Thank you to NetGalley & Simon and Schuster for a free e-copy of Death Valley in exchange for an honest review.

It's no secret that I love Melissa Broder. Death Valley brings you into the inner thoughts of a woman who is dealing with the grief of her father's hospitalization and declining health of her husband as she seeks respite at a Best Western in the California high desert.

This book felt a bit like a fever dream in the best way. The cactus, rocks, and rabbits become central characters with distinct personalities (and having been to the high desert, the debate about the saguaro cactus made me laugh). The consumption of grief and its ability to disconnect you from reality was relatable. The second half brings a tension that makes Death Valley hard to put down. Plus it's funny! In the middle of the hardest moments, Broder always finds a way to bring some humor to the situation.

While Broder's books bring something new and unexpected, she always delivers characters that are highly flawed and human. The woman in this book is well developed, and I understood her relationships to her mother, father, and husband (and even the Best Western employees). One of my favorite lines that shows up more than once is when the woman is reminded of her husband telling her that love is sometimes not a feeling, but instead, a verb. I'll be thinking about that and this book for awhile.

A woman (we never do find out her name!) is trying to finish writing her next book while dealing with the anticipatory grief of her father dying in the ICU and the exhaustion of caring for a chronically ill husband. In an effort to get away and maybe get some work done, she goes to a Best Western in Death Valley. While on a hike in the desert, she gets lost and finds (hallucinates) a giant cactus that she goes inside and then deals with surviving alone in the desert with no cell service and almost no supplies.

I LOVED Milk Fed, which was one of my favorite reads of last year, so I think my expectations were a bit skewed for this one. It’s a different kind of novel, one I learned is called auto fiction. Broder actually did deal with the anticipatory grief of having her father in the ICU for six months leading up to his death - this kept feeling like a sci-fi memoir and that tracks. It was very typical Broder with lots of stream of consciousness sections, random erotic quips, and it not a peppy read. But if you have dealt with anticipatory grief or a chronically ill family member, this book and its musings may click for you more than they did with me. I actually liked the parts in this book based in reality and the character back stories, but I found myself skimming through the hallucination sections.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the digital copy of this book!

Melissa Broder is becoming one of my favorite authors and Death Valley lived up to my expectations. The book was emotional, a bit surreal, and funny in the way that I have come to expect from this author. I loved the exploration of anticipatory grief and found the desert metaphor to be both subtle enough to not be annoying while still feeling clever and engaging. I have never loved the ‘existentialism/person lost in an uncaring environment’ story but the humor and magic of this one really worked for me.

Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for a review.

Having read and enjoyed Broder's "Pisces" several years ago, I was pretty sure I knew what I was getting into with "Death Valley" - a hallucinogenic piece with a troubled main character behaving badly. I wasn't off the mark - "Death Valley" features hallucinations and a somewhat self-interested main character - but "Death Valley" also features a brittle emotional heart that is as sincere as it is effective. A meditation on grief, "Death Valley" takes Broder's stranger impulses as a writer and harnesses them in service to a caretaker who needs a break - and gets a nightmare of one lost in the desert. I loved this book because the main character was extremely relatable amidst a plot that's metaphorical enough you're never quite sure what's actually happening and what's being hallucinated. Recommended to fans of Mona Awad.

~ARC provided by NetGalley~

I am a Melissa Broder girlie through and through. Her books explore the darkest corners and black holes of her unwell female protagonists, and I can't get enough of them. "Death Valley" is about a woman with a dying father and chronically ill husband who steals away to the desert to work on her novel only to lose herself, both literally and psychologically. Aspects of this book reminded me of Sheila Heti's "Pure Colour," which is a favorite of mine as well. However, Broder really sets herself apart by taking the plot or characters to such vile places only to coax the reader back to safety with some of the most introspective, well-written prose contemplating life, chronic illness, and death.

Death Valley is different from any other novel Melissa Broder has written. This work has taken me the longest to read because it was a little slow for me, I still enjoyed it and wanted to be attentive throughout. I love how while being vulnerable, there’s still dark humor and bizarre/unhinged things throughout the book, the magical realism is what ties it all together for me. There are lessons to be learned, and Melissa’s writing is relatable per usual. Definitely another novel worth rereading from time to time.

