 I tell you, my friends, this is a brilliant book action! So slap some white tanning butter on your face, move out with the music at top volume, and ride this strange torpedo right to the end! Mothwoman by Nicole Cushing Publisher : Word Horde (11 Oct. 2022) Language : English Paperback : 254 pages ISBN-10 : 1956252045 ISBN-13 : 978-1956252040 A Horror Book Review by Jim McLeod We have all heard of the Moth man, right? And we have all seen the film The Mothman Prophecies. Or are you like Donald and me in this novel from Nicole Cushing, having only watched part of the film? Either way, Nicole Cushing's The Mothwoman is a novel that you must finish, don't be a Donald by only reading some of it; that would make you almost as bad as the tiny-fingered halfwit. Oh yes, Cushing takes a wonderful pop at the most dangerous ginger to ever walk the face of the earth. The Mothwoman is an odd book to describe in terms of plot details; the basic premise is a mentally ill woman embarks on a road trip to visit her sick father, but on the way, she discovers that she is more than she seems, and soon finds herself the centre of attention at a Mothman convention, the NSA and the whole lot more. However, this fascinating novel takes on way more in terms of themes, subject matter and horror tropes while battering the reader about the brain with spectacularly surreal storytelling. It doesn't take long for the reader to know that they are in for a wild ride; I loved the first-person narration used here; imagine being stuck in a car with that one friend of yours that cannot bear to have a minutes silence, that's what this book is like, however at no point do you ever think "oh please shut up". The machine gun-style approach of her narration style is utterly captivating, and you are carried along in the passenger seat of her car with the desert wind blowing over your face, as though you are in a Hunter S Thompson novel if Hunter S Thompson had doubled the doses of all of the substances he was want to abuse. There is a humourous heart to The Mothwoman, and you will surely chuckle along numerous times. However, Cushing uses humour to offset some of the deep and powerful topics this book never shies away from tackling. There is one scene in particular where our narrator remembers the time that she was raped in college; it is a potent and upsetting passage in the book, and despite never being gratuitous in the description of the vile act, Cushing delivers an almighty gut punch to your emotions, that ensures that you the reader, are left shaken and somewhat empty inside. Taking in themes of mental illness, grief, sexism, the Covid Pandemic, the sense of being lost both within the world, themselves and their place in a family unit, as well as the political landscape of the USA, The Mothwoman is nothing if not a compelling tale of the hardships that women face in the world today. It is a forceful story that never pulls any punches while still being assertive in its narrative aims. one of the novel's strengths is Cushing's ability to tackle all of these heavy themes convincingly while never sacrificing the story itself. It could have been all too easy for these themes to take over and rob the story of its ability to hold the reader's attention, but Cushing has a deft hand when it comes to presenting them in a way that keeps the reader hooked on the story. We often talk about the unreliable narrator, and with the Mothwoman's Nancy, we are presented with one of the most momentous ones I have had the pleasure of reading. She takes you on a trip, not just on the road to her father but a trip through time, space and the twisted and torn centre of her mind. I loved how at one point in the story, Nancy gives a figurative two fingers up to Joseph Campbell and his "hero's journey". Don't come into this book expecting a simplistic character arc or a character's resolution. There will be times when you are banging your head against a wall at Nancy's indecisions and the choices she makes, but everyone she takes is delivered with pure conviction from Cushing's point of view. I tell you, my friends, this is a brilliant book action! So slap some white tanning butter on your face, move out with the music at top volume, and ride this strange torpedo right to the end! Mothwoman |
Archives
May 2023
|
RSS Feed
|
|