This book is seriously creepy and effective psychological horror. The authors make wry observations about human character and society along the way. This is familiar and yet effective dystopian storytelling. Truths about our current world are revealed here, via an alternative history about a novel flu virus that spread beginning in 1916 during the Great War. Dystopian fans should like it.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I did not realize there was a podcast associated with this book (though, considering it's Jeffrey Cranor, I should've guessed as much). Unfortunately, this book didn't stand on its own for me. I think if readers are interested in the podcast /and/ the book as a whole, the experience would be good -- it's a well-written book, without doubt. But as a stand-alone, it's weak.

You Feel It Just Below the Ribs feels unfinished. It wasn’t until after I read the book that I realized that this novel is continued in the authors’ podcast, making it less of a stand alone novel than an intro to a wider world.

I struggled with a few aspects of this book. Written as a ‘found’ memoir after the renowned psychologist Miraim’s death, the book is set up to make her an unreliable narrator. Because I read this as an e-ARC, I struggled to see the disconnect between the fictional ‘publisher’s’ contradictions, noted with asterisks and the storyline. The publisher's comments were at the very end of the book, after the acknowledgements. Thus, I completely missed the contradictions while I was actually reading.

YFIJBTR is an interesting alternative 20th century. Filled with vague inexhaustible war, this catastrophe ushers in a new world order. Miriam, imprisoned at a young age, learns about a meditation technique from a fellow inmate, which she harnesses to regulate others’ emotions and eventually to erase trauma.

Armed with this skill, Miriam helps to rebuild society, but this time without any nations or familial ties. Nationalism is so vilified, that the technique is used to erase all new children’s memories once they turn 10, allowing them to join society without any childhood connections.

Despite the dystopian elements, YFIJBTR wasn’t spooky or particularly scary. The narrator claims to be uninterested in politics (despite being very involved with them), so we’re only shown a single view of the world’s transformation. If you’re interested in both podcasts and books, this could be a worthwhile story. However, as a single novel, it’s a weak cautionary tale.

I appreciate the alt-universe history of this and like the playful form, but it ended up feeling as boring as history books sometimes do. If I knew more about the world of Within the Wires, perhaps I'd have enjoyed this more, but the pace was ultimately too slow and I couldn't find stakes to hang onto, which led me to skimming and ultimately putting it aside altogether.

This was such an interesting book! I had no idea that it was related to a podcast but readers can still enjoy You Feel It Just Below the Ribs even if you aren't a listener. I know I did--and this was a twisty tale of a past and future that could have/could be.

As a fan of Jeffery Cranor's Welcome to Night Vale and other projects, when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. I've developed a love of speculative fiction over the last year and You Feel it Just Below the Ribs was such an interesting read! It certainly held up to other spec fics I've read with it's intrigue. There are many footnotes throughout, so if that's something that bothers you, this might not be your cup of tea. However, I absolutely love when a book has that meta feel to it, when there is more to the story than the original text, so it has to be expanded on.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Be prepared to suspend your knowledge of twentieth-century world history to experience this reimagined dystopian reality written as a found memoir. It chronicles the life of trauma psychologist Dr. Miriam Gregory through The Great Reckoning and the subsequent reconstruction of world government known as The New Society. Footnotes from the publisher in possession of the manuscript question the credibility of Dr. Gregory’s story as it relates to the new world order.

Cranor and Matthewson immerse you in their alternate version of the outcome of WWI. It’s eerily easy to imagine these events leading to the complete destruction of national governments as we know them. Miriam’s story feels so plausible and her urgent need to tell it speaks volumes of the corruption she had a part in perpetuating through her single-minded focus and aversion to politics.

This is at once a fascinating and deeply disturbing story. While it’s clearly fiction, there are so many elements of reality to make it credible that it becomes remarkably unsettling. It illustrates how order comes with the price of control, and the balance is how much we’re willing to sacrifice as a society to keep the peace. Heavy stuff, but a great read.

First- this cover is amazing and its what initially drew me to this book. I was not aware it was was within a podcast universe, but fortunately it stands alone. This is a quick and very interesting sci-fi read that I would definitely suggest to anyone looking for a book that also handles memory and grief. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!

I DNF’d this at 34%. I was tempted to continue to slog my way through the rest because I’d gotten that far, but I just don’t want to waste my life on books I don’t enjoy. This was just boring, and not written in an engaging way. The idea had so much potential (which was why I requested it), but it just did not deliver.

An interesting take on a future world in which violence and war is eliminated, by forgetting your familial ties. We hear this from amthe perspective of a doctor, as she grows up in war times and develops the method that's eventually used across the world to help us forget. I highly recommend this unique perspective on a dystopia (utopian?) society.

