1.5⭐️ thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! I was so excited by the premise of this but I was left feeling confused a majority of the time. While I caught some of the messages that the story conveyed, I think there was a lot that I missed or was unable to connect to. For it being a novella, I thought the pacing was also lacking. If interested in reading this, I recommend checking the trigger warnings ahead of time.

This novella was not an easy read because of the way it was written. It was hard to follow all the train of thoughts. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for a free e-arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

what an interesting premise! after having studied a unit on perspectives of the future for my english class, a future in which the government pretends that the climate crisis is the fault of women doesn't seem too unrealistic to me. i really enjoyed the unique writing style of this novel - each chapter/section felt like a new scene in a script for a tv show (if you know what i mean). the language used by the author was vivid and conjured very strong imagery. it's a style of writing that one of my teachers would refer to as "economical" - the author doesn't have to say much to convey meaning.

that being said, i think the ultimate message of the novel went over my head. i understood the themes, but what saunders was trying to say was ultimately lost on me. i also missed the significance of the title.

overall though, a fantastic read! what a great pick for my first advanced reader copy of a book!

This is a really short book but it took me ages to finish.

It had a stream of consciousness vibe (complete with no speech marks) that I didn’t particularly enjoy.
The first half was easily stronger than the second - once the Elvis guy was introduced I lost interest tbh and everything this was trying to say dissolved.

THE FLAT WOMAN is a creative, compelling read perfect for fans of literary fiction, especially readers who gravitate toward somewhat experimental fiction. I realize this book is not going to appeal to everyone, and that's okay. We need books like this, and I'm grateful to the publisher for taking a chance on it and for recognizing that not every reader wants the same old story. THE FLAT WOMAN deftly explores climate change, and the author does a great job at conveying the absurd and surreal. I flew through this one, impressed with the originality, and I will look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

Aahhh I give this one 3 stars with a very heavy heart. I wanted to love this so much. In fact, I went in with the pre conceived notion that I'll love it - I mean just look at the cover & the blurb!

The Flat Woman balances 3 primary themes of environmental disruption, feminism & mental health simultaneously, but it is certainly not limited to these. Heavy symbolism written with a surreal narrative immediately sucked me in.
Pink jumpsuits in prisons?! Hell yeah! (but also no because women blaming bad)

P.S. only 128 pages of pure fever dream! YESSS!

As much as I wanted to read more about seagull terrorism, the book moves on quickly in the second half to a (weird?) man who I absolutely did not like (that's the point, I know) but I also thought they plot might've been better without him at all.

I actually loved references to therapy, anxiety, leaking & the Woman's generally worst case scenario approach to life. I was looking forward to more of it as to me, the 'self fulfilling prophecy' climax might've have made more sense then.

Despite it's shortfalls (me losing interest after Elvis shows up), this book is EXACTLY the kind of weird, unique, creepy PINK experience that I crave in books (think Metamorphosis x Bunny x Eleanor Oliphant and you've barely scratched the surface).
To me, this author has a lot of potential. Looking forward to more from her.

The Flat Woman is a novella with a compelling premise, exploring themes of climate change and polarization. These are subjects I typically find engaging, so I was excited to read this novella. However, despite its intriguing concept, the story did not fully resonate with me.

The story’s weirdness and surrealism were notable and provided a unique reading experience. Yet, I felt that the novella fell short in terms of depth and development. The potential of its themes seemed underutilized, leaving me wanting more substance and exploration. While the novel’s originality was appreciated, I was left with a sense of unfulfilled promise. Overall, while The Flat Woman has its merits, it didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Thank you Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for the ARC!

Uh okay thank you NetGalley for the arc
I think this was just maybe not meant for me? I found the writing style to be extremely rough and choppy and the lack of quotations and clear markings of who was talking and when was really confusing and odd. I unfortunately don’t feel like this was what I expected to read based off the description.
Just know this won’t be for everyone.
The formatting was really off putting as well

Really interesting.. I find it hard to put in words this reading experience. I was drawn to the story line, definitely an unusual writing style. I am really glad I read it, not sure if this style is quite for me. Try it. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

“When I rewrote this piece, I tried to create a text that demanded a new kind of reading experience. One that expresses our absurd, fast, and unpredictable modern world filled with screens, disasters, and polarization.” —Vanessa Saunders

Reading this short novel feels like entering a surreal dream. It's the weirdest you can get before starting to be pretentious. The characters feel distant, the story fragmented, and the symbolism blunt but bizarre - yet somehow it all works together and it is gripping from the first line.

It reminded me a bit of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis and Philip K Dick's Ubik. You won't find any answers here, but quite a few conversation starters - would definitely recommend for a more experimental book club and anyone interested in surreal cli-fi.

Content Warning for domestic abuse and violence against animals.

Thank you to Vanessa Saunders, University of Alabama Press/Fiction Collective 2, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I would like to thank Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a hard one to give review for.

Did I like this book? Yes.
Did I understand ALL the underlying messages? Probably not.
Would I recommend that you read this book? Absolutely.
Could I tell you what it's about? Not without giving spoilers.

I would love to re-read this as a bookclub pick once it is published to discuss it with others though.