Book Reviews

Rachel Yoder

Nightbitch

DOUBLEDAY

Ithink I need to open with an admission of guilt: I am not a parent. I have been a nanny, a preschool teacher, I’ve worked in youth housing—this is to say, I have helped to raise children of all ages, but I am not a parent.

So while reading Nightbitch I found myself wondering, “What if all mothers turn into mythical creatures, a secret they keep from the rest of us?” I have always had this reverence for people whose bodies open up and brand new bodies come out. It makes sense to me that those bodies hold secrets.

For those unfamiliar with the phenomenon Nightbitch has already borne (a movie deal before publication, even!), a quick synopsis: Artist turns stay-at-home mom transmogrifies into a dog as her identity fades into motherhood and away from self.

It is obviously more than that. First and foremost it is weird. I read passages aloud to whoever was near me and for those outside the literary world, the response was, “So, this is the type of thing you read?” This struck me as one of those phrases people employ when they don’t know how to respond, like “interesting.” But Nightbitch is interesting. It is one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read. For at least half of the book no characters have names, dialogue isn’t demarcated in any way, the mother is, significantly, only called “the mother.” No capitals, no fanfare—just “the mother.”

Part horror-confessional, part dadaist satire, Nightbitch is amazingly accessible. Offering a prayer in solidarity with other mothers, author Rachel Yoder addresses the cult of motherhood and productivity; of those perfect happy mothers who are impossibly put-together and also always involved in pyramid schemes; and the great isolation that comes from being a stay-at-home mom. Mothers aren’t allowed to be unhappy, to seek fulfillment outside of the home; the work they do “isn’t real work”; they couldn’t possibly be less than happy.

“How could we possibly long for something beyond our offspring? … It’s almost as if having a child does not sate a deep yearning but instead compounds it,” the mother writes in an epistle. But it’s complicated. “At times she terrified herself, wondering if she was a god, if being a mother was

Tess Weaver; ill. Jennifer Black Reinhardt

Fishtastic!

HANCHER AUDITORIUM/UNIVERSITY OF IOWA PRESS

You may think you know whimsy, but unless you’re already a fan of Jennifer Black Reinhardt’s illustrations, you haven’t seen the half of it. The Iowa City illustrator pulls out all the stops for the visuals accompanying Iowa City author Tess Weaver’s charming picture

one way of being a god.”

Fanciful and strange and seductively violent (I want to give a content warning for one scene of violence against a domestic animal), it is unfair to say that Nightbitch is only about motherhood, as not even motherhood is only about motherhood. Nightbitch is about identity and aging and the meaning of life in a body. It is (as it accurately self-describes in a meta moment) about “feral femininity.”

What I liked best, though, was the absolute humanity in moments like this: “This must be what it means to be an animal, to look at another and say, I am so much that other thing that we are part of one another. Here is my skin. Here is yours.” —Sarah Elgatian

She learns, though, that when something must be done, it can be done, and that she has more power inside herself than she realizes. Of course, she learns this as the Fishtastics are on a school trip to perform at Hancher Auditorium. Black Reinhardt’s loving illustrations of that local landmark make this book one that kids used to visiting there will surely cherish. But the universal themes, the gorgeous colors and the friendly characterizations make it a story that all kids everywhere can enjoy. The tale itself is straightforward and accessible. Both Etta’s frustration and the loving support of her friends are palpable and comforting, each in their way. Etta’s sadness never veers into jealousy or resentment; her journey is her own challenge and she bears her heavy emotions in ways that are useful for children to explore. Special mention must be given to the layout of the pages. The OFFERINg A PRAYER IN SOLIDARItY WItH OtHER story and the pictures weave MOtHERS, AUtHOR RACHEL YODER ADDRESSES tHE CULt together with OF MOtHERHOOD AND PRODUCtIVItY. a masterful use of space, and the visual storytelling is book tale of a theater school of as compelling as the narrative. fishes. Inspired by the sculptures Fishtastic! is perfectly paced and installed recently along the walk- balanced. ways that patrons travers to reach The real star of the show, Hancher Auditorium, Fishtastic! though, without question, is Etta’s joins the ranks of wonderful work pincushion hat. Attached with commissioned or inspired by the a thin string tied in a bow, the theater, and seems poised to have simplicity, necessity, and deft disjust as wide a reach. tinctiveness make it the must-have Published in April, the story accessory of the year. Honestly, I explores the question of what want one. It’s the only thing the makes magic and how we know small fish wears, while her peers whether we have it or not. Etta, are all bedecked in her extravathe school’s costume design- gantly designed costumes. It’s the er, keeps desperately trying to sort of precise detail that elevates breathe air like her friends. She’s a children’s book from cute to never seen her designs sparkle in delightful. the stage lights—and, more funda- Pick this up for any 2- through mentally, she feels like she’s not 7-year-olds in your life, or any “good enough,” since she lacks fans of Hancher, or any fish aficiothe one thing that sets her school- nados. It will become beloved. mates apart from all the other fish in the sea. —Genevieve Trainor