I listened to some of the first season of Within the Wires but never really got into it. I think I needed a bit more background on the alternate history in which the story took place. You Feel It Just Below the Ribs gave me that grounding and so I found it much easier to enjoy, or to endure, the life story of Dr. Miriam Gregory who did what she had to in order to survive a world that was torn apart and then came back together. The story felt quiet but was at the same time extremely compelling once it really got going. I've redownloaded the first season of the podcast because I think I'm ready to give it another try.

Miriam is a child of the Great Reckoning, a decades long war that left humanity depleted and left her alone in the world. When she discovers her unique ability to erase people and experiences from the mind, she is drawn into the detachment process of The New Society, who believes the best way to maintain peace is to eliminate families. But the world she’s sucked into is far more sinister than she anticipated. Told in first person, autobiography style, You Feel It Just Below the Ribs is the kind of book that lives in your mind for months after reading it.

This book was one of the most haunting and jarring books I’ve read this year and I loved every minute of it. While the authors note you don’t need to listen to their podcast set in the same world, I genuinely am curious whether that is valid or not. A lot about the general world was left open ended, but it added to the mysterious nature of the narrator and her story. You are engulfed in this dystopian world through the lens of one researcher within it and left with the open-ended question of did this really happen, or was it the crazy fabrications of Miriam?

While I found the ending rushed and unsatisfying, I would recommend this book highly.

A quick, dystopian read with an interesting premise - a fictional autobiography of Miriam, a woman who came of age during the Great Reckoning (approx the time of WW1 and the Spanish Influenza)

While this was a quick read and very interesting, I found some parts dragged a bit and seemed repetitive. Also, I found it hard to figure out the age of the person at the center of the biography. We were only really told her age up between 20-30s and then later when she’s 80.

If the “editors” of the found autobiography added plenty of footnotes throughout for clarity but it’s hard to follow along when you don’t know how old the person is. I also would’ve liked to have seen a map so I could get general idea of locations as the world lost the deceptions we use during the Great Reckoning.

Definitely recommend to sci-fi readers and anyone looking to get into the genre with a lighter dystopian.

4.5 stars

In an alternate 1996, a manuscript is found after its author passes away that could shake the foundation of The Society. It follows the life of the author, Dr. Miriam Gregory, from her life as a child during the Great Reckoning - a devastating war that lasted from the 1910s to 1940s - through her work as a psychologist helping children work through trauma, to seeing her methods used and potentially corrupted as the newly founded Society bans all familial relationships by making all citizens forget they had them in the first place. Footnotes from the publisher refute her claims, begging the question, who is telling the truth?

This book takes place in the world of the podcast Within The Wires, created by the authors of this book, but it is definitely not a requirement to listen to the podcast before reading the book. I hadn't known anything about the podcast going into this and I still fully enjoyed it, and now want to binge the entire podcast. Since each season of the podcast is its own story within the world, this is simply another entry point to the story and one that does its job amazingly.

So I read this book, in its entirety, on my phone while waiting in lines at Disney World. I'm very impressed with myself. Especially because the footnotes were extremely difficult to click on while on my phone (which is no fault of the book's). I definitely stacked the odds of my enjoyment against <i>You Feel It</i>, but the quality of this book shone through. The text of the book follows Miriam describing her own life, which in and of itself leads to some bias in the recounting. She was orphaned and taken in a few times, and eventually found a method of hypnosis that would allow children like her to forget their trauma ever happened. From her perspective, as The Society is founded and its ideals of anti-tribalism more strictly implemented, she starts to see the darker side of these supposedly well-intentioned ideas. But we also have the words of the publisher. They claim to be showing you this text in the interest of free speech, while also pointing out historical inaccuracies and trying to refute the claims of the author, meanwhile telling the reader to keep the book secret and burn it after reading. Do they mean that, or is the reader supposed to read between the lines?

This book left me with a feeling of confusion in the best possible way. As aforementioned, who is telling the truth? Since the reader is meant to be in this world, some large parts of the new society are slowly explained. What is this society really doing? Some details Miriam is not privy to, like the intentions of her business partner. Miriam also leaves some details to herself, such as what happened with Edgar. What really happened? This book is going to have my gears turning for a long time. I'm absolutely listening to the podcast now; I need to know what happens.

Overall, this dystopian surprised me with its layers and the exact right amount of clarity. If you love unreliable narrators as much as I do, this is something you need to pick up.

After finishing this novel, I could barely come up with words to describe it. "You Feel It Just Below the Ribs" from Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson is unlike any sci-fi novel I've read in ages.

Cranor and Matthewson's fictional autobiography recounts the life of Miriam during The Great Reckoning, a decades-long war and disaster that nearly wipes the entire human population. From being orphaned to a stint in prison, Miriam chronicles her isolating childhood and her work into emotional detachment that later changes the world, for better or for worse.