Thank you Scribner Books for my Netgalley copy of DEATH VALLEY by Melissa Broder, out 10/24/23.

I am a Melissa Broder super fan. Her book of essays, SO SAD TODAY, was one of the first books I reviewed on this account in 2016! I am so grateful I got an early copy of her newest literary brilliance. Death Valley is a darkly funny novel about grief that becomes a desert survival story.

Full of magical realism in the middle as she legitimately goes crazy from dehydration and sun poisoning as she gets lost in the dessert, this is my favorite Broder to date. It’s still weird, goofy and full of shit that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it’s also profound in its musings about grief over losing someone who is still alive.

Clearly a form of semi-autofiction, Broder has internal monologues about dealing with her dad in the ICU and her chronically ill and disabled husband worsening by the day. The book was very emotional, laugh out loud funny and puts you in a dream-like trance.

Broder’s reflection on how the relationship with our parents impacts us in more ways than one is her superpower. If you’ve read other Broder books and didn’t like it, you won’t like this either. The voice is the same, with a unique and bonkers setting and plot. I could read a grocery list written by Broder and now it’s her - her voice lives in my head. She is me. I am her. I love her. I want to be her. I want to date her. I want to crawl in her skin and zip myself up!

Read this one and become one with Melissa Broder like me.

I’d never read auto fiction before and have never been the biggest fan of magical realism, but I loved every moment of this. For every time I’ve asked myself, “Am I insane? Has anyone else ever felt this way?” Melissa Broder answers from the desert void magical cactus, “I know exactly what you mean.” She captures anxiety, grief, doom, fear, longing with humor and creativity. Melissa Broder supremacy 4ever.

Melissa Broder has one of the most distinct writing styles and senses of humor out of many, many writers working today. Im a huge fan of THE PISCES and MILKFED, and DEATH VALLEY grabbed me from the opening, the same as those two. She has such a skill in terms of taking a character in a somewhat inactive emotional state (depression, eating disorders, emptiness) and then figuring out a way to weave in a bit of magic to take them on the journey they need. Highly recommend this one!

The writing in this is *chef's kiss*. A gripping and realistic look on grief and I liked it a lot. Broder fans will be happy with this one!

Melissa Broder is one of my favorite authors, and Death Valley did not disappoint. A total trip that’s both psychedelic and poignant.

This book unfortunately was not for me. I didn’t real love the main character and at times I found myself really disliking her personality. I do think the topic of this book is very important to discuss and I think the author handled the complex feelings of grief in all the different ways it can manifest very well. I’m always disappointed when I end up not liking a book as much I hoped. With all of the being said, I do think the story was well-written and maybe the humor in the book was just not my type. I would still say to give this book a shot and see if it’s for you!

I feel let down by the description of the book. I was expecting something even more surreal and more of an actual journey rather than what the book actually is. It was almost to the points where stopped reading about 40 pages in.

However, I kept going, and once I got over not really getting what I thought the description indicated, then I was pleasantly surprised. Broder's philosophizing on grief and loss feels thoughtful and accurate. It hit on some feelings I had when I've lost family members. The very short chapters where the main character grapples with her feelings are particularly effective.

I'm not sure the book pushes far enough into the surreal to really make it feel surreal, but it pushes far enough where it doesn't feel realistic. So there's an odd line there.

Ultimately, I feel the book is not categorized correctly. I probably would not have picked this book up had the description really hit on what the plot contains. I certainly don't think this is a bad book, but it didn't work for me as much as I wanted it to.

🌵A 5-star ⭐️ Review of Death Valley by Melissa Broder: 🌵

This book was an absolutely brilliant experience that, from start to end, slowly unfurled itself like a fresh monstera leaf. Typically, my expectation is that a book will capture me from the very beginning and never let up. However, this story and the meaningfulness it imposes lends itself to the need for patience and an open-minded wandering alongside our narrator.

