Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I am pretty obsessed with the Mojave desert, so this book was appealing to me for that reason alone. It was very funny and easy to read. I wasn't expecting the surrealism, but if any setting is prime for surrealism, it's the desert. As someone who has experienced a parent with an illness and chronic illness in my life, I thought those plotlines were handled well. Definitely recommend to fans of surrealist fiction.

Melissa Broder is back with another weird and wonderful book. This book was a fantastically weird look into the mind of someone handling grief. While at times this book is a slow burn, it is definitely worth the read especially if you love an unreliable narrator which Broder writes so well.

I absolutely hate to admit that I had to DNF... I do think I could pick this back up again. It sounds like everything I would love in a book... but I had a hard time vibing with the main character. I love an unhinged or unreliable narrator but this was just not quite either of those. She was almost just a tad unlikable.

I think I will try to listen to this one if its available on audio!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my review.

Death Valley was my first Melissa Broder and wow! What a way to start. Her writing immediately pulled me in and could not stop reading. Partly because I had no idea what was happening. There was no guessing where this was going. I had to sit with this a few days after finishing to process it all.

This story explores the many stages of grief and burnout as well as a splash of an existential crisis. I love how we got to hear so much of the inner monologue of the main character. Her vulnerability made her very relatable at times. The best way to describe this book was weird, but in the best way possible. I will definitely be seeking out more of Broder's books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for this eARC. I really wanted to like this book; I was hoping that it would be a more modern take on magical realism, a sort of spiritual journey through grief, but I couldn't take the narrator. I found her cloying... and a tad racist. The story centers on an unnamed narrator who travels to the desert, specifically an unnamed area near Death Valley. Her father has been hospitalized and her husband has a chronic illness, but the narrator wanders the desert to find ... a magical cactus? Sort of. The way in is gross and there are some real intrusive thoughts that I didn't think were needed on the page. It had some elements that I really liked, particularly the mentions of trauma and grief, but I could just not get past the voice of the narrator. Also, there's not much in the way of resolution. It gets a solid "meh."

What a weird and wonderful reading journey! I never know what to expect when I read something by Melissa Broder. All of her novels are unique and clever. I thought she tackled the theme of grieving (and how grief can be for things besides just death). And she handles magical realism beautifully which is tough to do.

This book won’t be for everyone as it’s not your average read but I loved it.

Death Valley was not what I thought it was going to be but I still gave it 5 stars because what the book try’s to portray comes out in beautiful raw emotion throughout the entirety of the book. I loved the protagonists commentary throughout and found myself relating to her more and more and truly got immersed in the story. This was a great emotional read thank you #netgalley for the arc I truly enjoyed the book. #deathvalley

Reminds me of Ottessa Moshfegh, Sally Rooney, and Sloane Crowley with the body horror of Samantha Irby.

This is my first Melissa Broder and it was so enjoyable to read. I’ve had Milk Fed and The Pisces on my to-read list and will have to save those for when I need a break from the heavy depressing stuff I read regularly. This story was sweet and gross. Do recommend.

This is the first book by Melissa Broder that I've read and clearly I've been missing out, because I just ate this up. Others may think this main character is unlikable but I found her so interesting that I liked her. This was so wonderfully weird. Everything about this just worked for me. If you like weird, surreal, dreamy, kinda funny, kinda introspective books; I highly recommend Death Valley.

I will forever and ever read absolutely anything that Melissa Broder writes. “Death Valley” has cemented its spot as one of my best reads in 2023.

Melissa Broder has a knack for breaking down all the little feelings and odd thoughts when it comes to grief. Told from the perspective of a woman who is stuck between grieving two people in her life… who are still alive… she goes to find herself in the comforting geometric carpets in a Best Western and in a harsh desert for a few (unexpected) days. In her preemptive journey to feel better about suspected impending grief, she seeks out memories of her loved ones in hazy moments spent in the desert. From finding refuge inside a cactus to talking to rocks (that are impressively self aware), she slowly learns to embrace her emotions, stop pushing her loved ones away, and tries to live in the present more often.