As society rebuilds, the new, global governing body forbids any relationships that might cause "tribal loyalties," including families, by using Miriam's research. Miriam's work transforms into a sinister program with disastrous consequences on humanity with every leap and failure in her career. As more and more revelations are made, she plans to destroy the program from the inside and undermine her life's work.

There's no doubt that Cranor and Matthewson have created a work like no other. The novel is structured like an autobiography with judgmental editor's footnotes scattered throughout. The book casts doubt on Miriam, her memories, and the editors to lure readers into reading between the lines and casting their own opinions on the truth. Miriam's unreliable narration doesn't carry its weight–even with the editor's notes, the suspense surrounding her story falls flat in comparison to her story.

Although the novel is imaginative and unlike any other in living memory, the novel's beginning doesn't line up with the rest of the story. Miriam's lonely childhood makes sense with her work. Still, the editor's notes reveal little and make for a confusing narration in the novel's first quarter.

Nevertheless, "You Feel It Just Below the Ribs" is written beautifully without the pomp and circumstance of most apocalyptic novels. Quietly fascinating and melancholy, the themes of grief and isolation align with what our reality is now with the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the book feels utterly genuine; there are moments where you almost believe the events of "You Feel It Just Below the Ribs" happened in real life.
Thought-provoking, deeply unsettling, and saddening, "You Feel It Just Below the Ribs" might be one of the most imaginative novels out there.

YOU FEEL IT JUST BELOW THE RIBS
By Jeffrey Cranor and Janina Matthewson


Nearly everyone is dead. There is nothing to look forward to. War is raging. Hate is prevailing. It is painful to exist. There is nothing to do about it. There is no where to go. There is no one to steal from. No one to exploit.

You have no hunting and gathering skills. You are black, you are a woman, you have no innate talents, you are not Katniss and honestly you don’t even know what the purpose of your life is.

How do you find peace and purpose amongst chaos?

Pandemic literature is a lot to absorb.

An important concept I’m coming across is the whole AND THE BAND PLAYED ON…and I can’t help but feel it is part of the lesson here.

The only transcendent trait in human nature is our will to survive. I do not want to live in a world where that is tested.

The problem of course, is that we already are. The frog doesn’t realize it’s boiling until it’s legs have lost feeling. Leaving him with will and no method or measures for survival.

Take a deep breath, expand your chest, that pain you feel, just below the ribs, that’s what makes you human.

I enjoyed the suspense elements, the premise, and the writing. It was anxiety-inducing and extremely effective.

I do feel it possibly took on more than it needed to. The genre blend felt heavy at times. Looking forward to what these authors have for us next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and Harper Perrenial and Paperbacks for this advanced copy!!

Fictional "autobiography" set within the world of Sci-Fi podcast Within the Wires, created by the author Jeffrey Cranor.

You Feel It Just Below the Ribs takes place in alternate twentieth century, a world rebuilding from war during a time called "The Great Reckoning." In this world, you are required to live alone, detached from forming connections with anyone. Memories are lost and relationships forgotten. This novel views this new world through the eyes of a scientist meant to suppress these memories.

For fans of speculative fiction and the Within the Wires podcast.

Most of the time when a book lets me know at the outset that the narrator is unreliable I find it very hard to care much about the character (this was my problem with Jeff VanderMeer's <i>Annihilation</i>). This was not the case with <i>You Feel It Just Below The Ribs</i>. The novel is presented as a found manuscript, the autobiography of Dr. Miriam Gregory, complete with editorial notes. Sometimes these footnotes were interesting and sometimes they were distracting, but they evolve over the course of the novel to go from dry and academic to more of an integrated part of the narrative so that even while they're decrying Gregory's version of her life's events, you have to wonder if THEY are the thing that's unreliable. But that's the point of the novel, really – do you trust Dr. Gregory or do you trust the government? Is it all just conspiracy theory or is the conspiracy real? Another thing I loved about this book is that fact it took me a few chapters to really start appreciating how alternate this timeline is from our own. The novel introduces the differences in such subtle, slowly-unfolding ways that is immersive and totally engaging.

Psychologist Dr. Miriam Gregory’s influential work revolves around wiping traumatic memories from children and detaching them from their families. Her research inspired a mandatory program under The New Society, where all group loyalty is banned. The book is structured as Dr. Gregory’s draft autobiography. The fictional publisher inserts footnotes and descriptions that gradually build the context of her life. But is Dr. Gregory’s account accurate? Is the publisher being honest? Maybe the truth is somewhere in between.

I enjoyed this one both for its premise and the unique construction. It’s a neat take on the unreliable narrator trope. A few parts were slow and drawn out. Sometimes I was itching for new information. Although I liked the manuscript concept, at times reading the footnotes disrupted the flow. Overall I was intrigued by this Society and Dr. Gregory. It really made me think about publishers as stewards of information as well (especially with how this ends).