I struggled to finish this. I love Melissa Broder’s writing style but the themes in this one didn’t grab me.

Thank you to the publisher for the early release! While this was not my favorite Melissa Broder, I did appreciate the open discussions around grief and what it means to say goodbye to someone while they are still living. 3.5.

Death Valley had beautiful prose, and was a book that I could really put myself in. It tells a tale of a woman who is navigating life with a chronically ill husband, as well as a terminally ill dad, and how to navigate that space. The desperation felt in the desert was palpable, and I would happily read this book over and over.

Melissa Broder can do no wrong and that’s very much including this gem of a novel. If she writes it I’ll be reading it and felt so honored to receive the ARC of this to read. Can’t recommend enough. Barely put it down

A trippy journey into the heart of the desert, Death Valley follows a young woman as she processes the impending death of her father and deteriorating state of her chronically ill husband.

After checking into a random desert hotel, our main character begins exploring the local landscape when she stumbles across a large saguaro cactus, which she then enters (in the most sexual description of a plant I’ve ever read ). Inside she sees visions of her father and husband at different life stages, and begins to process her feelings.

The desert setting provides a vehicle for our main character to begin experiencing her grief through hallucinogenic experiences (hello heat stroke), which leads to lots of humor and wacky symbolism. This style isn’t for everyone, but I thought Broder had a lot of fun with it, which made a tough subject easier to approach.

I vaguely remember some controversy around this one when it came out. If I’m remembering right, some people took offense to the main character’s feelings around her chronically ill husband (i.e missing how things were when he was well), however, I think Broder handled a tricky topic well, explaining the complexities of loving someone with chronic illness.

The other negative reviews I saw were around its brevity, with some readers wishing the subject of grief was explored in a more complex manor. I thought this short book packed a punch, however, and making it much longer would have led to a much heavier read.

I enjoyed this one, and if you like a surrealist, absurdist tale, you might too!

Unfortunately, Death Valley was a slog to get through. Had high hopes, but ultimately it meandered too much for my liking and the ending was deeply unsatisfying.

I didn’t love Death Valley, it was a bit of a slog to get through. Very meandering and unfocused and verged on a level of surreal that was hard to follow at times.

My favorite thing about Melissa Broder is that you never know what to expect in her books, and whew buddy was this one unexpected. Broder has such a unique, refreshing writing voice.

I really went into this blind not knowing what to expect and this is my first Melissa Broder novel as well. It has left me intrigued to read more by her for sure!!

The way the story unfolded took me by surprise, it did such a sharp turn that I had to pause and reread what was happening to make sure I was reading it right. Then of course had me shaking my head laughing because, this girl has lost her mind!

As an avid hiker, a good chunk of this book had me feeling so tense imagining myself in her shoes and just the dread one feels in such a situation. I feel like Melissa Broder really captured the delirium of the situation which lightened the story and added a bit of humor to the novel.

Though toward the end of the novel, I was getting a little over the delirious parts and wanted more answers on the outcome of what was to happen. Other then that I thought this was a fantastic novel, unique, dark, funny, heavy on emotions and hallucinations.

So weird, which was just what I was looking for! This was my first Melissa Broder and I am looking forward to reading more of her work. I went into this blind - I requested from NetGalley because I had seen reviews of her other works and knew it was going to be weird girl lit and I got what I was hoping for. Definitely recommend it, I have been thinking about it since I finished it weeks ago.
Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC.

As a huge fan of Melissa Broder it pains me to write this review, but Death Valley has left me deeply dissatisfied. The characters felt like cardboard cutouts, devoid of depth or development. Broder has attempted to weave a complex narrative through their interactions, but instead, their dialogue felt forced and unnatural, failing to evoke any genuine emotion or connection.

While I anticipated a gripping exploration of existential themes against the backdrop of one of nature's most unforgiving landscapes, Death Valley fell short, offering little more than a tedious journey through endless sand and sun. The plot meandered aimlessly, lacking any coherent direction or purpose.

Overall, this was a disappointing read that failed to live up to the caliber of her previous novels. I read a review stating that this novel felt like a first draft and I couldn’t agree more.

Unfortunately I can’t recommend Death Valley. I do however, highly recommend her novels:

I'm sad to say I did not enjoy Death Valley. I normally love weird fiction, but it needs some tension to hold my attention. Unfortunately, Death Valley was a slog to get through.

3.5 stars

i'm not generally a Weird Fiction person which seems goofy to say since i love Horror but Horror is Horror, and Weird Fiction is...something else entirely.

that being said, i did enjoy this one. very readable, engaging prose. the grief aspects were interesting and touching.

"Death Valley" by Melissa Broder offers a mesmerizing exploration of grief, longing, and the search for meaning in the midst of emptiness. As the protagonist seeks solace in a remote Best Western motel, she finds herself drawn to a mystical journey prompted by a towering cactus along a desert trail.

