questions and I think the ambiguity in the book will make for great discussion. Beautifully written with great playfulness/use of language and dual meaning.

This book was actually too scary for new to finish. Well, not scary in the traditional sense but as a mom of two small kids (which by the way the author portrays so spot on; it's unbelievably good) it wad interfering with my sleep. Too close to real life? Either way, I highly recommend it for the first 60% or so and I plan to go back and finish at a later date or let it be spoiled for me. :)

Well, this one was...weird. Mostly in a VERY good way, although I'm not a fan of the end such as it is... I don't mind an oblique story - or an oblique ending. But I DO like there to BE an ending - and in this case I'm not entirely sure I ever got the feeling that it ended so much as stopped.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before we can talk about the end and whether it satisfied or not we have to talk about the entirety of what came before it and that was, for the most part, brilliant.

This is self-described as a genre-buster, and it is certainly that. The blurb is (deliberately) vague about what is to come. As I started reading I quickly realized why - the off-kilter, what's real, WTF nature of the story is a vast part of what makes it so fascinating. Had there been a genre or more descriptive blurb provided, much of that uncertainty would have been subsumed by presumptions and assumptions - and that would have wrecked the pure exhilarating joy of reading something that could have, almost literally, gone in any direction at any point... It was fascinating to see where my imagination too me - as much so as to see where Phillips actually took Molly.

The book opens with footsteps in the house - but are they really there? Is Molly losing it? Is there something supernatural going on? Are the kids oddly prescient and just a little weird? Is Molly? What's up with The Pit?
Is anyone who they seem? Is anyone ever? Who are the good guys? Who are the bad guys? Are there really distinctions? The questions are thick on the ground from the opening gambit and they only get thicker as the tale unfolds. It's a marvelous way to tell an unusual and paranoia-inducing story that explores motherhood, fear, faith, love, and selfhood in ways that are novel and unusual and yet at times clarion-clear for all that...

I loved every minute of the ambiguity - right up until the end, which felt more like someone yelled "STOP!" at the author than I would have expected. Then again, in a book riddled with questions and precious few answers, maybe the fact that I expected something different tells me more about me as a reader than about the book itself. Why do I expect tidy resolution? Does life ever provide it, really? Just because most other books have, why should this one? Would a more traditional ending have even made sense here? My answers to these questions vary depending on when I consider them, and to me that's yet another example of the exceptionally cool thing that Phillips has done with this one.

I am DEFINITELY in for more from Helen Phillips. The writing was magnificent and it left me tap-dancing among land mines from page to page - a feeling that is horrifying and death-defying and life-affirming in turns, and which makes for a brilliant reading experience. Add in the incredibly spot-on insights into motherhood and whether any of us really knows who we are when backed against a wall, and you have a fantastic book from a truly talented storyteller...

Interesting, not at all what I expected! I related to the exhausted mom juggling a young child, nursing baby, and job. Those descriptions were spot on! Other than that, the story takes a serious detour - one that is never completed or explained.

Overall this story had a lot of potential but was just not satisfying to me. If you enjoy an unresolved ending, this is the book for you! 👍🏻

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book wasn’t BAD, but it wasn’t at all what I expected. The description makes it sound like a thriller, and while it is tense, it’s more otherworldly than a traditional thriller. It’s hard to say much without revealing the twist. From other reviews I’ve read, it seems like one that a lot of mothers/parents have identified with so I wonder if that was part of the disconnect for me.

This book wasn’t necessarily for me, but I still think it’s worth picking up. It’s one of those books that some will really love while others are... meh.

I’m not a mother. I never want to be a mother, and I’m frightened of motherhood. I hate books about motherhood. Except this one. This one can stay.