Our main character, an author in search of the story she wants to tell, flees from her home and place of deep grieving to find inspiration in the California desert. Her father, an important mainstay in her life, has experienced repeated brushes with death which has left their family grappling with the concept of mourning the life of a man still living. On top of the parental grief lies our narrator’s anxiety surrounding her own husband’s chronic illness and disability which may lead her to eventual widowhood.

These dark realities in her life set her on a path, literally, through a blisteringly hot California desert where she finds a massive cactus. As she enters the cactus’s core, she finds herself face-to-face with reflections of her grief in all its odd and unexplainable and unexpected forms.

At times, I felt completely lost while reading this novel. Weird things happened that made absolutely no sense and were disconnected from reality. There were moments where I had to backtrack and make sure I understood what the hell I just read. But that’s the way grief presents itself - As a nonsensical, desolate, isolating, maddening, painful journey through a desert that drains us of our will to keep moving in search of life on the other side.

This was my first read by Melissa Broder and now I am desperate to read more from her backlist. Overall, this book was a 5-star read for me and, the more I sit and reflect on it, the more I find how much I loved it. 🌵

Thank you to @scribnerbooks for gifting me with a copy of this book and to @realmelissabroder for creating such a stunning novel 🩷

as someone who has loved both of the previous melissa broder books i have read (milk fed and so sad today) this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. and while i maybe expected for this to be like milk fed in a way, and it wasn’t, i was not in the least disappointed with it.

our main character decides that a brief retreat is necessary for her to escape the anticipatory grief she’s soon bound to face. in the california desert, hours away from her life in los angeles, she finds herself distanced from the impending death of her dad and her husband’s untreatable chronic illness. yet she finds no solace as the physical distance doesn’t reduce the chaos of her mind.

magical and stunning! an incredible story with a realistic portrayal of grief.
just like her previous work death valley is a tad bit bizarre and darkly humorous as well; absolutely classic melissa broder.
and while facing as heavy themes as the ones presented here the surrealism and at times erotic side to her writing helps create a more well balanced story.

with death valley melissa broder really has created the perfect story about love, loss, powerlessness, sense of self, and survival, and i’m waiting VERY IMPATIENTLY for everyone else to get their hands on this book so we can talk more about it!

the publisher kindly provided this arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Melissa!! I love you sm. Big fan of The Pisces and Milk Fed, and shocker, I loved this one too.

Death Valley tells the story of a woman trying to take some distance from the grief she feels towards her father who is dying and her husband who suffers from a debilitating chronic illness. She goes to a Best Western (her favorite motel chain) in the desert of Death Valley. There she finds a magical cactus that allows her passage into itself.

It’s honestly one of her less weird and more grounded books, but it still has all the charm and character that Broder always brings to the table. To me, this novel is the encapsulation of “wherever you go there you are.” And also what it means to grieve something, and someone(s), that is not yet gone. Hi, my favorite and least fun hobby.

The vibe and tone of this desert tale is absolutely on point. I felt especially connected to the MC because the desert is also my go-to spot when I need space from my life and a way to disconnect. DV was such easy reading. The writing made me laugh out loud. I love her main characters. They’re always a little left of center and quirky, but not in a way that annoys me.

If you’re a fan of Melissa Broder definitely pick this one up!!! It comes out October 3rd, 2023.

Laughing out loud while reading is a rarity for me. It is so rare in fact that my husband can't help but to comment on it. Even though this book is an exploration in grief, it still found a way to be humorous and quirky. It was such a joy to read.

<i>Death Valley</i> follows a woman's journey with grief, or rather pre-grief, as her father is in the ICU all while her husband has a debilitating illness. The narrator decides to go to a desert in California (as one can assume by the title and cover) to gather some research for her upcoming novel and get a much needed mental break from her husband's interminable illness and her father's rocky recovery. She takes a hike in the desert where she encounters a very large and *magical* cactus which allows her to come to terms with life and death.

