Death Valley is my first book by Melissa Broder. I went into this one mostly blind. I knew it had something to do with grief and a cactus. I have experienced my share of grief recently, and I love plants which I find to be beautiful and calming, so I was intrigued. But what I wasn’t expecting was what a wild ride it was!

The story is told solely from the perspective of our unnamed narrator, a woman in mid-life who is grieving her dying father and her chronically ill husband. To get some separation and much-needed rest from her ongoing roles as support to her dad and primary caretaker to her husband, she heads to the California desert with a plan to stay in her favorite comfort hotel chain, Best Western. From there chaos ensues.

This book was nothing less than a trippy experience. Our narrator had me both laughing out loud and saying What the….? (also out loud) repeatedly as I turned the pages. This entire book was like an out of body experience, which actually does mirror the way grief often feels.

In truth, there is no playbook for grief. It affects each of us differently, and we all have our own ways of reacting to loss. Broder’s use of Magical Realism rendering a surreal survivalist journey through Death Valley, was a clever way to show the reader that grief, although, a totally human, universal experience, is one we are never quite prepared for.

Broder’s side characters, especially the Best Western hosts and the narrator’s mom, add comic relief and extra doses of humanity to this strange but somehow understandable story of grief and survival. In fact, the scenes with these side characters, as well as the descriptions of the hotel, were some of my favorite parts of this story.

This book was not my typical type of read, and despite the tough emotional subject matter, I found myself enjoying the ride. Some scenes were so far out there that I began to lose the thread of the story. However, I appreciated Broder’s unique approach to writing about the journey of loss and grief, and how on the other side we may find within ourselves a survivor. I am looking forward to exploring the backlist of this talented author.

If you enjoy books that are off the beaten path or incorporate humor into a traditionally serious and difficult subject, you might want to give Death Valley a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the e-ARC of Death Valley by Melissa Broder in exchange for my honest review.

Melissa Broder is a perfect author to me. This is gut-wrenching and beautifully written and weird. She just keeps getting better and sadder and better.

An author travels to a hotel in a desert town to spend time working on her next novel, but mostly to escape the sorrow that increasingly dominates her life. Her father is in the ICU and her husband has a long-term illness that seems to be only worsening. When the clerk at the hotel suggests a nearby hike, the narrator decides to explore it. There, she finds a surprise -- a large cactus that, by all accounts, should not exist in this part of the desert. The narrator finds herself drawn to the cactus and, from the initial encounter, sets off on a journey that becomes longer, more dangerous, and much more surreal than she could have every expected.

This is an unusual and engaging story of what it takes to survive. The author powerfully uses the desert, its plants, wildlife, and terrain as a way to explore interesting themes related to family, growing older, and mental health.

Highly recommended.

I know I'll be the odd one out but I DNF this. I've been a fan of Broder, whose novels feature quirky characters and unusual plots (Pisces!). but this one left me cold. The unnamed narrator had my sympathy for the situation with her father as well as with her husband and I was quite entertained by the staff at the Best Western but then there was the cactus. I was ok with it initially but the portal just, well, wasn't my cup of tea. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I might take another go at this bit of now, I'm looking forward to whatever Broder writes next.

This book was okay. It probably wasn’t fair that I read it at the same time as another book that I REALLY enjoyed, because it overshadowed this one by comparison.

The parts about “Death Valley” that I did like were that it was pretty funny, (like when she’s thirsting after the desk workers at the Best Western), and surprisingly comforting for a book about disease, hospitals, and dying. The suffering of loved ones and the helplessness of not being able to stop it. I did like this more than “The Pisces,” but I didn’t love it.

The book starts out strong with a solid story, but the middle feels like the author was doing a prolonged writing exercise. “What if your protagonist got lost in the desert?!” It goes on for so long that reading it began to feel like a chore. I lost patience with it and felt like the author was wasting my time, like, did SHE even know what the point of this was?

It doesn’t even make sense HOW the main character ends up lost in the desert, because she takes the middle fork at the fork in a road and is then too stupid to remember that she took the middle road on the way back. (And she passes back this way multiple times.)

I typically don’t have a problem with surreal set pieces in a book that is otherwise grounded in reality, but there were multiple times when I couldn’t follow what was going on or what the narrator was talking about. That could have been on me, though.

Good things about the book: I love the way the husband was written and their relationship, I liked the shoutouts to the ID Channel and other little mundane things that I could relate to. Again, the author’s sense of humor in this one was top notch. I chuckled numerous times. The balance between funny and depressing was capable. One of the most fun and cathartic moments in the story was spoiled for me by a stranger’s review, unfortunately. Hate it when that happens! But Melissa Broder is definitely good at talking about how neurotic human beings are and what we obsess over and worry about.

