The Need, by Helen Phillips
I burned through this book in two sittings because I was so caught up in the claustrophobic atmosphere of this truly unique story that is, at its heart, a deeply accurate portrayal of the mania of early parenting.
THE BUZZ:
I don’t really know how to describe this story: it’s just so interestingly done, a harrowing tale where you keep wondering if something awful is going to happen or if something awful already happened or what. It’s like a fever dream, which grabs you from the first page and keeps taking you into unexpected territories. I could not tell you exactly what happened at the end but I’m not sure it was ever meant to be a clear plotline, more of a dive into the suffocating love of parenthood, the exhaustion and the self-doubt and the sense that you’re not fit for the job. I couldn’t put it down, I think it’s a beautiful work of art.