Broder's style is fun and makes frequent use of the parenthetical (something I often find myself using during reviews, so I felt a sort of kinship with her). Her darkly funny humor is on point. I found some parts to be whimsical in a way that I love. The metaphor of the desert and how it relates to grief was spectacular yet not too in-your-face about it. The pacing of the book was excellent so much so that I practically had to force myself to set my Kindle down to savor the reading experience just a bit longer. Usually shorter chapters bother me, but I loved how Broder did it. I found this novel to be addicting. Ultimately, I think Melissa Broder just clicks for me (which is so exciting because I love having contemporary authors that I'm obsessed with).

My first Melissa Broder, and <i>definitely</i> not my last! I knew I was right to be stoked for this. Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the advance reading copy!

Jun 23, 2023
Death Valley by Melissa Broder
Simon and Schuster Publishing
240 pages
Trade Paperback
Fiction
Content warnings: Some mild language and mild graphic descriptions.

Simon and Schuster Publishing and NetGalley gave me this book for an honest review.

Apologizing to rabbits for eating their dinner doesn’t give an end solution. In fact it makes the situation worse.

A writer is stuck currently in the novel she’s writing because she is in an overwhelming spot of being multiple things at the same time. She’s a wife, a daughter, a caregiver, and a writer and it seems like she’s failing at all of those things. What do you do when you think you are failing?

Take a few days of respite in a Best Western, located in the California high desert. About 200 miles from Area 51. Several people call and ask. Trust the folks at Best Western. That’s exactly what this woman does.

Jethra is a nice character who gives a sense of compassion and she sets the main female character on her way to the trailhead where she finds a cactus in the middle of the trail. It’s slightly split and to save herself from the California heat, she climbs inside.

At this point, the story gets a little confusing and interesting. The story starts warping around the idea of life and how short it really is.

Melissa takes you on this mirage of a cactus that gives too little, a small pink rock that thinks highly of itself and a giant flying bird that helps her back to the top summit to reach reality.

Navigating anticipatory grief, the superstitions of their beliefs, and just questioning her choices that led her to this point in her life. This is what lies in front of this unicorn of all cacti. In search of herself, how she wants to move forward in her life… all this to become lost in the middle of the desert. Apologizing to rabbits…

This book is approximately 240 pages long, and is expected to be released in late September.

I loved how the author was able to make light of a dangerous situation in the desert. I would probably suggest this book to folks who like to see more humor in more critical situations.

Right now, I would give it a 3-star rating. Simply because I didn’t dislike it, but I also didn’t fully get lost in it. Later when I attempt a re-read, I may change my rating on it.

THIS WAS MY FIRST MELISSA BRODER BOOK, AND IT DEFINITELY WON'T BE MY LAST. OH MY GOSH.

I am so thankful to Scribner Books, Melissa Broder, and NetGalley for granting digital access and sending a gorgeous physical ARC for me to chew up and digest, all in less than 24 hours. Death Valley hits shelves on September 26, 2023, and is your key to transporting readers into a mystical world where cacti are the portals into a clairvoyant past, present, and future view.

Our MC is going through a lot and she's trying to hold it together for her spastic superstitious mother, her aloof sister, her chronically ill husband, and her stuck-in-the-ICU father. In order to process her grief, she zips off to the Californian desert to get some space and plan out the logistics for her next novel. She does very little writing but soaks up a bunch of cactus water/juice and gets transported into a world where the rocks are speaking to her, the rabbits are writing her hate mail and she's coming into contact with past versions of her father and her husband.

This "27 hours" meets "Alice in Wonderland" captivates the magical nature of just how scary the dryness of the desert can be, playing mind games on its captives and leaving them out to dry and decay. Our MC learns there's more to live than living in fear through the help of her "maybe real" critter friends.

Finding a will to live and navigating grief (particularly preemptive grief) while lost in the desert. This feels like Broder’s most personal book to date.

Fever dreamish and hazy, you feel like you’re out there in the hot sun along with our protagonist. It’s a real journey, and I was never sure if I was enjoying the book but was always thinking about it when I put it down.

It’s very different to Milk Fed and The Pisces but absolutely has that Broder biting wit, surrealism, and matter of fact view of the world.

The descriptions of the Best Western and the staff who work there were some of my favourite parts of the book.

While this isn’t my favourite of hers, I applaud for going in a different direction and I think many people are going to really connect with this book.