TW: Chronic illness, death of a loved one

📕Can you actually hide in a cactus? I know they get big in deserts under perfect conditions, but can they actually allow a person sleep in them?
-
📗Sadness and sense of loss were profound in this story. Being able to hold your unconscious father’s hand (while you could only interact with him in a distant manner on a normal day) and being able to do it only then hits hard. It makes you think of moments you missed. I wouldn’t choose to take a walk at a desert, but I would make relatively erratic decisions too
-
📘I probably like this book more than Broder’s other books. Emotions were clearly displayed, but she still allowed you to make your own interpretations of those. It was heavy like an elephant sitting on your chest right before that anxiety attack hits

“You’re going to die one day. Then what do I do? In a way, it’s like you’re already gone. I have to prepare.”
“If that’s the case, why love anyone? Everyone is going to die at some point.”
“Exactly! It’s like two ghosts trying to cuddle each other. Dust cuddling dust.”

I am always intrigued by Melissa broder’s work, but since I had such a dislike for the Pisces I’ve kind of avoided her other works. When I heard she had Death Valley coming out and began seeing it everywhere I knew I had to get my hands on it somehow.

Death Valley tells the story of a woman in the California desert trying to find solace while her father and husband are both bedridden with sickness. She checks herself into her favorite chain hotel where she begins to question everything about herself, life and death. After speaking to one of the hotel workers she goes on a hike encountering a cactus that should not be there, but is. What happens next will take you on the ride of your life.

It isn’t very often that I feel like an author has opened my brain up and scooped the main character straight out of it. The woman in this novel is me and I’m sure most of us have felt her loneliness and fear. It tells a very philosophical tale of how to try and gain compassion and empathy for others. It is a deep dive into death and grieving. It was the book I didn’t know I need in my life until after reading it. Cannot recommend this one more!

Thank you netgalley and Scribner for this eARC and everyone look for it at your local bookstore this Oct 3!

Magical Realism is one of, if not, my favorite genre. Although I began with the more "classic" South American authors, what I love to see as I continue to read the genre is people making it their own.

Who would have thought a story about attempting to run away from your problems, the struggle to deal with feelings of grief and inadequacy, and potentially having to come to terms with the death of a parent would be so relatable and hilarious? I can't tell you how many times I've gone to reddit for the answer of a problem I've had. Or how many times I've had to admit to myself the reality of the situation was the opposite of the feelings I held. Broder brought true humanity to the themes expressed in the story and wrote in an accessible and fun way.

I particularly loved her conversations with the rocks and the rose. The way she portrayed nature in the story felt familial. She anthropomorphized cactus, realized that bugs must sleep too, and followed the teenage desert hares to their secret hangout. Her time spent in the big cactus brought on the important revelations that she needed in order to reframe her damaged outlook on the relationships with her husband and father, even if they were mere hallucinations.

I loved every page of this book, and will definitely be checking out Broder's other works.

Thank you to netgalley and scribner for the opportunity to review this e-arc!

This story has a lot of wit, a lot of dark humor, and a lot of metaphors for grief. It’s almost spiritual, very heart-wrenching; it’s a good pick for those times when you want to read something that will really make you think and, especially, feel. It could be a good read for those who like Jeffrey Eugenides and/or Elizabeth Strout, although they’re not exact matches—though the themes are universal, Broder’s voice is unique.

Melissa Broder did it again! I read this in one sitting. I love how it toed the line between reality and fantasy and giving in to the narrators worst impulses m.

The first half of this book made me ugly cry at the beautiful ways it explored grief, but the last half felt like an acid trip. Maybe there were deeper things to take from this, but it was lost in one woman's poor decision-making and eventual stranding in the California desert. And the ending left me wanting more resolution, which maybe I missed the whole thing because of the book's overarching message.

However, it is a quick read and one that engrossed me right away. It got me in my feelings and I found it helpful for navigating some of the grief in my own life right now.

This one was a whacky little fever dream. A woman dealing with the decline of her father’s health and her husband’s chronic illness seeks answers inside of a cactus.

I loved the honesty in this one as the narrator explored her guilt over her true feelings. Those feelings that crop up, that you have to push back down, because they aren’t fair to the loved one or friend you are thinking them about.

Death Valley was funny at times, but did drag at certain points. While being a trippy little romp in the desert, it was also an exploration of the narrator’s very in depth thoughts.

Check this one out if you like stories on dealing with grief, fantasy, love, deserts, and magical realism!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner Books for the eARC of this title!!**

Melissa Broder is a W R I T E R. I can't get enough of the gal! I was highly anticipating Death Valley, and it delivered. It explores grief, compassion/empathy, depression, being a daughter, being a wife, and survival. So much of the book deeply resonated with me, especially the theme of pre-grief. Roman Roy would loooove this book.

There is a fair amount of hallucinating and dreaming scenes, which I usually struggle with, but Melissa Broder has a way of making anything entertaining. Most of the dreaming/hallucinating scenes are pretty cut-and-dry hallucinations or dreams which I appreciated (I don't want to do a lot of wondering if this is a hallucination or a dream).

Death Valley is one of those books that I think I would actually enjoy more a second time around. This is my third Broder and will not be my last. Cannot wait to read what she writes next.

A quick, interesting read about a middle aged woman whose father is on the brink of death, whose husband has a debilitating illness, and who is trying to finish writing a book. She ends up going to the desert by herself for a week to get inspiration for her book. While staying at a Best Western she ventures onto some hiking trails where some strange things start to happen.