The book summed up a lot of feelings that I’d have trouble putting into words, which was such a delight to read. I found myself laughing and pausing to contemplate laugh all within a few sentences. Broder’s eccentric writing style and punchy dialogue kept me entertained. This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I already have Milk Fed added to my tbr! Thank you to the author, Scribner, and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy so I can provide an honest review.

My reviews are seen at Boston's The Arts Fuse - arts fuse.org

https://artsfuse.org/283481/book-review-you-may-get-lost-in-death-valley/

I do not award stars.

I loved Melissa Broder's previous books and had very high hopes for this one as well but I just wasn't as into it as I expected to be. I felt like despite this book being on the shorter side it would have been even better as a shorter novella or short story as much of it just felt repetitive.

Death Valley follows our main character as she journeys to the desert (with a stopover at Best Western) to process complex feelings and impending grief and loss related to her hospitalized dying father and chronically ill spouse. This was my first Broder and having heard about her previous books I was curious about what to expect. I did anticipate some interesting sexual encounters and she delivered with our main character having a very intimate interaction with a cactus. This story was unique and humorous as I expected but surprised me a bit by ultimately being a very serious exploration of self and how to come to terms with the consequences of opening yourself to connection and love and all of the risks that entails. There was a fever dream quality to the journey that makes sense and is what you would expect from someone seeking answers in the desert. One of the things I appreciated about this novel was that the main character is sober and of course this plays a role in their experience because it needs to, and at the same time it wasn’t the entire focus of the experience. I don’t think we see many depictions of sober people living their lives and having their sobriety and recovery represented as a typical/normal thing that is an important part of a person’s identity but not their entire identity. Overall I did enjoy this book but I wouldn’t say I loved it and I can’t quite pinpoint why or what would have tipped it for me from being enjoyable to great. This book is normally my vibe but there is just something missing for me. I will definitely pick up Broder’s other books and think this is worth the read, especially for people that like explorations of self and navigation of depression and grief. Since I was reading while on the road I had to take a photo of the hotel artwork. I don’t think this art did a great job of representing the place I was staying (the Oregon coast) and I definitely wish I would have been at a Best Western!
Thank you @scribnerbooks @netgalley for providing me an eARC!

Others will like this much more than I did.

Thanks to the good folks at NetGalley for an ARC to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a fever dream of a book that is basically girl processes grief for her not dead but dying father and husband by way of horny cactus?

If you’re like that’s incoherent, welcome to this novel.

Pre-reading:
I meant to read MILK FED and then never got around to it. Then I got sent this one. Let’s do this. I’m a sucker for a kooky cover.

Thick of it:
No, this is already kooky, and brilliant, and the exact type of lit fic that I like to read.

Leave it to lit fic to always tell you when a character pees.

This bitch can write.

Tell me you’re a neglected child without telling me you’re a neglected child-any attention turns you on.

kinehora

Viscid

One, I would read that book, and it would probably be a lit fic darling. Two, I think that is the plot of Vladimir and I Love You, But I’ve Chosen Darkness.

Assonant

Fingering a cactus gash feels like a euphemism, you know.

Oh man, it’s giving vagina so much.

Man, Girlypop is going through it.

I love the show I Survived. I love it. It’s my PTSD by proxy show.

No, there’s far too much pee in novels.

We’ve gone completely off the rails. I’m no longer into this. Dare I say I’m bored? I still like the narrative voice. I just don’t like the content.

diaphonic

Post-reading:
I wanna like this, but I don’t.

I don’t think it’s as edgy as it thinks it is. I think all the bathroom humor is gross. It felt pretty aimless to me. I liked the meta-ness of the plot, where she’s a writer writing a book but then she lives the essence and purpose of the book. That worked for me.

I found the main character very unlikable. Usually, I love an unlikable main character. There was nothing for me to connect to with her. I think we’re just fundamentally different people.

