I'm unfortunately going to have to DNF this.
I have been trying to get through it for over a month now and I'm not even a third of the way in.
Part of me wanted to see where the story went but most of me just wasn't interested enough to pick it up over any other book I currently want to read.
If you like classic sci-fi then you will probably like it as that's what it feels like.
It's gritty.
It makes you feel like you're walking through a dark and rainy dystopian backstreet wearing soggy clothes.
Honestly that part was what made me want to carry on reading. The intended atmosphere worked very well.
I think for me the mystery wasn't intriguing enough and I couldn't find it in myself to care about any of the characters.

Fans of dystopian fiction might enjoy this novel set in Toronto. It as all the elements but unfortunately, for me at least, it felt derivative, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

I love fungal horror, I love literary fiction, I love body horror and weird just-left-of-center alternate futures. Based on all of that, I expected to love "The Marigold." It has a great cover, it has a fabulous premise, it's coming from an indie publisher, and I'd love to give the editor who crafted that synopsis a kiss--it's one of the most enticing I've read in a long time.

However, in the execution, this book falls flat.

First, let's talk grammar. This book could have benefited immensely from a heavy-handed additional round of copyedits. This author really loves commas. The sentence structures are very repetitive, and a book comprised almost entirely of six or seven clauses mashed together with commas does not make for a smooth or engaging reading experience. This book suffers from a multitude of comma splices, dangling modifiers, and random intrusions of second person. There's not a single use of a past participle in the entire thing, which is absolutely mind-boggling considering that it's written in past tense. It makes it very hard to follow what is happening, and when. I don't think I've ever seen this degree of grammatical mistakes in a traditionally published book before. Fixing these pervasive issues would bring my rating up by a full 1.5 stars immediately.

As far as plot goes, there are problems there, too. As other reviewers have commented, there are too many rotating POVs to really get attached to the characters or keep track of what's going on. In my opinion, you could have cut out either Cathy or Soda and not much would have changed. Cathy in particular felt like a police officer-shaped cardboard cutout, and her throwaway "relationship" with Jasmine was bizarre and half-baked. It changed nothing about the way the two of them interacted. [Spoiler incoming] And then, when you establish a token wlw relationship and promptly kill one of them off--that's going to read as "bury your gays," even if it's not intended.[/spoiler] Jasmine herself flips motivations and reactions like a light switch, which renders her one-dimensional and unconvincing. The chapters with the two of them felt like a slog, when they had the potential to be the most engaging. Their work was, for me, one of the more interesting aspects of the book, and I would have liked to have seen them better fleshed out.

Stanley Marigold's POV is rife with random sexual content that adds nothing to what we know about him as a character, and derails the plot completely. For example, this bizarre scene where he goes down into a subway station to hide in a corner and edge himself to pictures of his wife cucking him--what reason does a man who (as the narrative tells us again and again) has more houses than he can count have to go into a subway station to fondle himself? It's an odd choice for sure, and I would have cut it from the manuscript. It doesn't accomplish anything. I don't need to read about how this guy's genitalia shrivels from the cold. I'm good.

Of all the POVs, the one I found the most interesting and engaging was Henrietta's. I enjoyed the character of Cabeza the best, and the arcs that the two of them had were the most fleshed-out. I actually cared about what happened to them, which is more than I can say for most of the other characters. The little vignettes of other residents of the Marigold slowly succumbing to the Wet were also fun flavoring, and I think they added to the story.

Overall, I think presenting this novel as literary fiction is disingenuous. This is genre through and through--and there's nothing wrong with that! Genre isn't lesser, it's just different. When I'm told I'm getting literary fiction, I'm expecting 1) better than average writing quality, and 2) extensive engagement with complex themes that go beyond just driving the plot forward. Neither of those things are present here. This book isn't helping its case by writing checks with its jacket that the prose can't cash. Had my expectations not been set so high from the get-go, I might not have been so disappointed in the end.

More than anything, I'm let down because this book could have been a solid 4 stars--maybe even 4.5--if it had been executed differently. Instead it settled for being fine, which is one of the most frustrating things a book with great potential can do (The Latinist also comes to mind). Stephanie Feldman's "Saturnalia" (Unnamed Press, 2022) engages with similar themes--impending ecological disaster and the supernatural crimes of the wealthy elite in an alternate, near-future Philadelphia--and does it with grace and agility. I was hoping that "The Marigold" would stand up against that comp for me, but it didn't.

Overall, it was an interesting read, but not necessarily an enjoyable one. If the craft issues were addressed, I'd be happy to recommend it to other fans of fungal horror.