Broder's prose is both poetic and evocative, painting a vivid portrait of the California high desert and the emotional landscape of the narrator's inner turmoil. The surreal elements of the story, including the enigmatic cactus and the fantastical realm it leads to, add layers of mystery and depth to the narrative.

At its heart, "Death Valley" is a poignant meditation on loss and transformation. Through the protagonist's odyssey, Broder delves into themes of identity, connection, and the search for transcendence in the face of mortality. Broder's storytelling defies expectations, blending elements of magical realism with raw emotional honesty.

"Death Valley" is imaginative and profound, offering readers a captivating and unforgettable reading experience.

Thanks to Scribner for the advanced reader copy via NetGalley.

Weird and goofy, but I love weird and goofy. Really enjoyed the commentary about our aging parents. So relatable.

I love everything Melissa Broder does. This was not an exception. Death Valley is dreamlike and completely unique, but still relatable, especially as someone who is going through my own battle with grief. This is a book I will come back to again and again.

Having recently lost my father in a similar way as is depicted in this book, I found the journey of this MC and Broder's words processing illness, end of life, and death very cathartic and relatable. I would recommend this to anyone processing the loss of a parent as well as the existential crises that encompass being in your middle age and understanding your place in the cosmos. It was short, semi-self-indulgent and I enjoyed the ride.

3.5ish. fantastic premise and has some powerful moments, but is too often meandering and unfocused. it made me feel like melissa broder hadn’t quite decided what type of book it was going to be until maybe halfway through writing it. it is a quick read, and the humor is occasionally enjoyable, but is ultimately somewhat forgettable

MELISSA BRODER CAN DO NO WRONG IN MY EYES SHE IS JUST SUCH A COOL WEIRDO THANK YOU SO MUCH TO NETGALLEY FOR THE ADVANCED READER COPY VERY COOL!

Blog:
I didn’t expect this to be a book that kept me up late at night because I needed to know how the plot resolved. I have not personally tended to experience much forward momentum in magical realism. But this was such a perfect mix of adventure plot and emotional magical realism that I simply couldn’t stop reading.

"I love a cactus. This is a fact I don’t usually admit to because they’re so popular in design nowadays, and I’d rather support an underdog." location 206

The main character was easy to bond with initially, which is critical to a plot that relies on the reader believing her experiences in the desert – even when they become fantastical. She’s a bisexual woman in long-term recovery from drugs and alcohol. She’s trying to finish her novel. Her husband has had a mysterious chronic illness for several years, and her father has been in the hospital for a long time after a car accident. The hospital keeps telling them that he’s dying, and then he wakes up and improves (only to have something else go wrong.) It’s a lot for anyone to handle. She has a dry wit that we hear inside her head but that rarely makes it outside. We can see how she’s barely keeping it together, and yet she continues to try because of how much she loves her loved ones.

"Since my husband got sick, my words don’t mean what they are supposed to mean."location 289

It’s interesting what a beautiful depiction of a marriage this book is when so little in it features the spouses together. Yet through the main character we see how her marriage and loving her husband, as she would say, isn’t just a feeling. It’s a choice. Perhaps some people would find it gauche to have a whole book focusing in on the impact of a chronic illness on the spouse who doesn’t have it. But that’s the rub of a marriage. What happens to one person is happening to both.

The setting of the book is also gorgeous. I’m not sure I’d have appreciate it as much as I did if I had never been to the desert. The beauty and danger and overwhelmingness of the desert is all encapsulated so beautifully from the coolness of her room in the Best Western to the magical cactus and everything in between. (Plus there’s both desert bunnies and multiple types of cactus from saguaro to teddy-bear cholla.)

If I was reading a review of this book, my main question would be – ok, ok, but how about the magical realism? Does it work? Yes, it works really well. By the time I finished the book, I couldn’t imagine the main character’s arc happening any other way. It makes sense in the context of that trip and that world, and that’s all that really matters. I wasn’t questioning it. I was on board from the first magical moment partway into the book.

Overall, this is an engaging story of one woman’s trip into the desert intertwined with her inner journey of continuing to choose to love her husband every day. It’s beautiful representation of the complexities of in sickness and in health. Recommended to readers interested in that journey with an open mind to magical realism.

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In Death Valley by Melissa Broder, a woman dealing (or not dealing) with her husband’s and father’s medical conditions arrives in the desert to research her newest novel and has a fantastical experience. This was my first 5 star read of the year! I'm seriously considering getting a physical copy also.
Thank you to the publisher for providing a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
#bookalicious #booksinthewild #avidreader #bookaesthetic #whatimreading #bookrec

GoodReads:
I loved this book so much! I couldn't stop highlighting passages. It's such raw and real representation of dealing with chronic and acute illnesses in loved ones while simultaneously being fantastical. (I'm still thinking about the magical oriole.) I was teary-eyed.

Check out my full review.

*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*