Nightbitch
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- Create Date：2021-09-19 08:51:38
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Rachel Yoder
- ISBN：1787302644
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Summary
One day， the mother was a mother but then， one night， she was quite suddenly something else。。。
At home full-time with her two-year-old son， an artist finds she is struggling。 She is lonely and exhausted。 She had imagined - what was it she had imagined？ Her husband， always travelling for his work， calls her from faraway hotel rooms。 One more toddler bedtime， and she fears she might lose her mind。
Instead， quite suddenly， she starts gaining things， surprising things that happen one night when her child will not sleep。 Sharper canines。 Strange new patches of hair。 New appetites， new instincts。 And from deep within herself， a new voice。。。
With its clear eyes on contemporary womanhood and sharp take on structures of power， Nightbitch is an outrageously original， joyfully subversive read that will make you want to howl in laughter and recognition。 Addictive enough to be devoured in one sitting， this is an unforgettable novel from a blazing new talent。
At home full-time with her two-year-old son， an artist finds she is struggling。 She is lonely and exhausted。 She had imagined - what was it she had imagined？ Her husband， always travelling for his work， calls her from faraway hotel rooms。 One more toddler bedtime， and she fears she might lose her mind。
Instead， quite suddenly， she starts gaining things， surprising things that happen one night when her child will not sleep。 Sharper canines。 Strange new patches of hair。 New appetites， new instincts。 And from deep within herself， a new voice。。。
With its clear eyes on contemporary womanhood and sharp take on structures of power， Nightbitch is an outrageously original， joyfully subversive read that will make you want to howl in laughter and recognition。 Addictive enough to be devoured in one sitting， this is an unforgettable novel from a blazing new talent。
Reviews
Mary M
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It took me awhile to get into this， but once I did it really grabbed me。 It’s broken into 3 parts - no chapters so finding places to pause was a challenge。 Definitely related to the mother’s struggles vis-à-vis SAHM life。 Very weird book but worth a read。
Janalee
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There were moments this book was so powerful that I had to set it down and just breathe for a few minutes before continuing。 The descriptions of new motherhood， with its isolation， confusion， identity crises， boredom， joy， empowerment… she captured it so profoundly that I nearly wept。 The transformation she undergoes is… well， violent， repulsive and confusing。 But it works！ I am VERY curious how this will be made into a movie starring Amy Adam’s， which I think is in the works。 That is going to b There were moments this book was so powerful that I had to set it down and just breathe for a few minutes before continuing。 The descriptions of new motherhood， with its isolation， confusion， identity crises， boredom， joy， empowerment… she captured it so profoundly that I nearly wept。 The transformation she undergoes is… well， violent， repulsive and confusing。 But it works！ I am VERY curious how this will be made into a movie starring Amy Adam’s， which I think is in the works。 That is going to be one bizarre flick。 。。。more
Alison Bender
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A feral and ferocious take on motherhood。 There were great lines about the boredom， rage and exhaustion that comes with being the main parent—if I didn’t have a library copy， I would have highlighted so much of the book。 A great read for anyone who has felt like they’ve lost themselves in caring for their children。
Maggie Downs
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The story is The Metamorphosis meets Dept。 of Speculation， and it's totally bonkers。 But the plot is almost beside the point — I've never found another book that so accurately expressed my experience of becoming a mother。 The story is The Metamorphosis meets Dept。 of Speculation， and it's totally bonkers。 But the plot is almost beside the point — I've never found another book that so accurately expressed my experience of becoming a mother。 。。。more
Abigail Ferguson