The blurb of this book has me excited to get into it and I did enjoy parts of it. Sadly, for me personally, I didn’t enjoy how many characters and storylines were going on as it felt a bit disjointed and I couldn’t get into any of them that well. Parts were good but overall it didn’t hold me.

The beginning of this book gave me so much hope for the rest of the story with the strong start and actual plot line. As the story went on, so many characters were introduced, which led to so many point of views that it was hard to keep track of. For this reason, I’ll give the beginning of the book 3 stars, but I was unable to finish the rest due to conflicting plot line and a point of views.

When I read the blurb, I was immediately intrigued and thought of a dark, sinister version of the slimy goo from Ghostbusters II.

What you'll get is so much more…

Corruption, greed, avoidance, hatred, manipulation, vengeance

All the classics that make a horror story with a unique eco-villain that feeding on psychological "trauma."

Yet, the thriller of the story is lost within the various point-of-views. I eventually lost track, but there's no less than 6 different perspectives and all of their individual interactions. Basically, dozens of people pulled into the story that might not have been needed?

But, I do have to say, I did like Cathy. She reminded me a lot of Anne Heche's character in Volcano ('97).

Favourite book of 2023!

This book is perfect for readers who love Emily St. John Mandel and Guillermo del Toro. The prose are beautiful on a backdrop of grotesque horror. I can not say enough good things about this book other than read it. Especially if you currently, or ever lived in Toronto, there is another layer of magic to it.

The book follows many different people who all live and work in Toronto, as a black mold slowly starts to take over the city's buildings. The characters are fascinating to follow as they navigate a city in chaos. Slowly we start to see connections between the people, places and information as the mold continues to grow and change. There is no third act lag which you usually find with atmospheric books like this - which is a gift itself.

One of my favourite quotes, "A true human scream behind them finally, then a guttural shuddering sound, like a new god being born from an old would reopened, pulled out in one piece and set free in these capillary tunnels, the stream of the city itself."

Also there's a racoon that keeps showing up through the book. which was honestly one of my favourite parts to read.

Although I received this book from NetGalley and ECW Press (thank you!), I'll be purchasing this book when it's out and gifting it to all the twisted beautiful souls I know.

This book is best read on public transportation, while wearing a mask and occasionally making direct eye contact with racoons.

Overall 2.5 star read. It'sa fascinating synopsis. Unfortunately, i had issues with the execution. The writing style wasn't for me. I had a hard time adjusting to be able to comprehend. I found myself reading passages multiple times to understand. Because of the writing style, the characters were bland and I cared nothing about the story or whatever they were going through.

#THEMARIGOLD #NETGALLEY. # ANDREWFSULLIVAN

Toronto is dying. The land is falling apart from eroding lakes to sinkholes. There is also a plague which starts under the earth and works its way up buildings. Is it a mould? Is it a fungus? We follow people involved with the condo apartment building from tenants to the owner. This book incorporates apocalyptic fiction, ecohorror, fungus horror, body horror, and more. The book starts off by introducing us to the characters and building, The Marigold. With horror in mind, it is a slow start focussing on world-building (city-building). The horror slowly works its way into the story taking over about halfway through. I really enjoyed this book. It uses some of my favourite horror sub-genres. It is a totally fascinating plot with many characters both main and one-offs. I couldn't stop turning the pages and the climax is brilliantly dark and dismal, my favourite endings always are.

I have somehow found myself immersed in fungal fiction recently, between finishing up Ghost Eaters and binge watching The Last of Us. Not that I'm complaining because it's a pretty neat horror sub-genre. I mean, what's scarier than plants evolving and adapting and overtaking, right?!

Here we have The Marigold, which is a highrise apartment complex in a Canadian city that is slowly being overtaken by a strange black mold. Cathy, a public health inspector, is determined to understand what this toxic goop is and attempts to locate its source as it continues to spread, infecting and killing those who come into contact with it. Soda, a taxi driver, ends up with a thumb drive that contains some answers. And Henrietta, a thirteen year old girl, returns to an underground tunnel on the hunt for the thing that took her friend.

A bit slower and clunkier than I had anticipated, these three individual storylines come crashing together, as they tend to do, in this eco-horror, fungal fiction dystopia. No one is safe from the Wet, and once it comes for you, there's little chance of escape.

This was interesting! I’m not super familiar with eco-horror, and this book definitely fits it as far as I understand the genre, so it was fun reading a genre I’m not as familiar with while still keeping within horror. The Marigold gave me the same vibes as Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey — different character POV’s and eerie mysteries being solved, so I instantly vibed with it.