I have heard tons of great things about Melissa Broder’s books, and I was stoked to get an early copy of her upcoming release Death Valley. This was such a character driven story, and I always struggle with those. I’m an action girl and I need strong plotlines to stay invested. Especially with a toddler, character driven novels tend to be more lullaby than anything else for me. Or maybe I’ve been reading too many ‘fever dreamesque’ novels of late to commit to a new dreamy prose.

Death Valley is such a deep look at the way we process grief, loss, and how we define love. So many of the thoughts felt relatable to me, and our narrators rambling and personification of the world around her is how I go through life as well. The number of objects and animals I talk to in a day probably borders on ridiculous. While I enjoyed the exploration of our narrator’s coming to terms with death in the literal Death Valley and some of the humor woven in, I found parts of the story to be mildly boring and some points were too weird even for me. The pacing was a bit slow, which hindered the story’s ability to hold my attention.

The themes and writing within the book are excellent, but the overall pacing and lack of a more actionable plotline made it less impactful for me. I almost gave this a ★★ but added a star because grappling with human existence is something I really like diving into and I did think it was well written. ★★★

Death Valley comes out October 3, 2023. Huge thank you to Scribner for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

Death Valley was a quirky, funny quick novel. An unnamed narrator escapes to the Best Western in Death Valley – she needs to write her next novel, her father is near death, her husband has an unnamed illness which keeps him debilitated and she needs a break to concentrate. During a hike she finds a cactus, not native to the desert and crawls into said cactus finding comfort and wisdom – when she goes again to hike to look for her cactus (completely unprepared for a real hike) she gets lost in the desert for days and descends into some sort of fantastical madness.

That’s the plot people – it’s the humor and wackiness that keeps this novel going (and the flashbacks). It’s entertaining and I really enjoyed it (there are even some laugh out loud parts). I found Broder’s writing and humor really fun and smart. If you like weird, I recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC for review

What a bizarre, interesting, and wonderful read!

To be honest I was a bit thrown and questioning what the heck was going on when first reading this but as the story went on I was captivated.

My wife and I travel to California every year and always think about hiking in Death Valley but then there alway seems to be a recent case of a hiker getting seriously hurt or dying and we decide against it.

Death Valley follows a woman in her forties wandering the desert while she processes her grief with elements of magical realism and deeply imaginative storytelling.

She is lost in every sense of the word. Her father is sick, her husband is sick and is trying to process the feelings that come with caretaking and supporting and losing people she loves.

‘I don’t know if there is such a thing as “officially lost,” or what makes a person maybe lost vs sort of lost vs lost. There were times in my life when I felt totally lost and then realized I was only sort of lost, or not lost at all. There were other times when I left not lost and later realized I was completely lost. Most of these were emotional.”

I loved how lostness is examined and depicted with moments of real vulnerability and weakness and also humor and strength. We have all felt lost at some point in our lives and this story will make you feel seen. It will make you want to carry on. It will make you think of your compassion- not just for others but for yourself too.

This is my first Melissa Broder book and while it was weird and not at all what I was expecting, it was perfect and I look forward to reading more of her backlist!

4.25 stars

when ur so avoidant attached u end up alone in the desert 🌵

thanks to netgalley and scribner for the arc!

melissa broder zoom'ed into my book club for milk fed and talked a bit about her life and i'm just in awe with how much she put of her personal life into book - it's nearly autofiction. she mentioned her grief over her father's passing was a huge catalyst for writing this book and it made me appreciate the vulnerability of this book even more.

in traditional broder fashion, you can't help but to watch and relate to her painfully human protagonists and then the book descends into grotesque fantasy chaos. it's a wonderful blend of vulnerability and borderline speculative fiction.

in addition to being a beautiful story about grief, it's actually such a beautiful love story. the way she begins to see her dying father as he is, she is also able to meet her partner whose illness is chronic and worsening on another level. i thought that was such a beautiful addition to the story.

I think this one ranks slightly below the pisces and milk fed, but i still really loved it and just adore anything melissa broder releases.

When we meet our unnamed narrator she is checking into a Best Western in Death Valley. She's taking a small step away from her chronically ill husband in LA and her father who is in the ICU. She's in a place that provides a bit of freedom from her life and the many things that she cannot control and is oddly attuned to many living and nonliving things in her new environment. When she goes for a hike in the desert and comes across a huge cactus with an unexpected wound she can't help but touch it and even slide her hand inside. Do the mystical experiences begin here or is this whole experience a fever dream? It's hard to know what is real as the narrator reflects on her relationships with two hugely important figures in her life who she wants to support but cannot cure. Self-care time quickly falls over a cliff as we follow the narrator into Death Valley.

I cannot get the mood of this novel out of my head. Despite the dire situations, this book is full of humor and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the advance copy of this book.

This was just ok. Kind of meh. This kind of main character drives me nuts. Selfish and so full of themselves that they are effectively blinded by their own ego and self. It’s infuriating. Compassion or empathy? I had neither for her. The more the cactus popped up (even if nonexistent) the more I felt bad for the cactus though. Getting wounded more and more to shelter someone like this.