The description of The Need initially disappointed me, sounding like a thriller about motherhood (oh, yeah, I also actively dislike thrillers, forgot to mention that in my mini-motherhood rant) but then I thought about how I’ve enjoyed Phillips’s previous work and knew it couldn’t be a regular ol’ thriller. And I’m very delighted to report that The Need is as weird and as disturbing as I like ‘em. I’ll let you discover what makes this story gleam like a newly minted copper penny, fresh and familiar, on your own. I will say that I loathed, loved, sympathized, misunderstood and yet completely felt Molly’s character, which is such a treat. I’ve thought a lot about how I would behave if I were in Molly’s situation, and it turns out that Molly is a much better person than I am. By a lot.

While I wasn’t a huge fan of the choppy, short chapters, I enjoyed the world building immensely. I’ve seen some other reviewers despair over the unanswered questions and loose ends, but I actually loved it. All these little details and hints expanded in my brain instead of on the page, and I’m still writing the story long after finishing the book. And that’s the point after all, isn’t it? It’s never just one story.

Phillips confirms my worst fears about motherhood: how utterly exhausting, how disgusting, how demanding children are. But she also makes kids seem pretty funny and cute and like nice little allies to have around. Great, now she’s doubly in my head.

At first, “The Need” was confusing.....muddied by the paleontology references perhaps. And Molly and her counterpart “Moll” dance back and forth in an effort to spend precious time with Molly’s children. Children who were once Moll’s in another time. And who Moll desperately ached for. It’s not completely clear how or why Moll and her children are lost to this alternate world, but we feel her, as well as Molly’s exquisite pain of separation from the children she loves as if they are actual parts of herself. The parable of the mother in the Bible who begs the king to spare the child another woman has claimed has hers rings throughout this story. Two women willing to tear themselves asunder rather than lose the children that they love. Very interesting premise.

The Need is a fast-paced thriller of a novel about the complexities of motherhood, including the joy, the fear, the wonderful, and the really, really gross. When Molly discovers who the intruder is, she’s more than shocked: it’s a realization that is almost impossible. It’s something that appears to baffle some audiences so far, given how polarizing this title is even prior to its release date.

The intruder is Molly herself, from a timeline where her children were killed by a religious tourist upset by the strange artifacts found from the pit: a Coca-Cola bottle with the brand name slanted in the wrong direction, a Bible with a holy feminine pronoun, an Altoids tin just a little too off in dimensions. This intruder–Moll–wants her children back in any way, shape or form, and that takes the shape of Molly’s own children. And thus begins a horrifying and intriguing critique on what it means to be a mother.

Her children do not recognize that this is a different version of Molly, and Moll seems to better understand some of the children’s idiosyncrasies. But Molly cannot stand that this other woman can so easily take over her life, and cannot stand herself when she allows herself brief , refreshing moments–walks, naps–without her children. Maybe Moll is better-suited to being a mother than Molly is. Maybe Molly should just run away and do things that she’s always wanted to do?

But when both versions of Mollys realize that if a tourist can kill in one timeline, a tourist can kill in another, and their love and dedication to the children becomes a race against time.

This title is gripping, intriguing, and chilling at parts. I’m personally not a mother, but I’d be so interested to hear from mothers after they’ve read this book. Because if it was that horrifying for me, I can’t imagine how horrifying it might be for them.

This one was a letdown despite the praiseworthy writing. The prose is visual and visceral and Phillips’s metaphors are heroic. “The Need” is an easy read with short chapters and vivid, plain language. But the problem is the plot. The novel suggests a plot, as does the synopsis, but we don’t really get one. We get a fleshed-out concept, but only a scaffold of a novel. I’m not sure if that makes complete sense, but it’s as if Phillips had a terrific idea for a story and decided it was enough to simply suggest its happenings.

The main character, Molly, is faced with an obstacle, a mystery, a potential villain or threat, which very soon dissolves into an exploration of the self, almost like sessions with an analyst. So if I were giving Molly an assessment, I’d say she is obsessed with motherhood, with selfhood, and creation in general. She is a creator and isn’t really sure how she feels about that. She believes she is the center of her universe (because her children make it seem so), and she needs that validation. She is enraptured with her physical existence and what it means to exist. She is a reflection of "her" from the story’s Bible.