I’m normally not the biggest fan of a huge cast of characters and having chapters be from different POV’s but it worked exceptionally well with The Marigold. You get a deeper understanding of how deeply rooted The Wet is in every dark corner of Toronto, how this affects the different communities, and how each character is personally affected by this. From the poor that suffers from it, to the rich that supposedly are unaffected by it. It’s definitely an interesting read if you’re into eco-horror and have a preference for horror that involves fungi and infections.

A near-future Toronto is infected by the Wet: a mould-like organism that is slowly but surely growing, changing, absorbing unsuspecting inhabitants of a new luxury apartment block, The Marigold. Told through multiple POVs, this story follows a diverse range of characters as their lives are changed by the Wet, and out of the miasma unfurls an eco-horror tale about poverty, overcrowding, and the soulless cruelty of human ambition.

I loved the premise of this book, as well as the urban, climate-dystopia setting and the focus on down-and-out characters. However, because of the multiple POVs and the sparse, almost offhand writing style, I really struggled to follow what was happening, which made it quite a tiring read. There were times I was tempted to give up, but I didn't, and I do think it came together in the final third of the book with an ending that made it all worthwhile.

An interesting read, not easy, but I appreciate what the author was trying to do here and I do think it's worth a look, especially if eco-horror is your thing.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this novel (eco-fiction, a fungus taking over the city, the importance of community), and I'm a science fiction fan, but very quickly, the story seemed to fall apart, and the many characters got all tangled up and confused. I found myself going back to re-read chapters I read the day before, which I never do - but it's hard to retain information when you're just not interested. Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me, but perhaps I just have the attention span of a gnat! :) Give it a go if you like science fiction, social commentary, multiple POVs, and body horror.

I was not a fan of this book. I found it very hard to get into and the content seemed very strange. I do not think I am a virus/sickness thriller girly. This book probably will be adored by others.

Set in a near-future city based on Toronto where big corporations have turned the world into a surveillance-ridden, economically downturned, rich-get-richer scheme, the Marigold building sits supreme. Slicing into the skyline, the expensive, characterless condos inside are full of used-to-be hockey players, live-streamers, haunted men, and even Stanley Marigold himself in the penthouse suite. But underneath the foundation of the building, of the whole city, is the Wet, an ooey gooey fungus calling for bodies and blood. With engrained ancient rituals, the cut corners of capitalism, and down-on-their-luck conspiracy theorists trying to reveal the truth, The Marigold is made up of interweaving stories of Stanley Marigold, the gardener, two Wet fighters, a recently-fired food delivery worker, a girl looking for her father, and many characters in between.

This book's strength lies in how quickly a character is introduced, how unique they are, and the way the stories overlap to give a bigger picture of the world. I can understand why it's not to everyone's taste to be introduced to so many characters, but I enjoyed even the characters who were shortlived in the narrative and on the page. There's gross body horror and false victories and grime across everything. It's a slow crawl to the end, but I enjoyed every second.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Received this ARC on @netgalley for an honest review. I don’t think I’ve ever rated a book this low and it pains me to do so because I know how hard authors work but this was just really hard to get through.
I’ve seen a lot of reviews say there is a good story in here somewhere but it’s so hard to get through because there are just so many characters and so much back and forth. I was confused and bored most of the book but pushed through to finish. Wouldn’t recommend but hope with some feedback Andrew can write an awesome next novel

Who knew, the landlords were the bad guys all along?!

Jk, we all knew that.

This is so timely, especially with the housing crisis we’re seeing in Southern Ontario. It’s a little horror, a little social commentary and honestly a little humour (the raccoons, omg).

This crumbling dystopian version of Toronto was so interesting to read about. I especially loved the quote “Although people swore this was the end of the world, Dale knew the truth - the world was only flipping the mattress.” Life, uh, finds a way… right?

I thought the writing was very easy to read and enjoyed reading all the Toronto references. The Wet is such a weird, gross enigma and the only thing I’d say is that I almost wanted more of this weirdly sentient mold. And more about the gardeners! I’m honestly so intrigued by all the lore.

Out April 18, 2023.

I struggled with this. The writing is disjointed and clunky. Too many characters introduced at once made the story feel not very cohesive. I was intrigued by the plot but was ultimately let down by the writing.

Loved this book! The body horror, the originality, the pace. It was perfect for me. I am a Palahniuk fan and would this to anyone who also enjoys his work.