In Broder's latest novel "Death Valley", she dives deep into a new emotion unlike her other works of fiction, that of loss. In this book, we follow a woman who escapes reality to grieve the future loss of her father and the presence of her sick husband. Dark, emotional, and with the voice we all love of Broder, this is something so raw in comparison to her other fictitious books.

Having read Broder's essays about her life, this felt semi-autobiographical. I love Broder's writing voice. It is so unique, in your face, and relatable. With this said, I felt like this novel fell in between her memoir-esque essays and that of her really fun and original novels. I almost wish she leaned more into the memoir rather than fiction.

I have read from this author before, The Pisces, and really enjoyed the book. I was hoping for a weird book about an unhinged woman who ends up going on a weird and unhinged quest. While there was a quest and some unhinged moments, I really didn't connect with this book as much as I thought that I might. The themes of grief were very pertinent to the story, but I think I wanted more from her desert excursion beyond one weird encounter with a giant cactus. I'm not sure what more I wanted, but I did feel like something was missing.

This one was so hard to rate! I saw a few people comping it to WRITERS & LOVERS, which is why I read it. I also think Sheila Heti's PURE COLOR is a close-ish comp because of how beautiful the writing is and how ~existential~ and ~meta-physical~ it gets. Anyways, this was great! Three books in and I'm finally getting a hang of Melissa Broder's writing style: you kinda just have to roll with it. If anything, I wanted a little more plot, but the writing on a line level kept me so hooked that I don't even think I minded too much.

A fever dream, but make it deeply introspective and empathetic! 4 ★

Sincerest apologies that this review is coming almost two years after the book's publication so I will make this short and sweet!

This is her best novel. Period point blank. It's succinct, well paced, leans into its weirdness while also being grounded. Funny as hell and deeply emotional, poignant in a way that I think Milk Fed and The Pisces was lacking. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous.

Thank you so much to Scribner for the chance to review this and read it and again, I'm deeply sorry that this is coming so, so late in the game.

Good book. Thanks for giving me an advanced copy. I would recommend this book to everyone. I give this book 4.5 stars.

The imagery was wild, the storyline delightfully unexpected, and the narrator, though flawed, was incredibly endearing. I absolutely loved it!

In typical Melissa Broder, this is a bizarre romp with a weird, sad woman just trying to figure out life. There was a lot of imagery involving hallucinations in a cactus that maybe were not entirely my cup of tea. But what I will say is that this one will stick in your brain despite your best efforts otherwise.

Death Valley by Melissa Border is sad girl lit about an author who is having difficulty coming to terms with both her husband's and her father’s illnesses, and so she takes a trip to Death Valley in order to isolate herself and finish her novel.

This is my first Melissa Border book, she wrote both The Pices and Milk Fed, and both of those books seem to be very polarizing, but I tend to enjoy abstract introspective works. But this one didn’t really work for me.

This is a short novel, it’s 240 pages, but the vast majority of that is spent completely alone with the narrator as she wanders the desert and hallucinates. For me, I just didn’t find her character interesting enough to be happy spending that much alone time with her.

Strange little book but i did enjoy it. I dont think this book/author is for every reader, as they are pretty "out there", but i find them to be unique and creative.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC! Melissa Broder’s Milk Fed captured my attention and had me racing through it to finish quickly. Death Valley was a different experience - I found it difficult to get into the story and empathize with the character. That being said, I believe I’m an outlier and many readers will enjoy this book. Out now!

I think I just need to accept that Melissa Broder really isn't the author for me. Her concepts are interesting, but the writing is always just too gross. I know a lot of people applaud her for how "vulnerably" and '"personally" she writes about life, but I feel she overshoots actual depth by deliberately choosing specific repulsive wording to get a reaction out of the reader. This then creates a story that's not "gritty", but instead messy and unbelievable.

I'm glad it works for some people. It's too performative for me.

Another funny, tearjerking novel from Melissa Broder, cementing her status as an author whose next book I will never pass up.

For most of this book, I was trying to decide if this was a very long and specific ad for the hotel chain Best Western. In the end, I think: possibly so!

Melissa Broder's *Death Valley* is a raw and evocative exploration of grief, loss, and self-discovery set against a stark and mesmerizing backdrop. Broder's poignant prose and unflinching honesty create a deeply immersive narrative that resonates emotionally. The novel's powerful themes and compelling writing make it a standout.

Melissa Broder has solidified herself as one of my favorite authors and is definitely an automatic purchase for me instantly now. I had a fantastic time with this one.

"Death Valley" by Melissa Broder is a darkly humorous, introspective novel that follows a woman navigating grief and self-discovery in the California desert. Broder's unique blend of wit and poignancy makes this a compelling exploration of life, death, and the human condition.

I had high hopes for "Death Valley," but it left me thoroughly disappointed. The main character was insufferable, and her desert journey lacked emotional depth. The narrative meandered between surrealism and mundanity without cohesion or compelling characters. The writing style, with unnecessary parentheses and repetitive phrases, added to my frustration.

The book attempts to explore themes of grief, death, and illness but fails to make meaningful observations. The narrative structure feels rushed and disjointed, offering shallow absurdism in the first half and descending into incomprehensible events in the second.

I read through hoping for some redeeming quality, but none emerged. Melissa Broder’s attempt to blend existential themes with surrealism in "Death Valley" ended up being tedious and exasperating. The story lacked coherence, and the characters remained one-dimensional. Overall, it failed to engage or leave a lasting impression.

This was my first book by the author, and it's surprising given the praise she receives. "Milk Fed” has been on my TBR, but after this experience, it may stay there longer.

Reading is subjective, so if you enjoyed this book, I'm glad for you. For me, it felt like a chore with little meaning. If there's something I missed, feel free to share because despite reading, I struggled to find any real substance.

This surrealist novel about a novelist getting lost in the desert will eat you up and spit you back out. Its novel about finding yourself. Or knowing yourself? About understanding yourself? Its about the emotional costs of being a caregiver, about how we love and how we fear. Its about life and survival. I don't know what else to tell you. It was a wild ride.

I very much appreciate being gifted this copy of Death Valley, and the opportunity to read & review it. Thanks to the publisher. I'm a huge fan of Melissa Broder's works, how she blends the absurd with the heartbreaking, and truly enjoyed reading this.

Melissa Broder remains untouchable in the "holy shit, she's really going there" genre and still is one of the most interesting writers around. Every time she announces a new book, it feels like Christmas and I cannot help but wonder what other internal disgusting horrors that I attempt to keep secret will she expose next. A woman escaping her emptiness and tries to find solace in the desert with a bizarre cactus sounds exactly like what I would be going through if I didn't have a therapist. It's crazy enough to read like a fever dream but before you can brush it off as bizarro fiction, Broder hones in on a specific situation of loneliness that makes you burst into tears. This is exactly what I am looking for in my literary fiction and until I find someone who can rival Broder in terms of heart and offbeat writing, I will keep reading everything she puts out.