I really, really dug the kooky, cynical beginning. It just devolved into too much musing about spirituality for me. I’m not religious. I don’t believe in god. I think I’m a bit detached and disconnected from grief.

But then I read books like Shark Heart or anything by Frederick Backman and I’m like wow, I cried for multiple chapters straight. I don’t have any issue feeling my emotions. I just felt nothing for these characters. They’re a bit flat. We don’t really get to see what makes them tick. They don’t really have wants. She’s going on this journey of grief for her father, but there’s nothing to bond the audience to her dad. We’re just supposed to assume he’s loving and worthy of that love? Call me a bitch, but I’m gonna need evidence. I think too many people, especially people who love the lit fic genre, have shit dads, and will not just assume that yeah, he’s alright. I’d be sad if he died, knowing literally nothing about him other than that he listens to music and drinks Dr. Pepper.

I think the husband plotline is kind of wild. I feel very bad for him. I don’t think you should be in a relationship if you’re questioning your love for someone. I think it’s kind of icky that she’s in love with him because he used to be healthy, and it’s what she could’ve had, and she feels like he needs her to survive. Meanwhile, he’s giving her literally everything that he has, and she’s like it’s not enough. That’s sad to me. You’re not a martyr for taking care of your spouse.

Look a lot of way smarter people than me are reading this and loving it. They’re finding the author’s thoughts on grief moving and insightful. Maybe I’m a dummy, but I didn’t see her come to any conclusion. I was waiting for some big enlightenment and for me it felt like the book never got there.

The Best Western part of this book worked so well for me that I want to pick up another book by this author. I think she could be an author that I’ll love. I think this book may have just been a fluke.

(Her essay on her open marriage is so much more successful for me than this book.)

Who should read this:
Lit fic girlies
Fever dream novel enthusiasts
No plot, just vibes fans

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* I Love You, But I’ve Chosen Darkness-Claire Vaye Watkins-self-discovery in the desert, but the self-discovery is that she hates her family
* Rouge by Mona Awad-unsatisfying fever dream of a novel, mommy issues
* Masters of Death by Olivie Blake-hear me out-it’s basically magical realism to realize that daddy loves you- which is also this book
* Shark Heart by Emily Habeck-much more successful use of magical realism to deal with grief. Emotionally eviscerating.
* The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang-magical realism, mommy issues, basically nothing happens.
* Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth-campy, femme, surrealist horror
* The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab-musey, magical realism romance
* Bad Thoughts by Nada Alic-depressed lady short stories
* Big Swiss by Jen Beagin-kooky, femme surrealist romance

I love Melissa Broder and her work and this book was just what you would come to expect from her. Dealing with finding oneself in a surreal way, I loved it.

A fever dream of a book, what a wild ride! Mental health, love, grief, and depression were themes explored in this novel paired with stunning prose and dark humor. A flawed main character that you can’t help but root for are some of my favorite types of books!

This was a weird and wonderful fever dream of a novel that made me laugh out loud and also hit me in the feels. Melissa Broder's writing is stunning and I was so invested in the unnamed narrator's journey. Definitely a favorite of the year.

Thanks to Scribner for the copy to review.

What did I just read?

Death Valley by Melissa Broder felt like a trip or a fever dream. It was weird and amusing in a way that I think a lot of people would like. Broder's writing was stream-of-thought and odd in a very like-able way. I feel like Broder could write about anything and it would be enjoyable- such as a woman stepping into a cactus and speaking to her father through a variety of ages while he lays dying at a hospital, conversing with inanimate objects, and flying on birds.

I enjoyed reading Death Valley, although I feel that it was a pretty forgettable read. None of the metaphors particularly hit me in a lasting way. That begin said, I would recommend Death Valley for those dealing with grief who may take more away from the novel than I did. Packed with metaphors regarding death and dying, Death Valley may be a very poignant read for those who have dealt or are dealing with grief. You may also enjoy Death Valley if you are a fan of magical realism and books that are very oddball.

3/5 stars. Thank you to Melissa Broder, Scribner, and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.