But there’s no actual plot because nothing happens. I’m not even sure if there’s a real threat. It’s too easy to assume Molly has invented this ulterior world. Though, and here’s the problem, we never learn why she does so. Maybe it’s a motherhood thing. Maybe only those who have had children can understand this dual (or duel) of self-loathing and self-love. The need is about a mother’s need for her children, not the other way around. Or that’s my guess. Fiction exposes us to things we don’t get to experience in real life, which is why it’s intoxicating, cathartic, evocative. But here I walked away feeling like I was expected to straighten out a box of knotted up Christmas lights. And I don’t care to decorate my house that badly.

But I will say this. I wasn’t engrossed until about 50% in, but at that point I felt glued to my seat, expecting a mind-blowing payoff. Maybe that’s why I’m so disappointed …

I took me forever to review this book due to my busy schedule BUT I am so glad I pulled through and finished this book despite my hectic life. It was REALLY good! Probably one of the strangest books I've read but i loved it. Once the sci-fi aspect came into play I found myself hooked and counting down the hours til I could go home and see what was to happen next. Its the type of book where its hard to guess the ending and you have no idea what kind of journey the author is taking you on. Unpredictable, haunting and cerebral, this book is definitely one I'd like to add to my collection.

This was a good read . I enjoyed the plot and characters and felt it was a good thriller with enough twists and turns to my you interested
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

The Need perfectly captures the inner workings of a mother’s mind. The insecurities, the constant questioning and hyper awareness of dangers.

Part one of this book will resonate with every mother who ever thought, even for a second, that there was intruder in their house. Describing every sound, every breath, and every heartbeat with perfect rhythm.

From the end of part 1 to the end of the book you will be pulled every which way direction.

I put this book down only once and that was to go to bed. But had dreams about the characters due to the connections I made with the main character Molly.

I gave this a 4/5 based on so many questions left unanswered. Ahhhhh

While Helen Phillips is a talented writer, I couldn’t quite get into this one. Maybe I lack maternal understanding, and maybe I’m not the target audience with the genre blend going on here. Just based on reading the description, The Need sounds like it’s going to be a home invasion horror novel, and as someone who LOVES horror and gets most scared by home invasion plots, I was super into it. However The Need isn’t the novel its description advertises it as. I understand that that’s due in part to keep spoilers at bay because the big twist would definitely be ruined, but if I had known what the novel was going to turn into, I don’t think I would have tried it because it’s just a little out of my interest zone.

Again, Phillips is a talented writer. Her writing is easy to follow, compelling, and laced with the anticipation needed to make this story successful. That being said, if I have to read one more description about leaking nipples or milk, I’m going to explode. That could’ve been a drinking game all on its own while reading. Another issue is the lack of world building that goes on. I saw another reviewer comment on the same thing, and I think that that also contributes to my apathetic feelings about the novel. The sci-fi element has absolutely no explanation, no sense of discovery, or anything to make it believable. It feels like the reader is just supposed to accept it and not question it, which I don’t think is a strong choice to make when dealing with a novel as sci-fi heavy as this one is.

Overall, I’m glad I read this book but wouldn’t read it again. I’m glad to see that some people really love it, and I hope it continues getting positive feedback!

Wow! What an intense read! The Need kept me hanging on to each chapter all the way up to the end...and kept me wanting more! The ending to this book leaves much to the imagination...much to my angst!
Overall, a great read! I connected quickly to the main character of the book, Molly, and her struggle between being herself, a wife and a mother. She endures and grapples with her messy life, as many mothers experience. However, this book clearly throws in a creepy twist. Thank you, netgalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I kept reading thinking it would get better and make sense. I didn’t care for it. I rarely write negative reviews. Just didn’t like this book.

I just loved this book - the author's descriptions of the love/hate relationship with parenthood and children's behavior were so spot on. There were times when I had to stop reading because I was so worried about the main character and her kids. Just excellent.