Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder - Review

★★★☆☆

Rachel Yoder’s 2021 novel Nightbitch follows a nameless mother (known only to the reader as Nightbitch) and her pursuit for meaning as a stay-at-home mum. As her frustrations of motherhood and domestic monotony make their way to the surface, she begins to undergo a bizarre transformation into a dog. Using a unique blend of horror and comedy, we follow Nightbitch and her son through their daily lives and their unravelment.

Yoder twists the classic werewolf myth and applies it to a realistic domestic setting, using the canine transformation as a metaphor for motherhood and female empowerment. While the feminine werewolf is not a new concept (the 2000 film Ginger Snaps comes to mind), Nightbitch manages to stand out due to its in-depth discussion of gender roles and feminist theory. Yoder’s satire is precise and biting, while also at times philosophical and meditative.

What will steer many away from this book is its writing style. Yoder decides against quotation marks, and as such, some of the dialogue can become lost within sentences, often demanding re-reads of passages. There is also heavy use of run-on sentences, some lasting close to a page. This aspect of the writing style did not bother me as much as the lack of quotation marks, as it was quite successful in getting the reader stuck inside Nightbitch’s frazzled train of thought, despite being written in third person. By the time the book finished, I felt that I had a deep understanding of the main character. However, due to this focus of attention on her, there was a disconnect with the rest of the players, but I believe this to be Yoder’s goal even if it did leave something to be desired in terms of characterisation.

While there is quite a bit of philosophical meat to chew on, the actual plot wears thin quickly and in turn, the book feels quite long despite its short length. The characters are not given much to do, opting instead for long passages where Nightbitch sits and thinks. The story is peppered with occasional short bursts of violence (one scene in particular was brilliantly jaw-dropping) which are particularly effective because of their rarity, but the exposition heavy-sections of the book can unfortunately become a slog to get through, depending on your tolerance and your relation to Nightbitch as a character. There were also a few plot threads I would have liked to see wrapped up more neatly, and several mysteries left unsolved which will be frustrating for some readers.

Despite its flaws, Rachel Yoder’s debut novel is a force to be reckoned with. Her social commentary will hit the big screen in a film adaptation directed by Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Can You Ever Forgive Me?) and starring Amy Adams (Arrival, Nocturnal Animals). While the trailer seems to be aiming for a far different tone more akin to a typical quirky comedy, hopefully the film proves to maintain the sharp analysis of gender roles from its source material.

Rating: 3/5