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In the best way， I’ve never read anything like this。 Married with no children， a lot of this still resonated with。 Maybe it’s obvious， but I think I think she doesn’t name most characters because we all have our Nightbitch in us and so this is a story of all of us。 We’re all also unique individuals and the mother is no different。 She’s a trip。 Fairly sure burnt out mothers aren’t taking shits in their asshole neighbor’s yard or feeding their babies raw meat as a general rule？ Not being a mother In the best way， I’ve never read anything like this。 Married with no children， a lot of this still resonated with。 Maybe it’s obvious， but I think I think she doesn’t name most characters because we all have our Nightbitch in us and so this is a story of all of us。 We’re all also unique individuals and the mother is no different。 She’s a trip。 Fairly sure burnt out mothers aren’t taking shits in their asshole neighbor’s yard or feeding their babies raw meat as a general rule？ Not being a mother myself I could be wrong。 This is a beautiful and weird ode to mothers。 A little bit opinion essay， a little bit…journal？ Blog？ Inner dialogue？ I’ve never read anything quite like this。 MM reminds me a bit of Evelyn in Fried Green Tomatoes。 I like that by Chapter 2 I’m wondering if she really is turning into a dog and we’re taking a jaunt into sci fi？ I buy books to cope with life…she turns into a dog…tomato/tomato…Horror？ Psychological thriller？ I love that I don’t know。 Can you imagine looking outside and seeing your neighbor lady， naked， fly tackling a squirrel and killing it with her very human teeth…？！ The poor cat made me less sympathetic to MM and more， how many animals is she going to kill before she moves on to humans…and there’s something so violent about how she killed it…although then all of the Jens and their pets make me pause too…another secret right of passage in motherhood？So the Field Guide is like Jumanji？ Much like Nightbitch’s performance， Nightbitch the novel leaves me wondering what’s actually happened but weirdly more okay than I’d normally be without figuring things out。 。。。more
emma
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such an original， gritty and enticing story
Kristina
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I’m not sure how to review this book。 Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder is odd， amazing， funny and honest。 It’s an angry fairy tale。 It’s a feminist novel。 It’s a story that probably most （if not all） women have experienced and can relate to。 It’s also just a good read。Nightbitch， as the unnamed protagonist eventually calls herself， is a stay-at-home mother to her young son。 She used to work at an art gallery and create art， but gave that up when she discovered she is not a superwoman and can’t do it a I’m not sure how to review this book。 Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder is odd， amazing， funny and honest。 It’s an angry fairy tale。 It’s a feminist novel。 It’s a story that probably most （if not all） women have experienced and can relate to。 It’s also just a good read。Nightbitch， as the unnamed protagonist eventually calls herself， is a stay-at-home mother to her young son。 She used to work at an art gallery and create art， but gave that up when she discovered she is not a superwoman and can’t do it all。 Her husband is gone most of the week for his job and that leaves her to do the majority of the housework and parenting。 Nightbitch is very， very tired of her new mommy self。 More than that， she’s very， very angry。 Determined to change， Nightbitch throws herself enthusiastically into being the perfect mother…but that’s not the answer。 With the help of a mysterious library book and lots of raw meat， Nightbitch becomes her truest self。 How many generations of women had delayed their greatness only to have time extinguish it completely？ How many women had run out of time while the men didn’t know what to do with theirs？ And what a mean trick to call such things holy or selfless。 How evil to praise women for giving up each and every dream （161）。 At its heart， this is a book written by a woman for women。 Not in a “men all suck” type of way。 Nightbitch recognizes the struggles of women to be their best selves， whether that’s an artist or CEO， and also to be mothers and not feel guilty for wanting both and demanding help from their partners （in this case， a husband）。 There’s also a lot of anger directed towards a culture that both elevates mothers and motherhood and also devalues them at the same time: “I think working mother is perhaps the most nonsensical concept ever concocted。 I mean， who isn’t a working mother？ And then add a paid job to it， so what are you then？ A working working mother？ Imagine saying working father” （16）。 Was it her fault that she had bought into the popular societal myth that if a young woman merely secured a topnotch education she could then free herself from the historical constraints of motherhood， that if she simply had a career she could easily return to work after having a baby and sidestep the drudgery of previous generations， even though having a baby did not， in any way， represent a departure from work to which a woman might， theoretically， one day return。 It actually， instead， marked an immersion in work， an unimaginable weight of work， a multiplication of work exponential in its scope， staggering， so staggering， both physically and psychically （especially psychically）， that even the most mentally well person might be brought to her knees beneath such a load， a load that pitted ambition against biology， careerism against instinct， that bade the modern mother to be less of an animal in order to be happy， because—come on， now—we’re evolved and civilized， and， really， what is your problem？ Pull it together” （29）。Even though I am not a mother， I can appreciate （if not fully experience） the struggle of women who are mothers and love being mothers yet still want to hold onto their separate identity as artists， businesswomen， educators—an identity separate from motherhood because it is valued。 Because， in America， motherhood is not valued。 I think it’s still a role women are expected to fill because American culture （probably like many other cultures） remains very patriarchal and home and hearth and childrearing are women’s roles and women’s roles are not valued as highly as working outside the home， work that has financial gains。 Women are now told they can have it all， they can work and be mothers…but at what cost to themselves？ Nightbitch addresses this idea。 This theme of domestic work being undervalued runs throughout the novel。 Nightbitch complains bitterly to herself about all the work she does separate from childcare that her husband doesn’t recognize， that he is free of， whether he is away staying in a clean hotel with housekeeping or at home， proclaiming that he is “too tired” from working to help with childcare。 She is also depressed because she can no longer create art; she is exhausted， she has no motivation， she has no time。 The magical/fairy tale aspect of the novel， of Nightbitch evolving into a dog， is treated in a matter-of-fact way yet still leaves the reader wondering: does she really turn into a dog？ The resolution of the story and how Nightbitch comes to accept herself is interesting and not unexpected。 The struggle of the artist to create art is also a large part of the novel but it fits in well with the whole idea of creation/motherhood。 I strongly identified with Nightbitch and her struggles and frustrations。 Nightbitch is angry， but she’s also very funny and does what we all do—we tell ourselves that we are the problem， that we don’t try hard enough， when really sometimes the situation is just fucked up。 Nightbitch is， for me， an exceptional novel。 It is authentic and angry and funny in its explorations of women and their struggles both with themselves and against a patriarchal cultural。 。。。more
Niko
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ok so this book begins very captivating and had a great concept。 Good writing。 Loved the theme even though I felt the mother was a bit of a martyr。 （Also I am not a mother so perhaps I don't get it fully） There were inconsistencies in the character development both in the mother， the husband and also the friend Jen and how they are described/portrayed。 Book could have been shorter IMO， it gets a little repetitive and loses steam after the full "transformation"。 I also didn't care for the ending Ok so this book begins very captivating and had a great concept。 Good writing。 Loved the theme even though I felt the mother was a bit of a martyr。 （Also I am not a mother so perhaps I don't get it fully） There were inconsistencies in the character development both in the mother， the husband and also the friend Jen and how they are described/portrayed。 Book could have been shorter IMO， it gets a little repetitive and loses steam after the full "transformation"。 I also didn't care for the ending which felt a little lazy like oh her 100% logic-driven husband is just completely okay with her being a dog and leaving the house to do dog shit all night and raising their son to think he's a puppy etc， and has no questions？ Also he was once completely disengaged and aloof but now he's sexually aroused and nurturing the relationship？ Also wtf was the artshow at the end and why was that a necessary part of the story？ Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this read but feel it was definitely overhyped on social media by other writers whose novels are way better。 。。。more
Abby
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A really weird and unsettling but。。。 kind of inspiring？？？ story about how motherhood can totally alienate you from your own humanity。 Even though at times I felt viscerally uncomfortable--perhaps even muttering OH GOD aloud while reading--I connected with this story。 I recommend this for people interested in the dark psychological experience of early parenthood。 Not for the queasy。
Cyndi
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Original， darkly humorous， vividly recognizable…Kafka meets 21st century Woman。 Worth your time。
Georgina Howes
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Quite possibly the best book I’ve ever read。 At least， it’s right up there。 Unusual story about how we grow and survive the magic of motherhood。 I don’t think I’ll be forgetting this one in a hurry。 Hooooowl……。
Emily Hawkins
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An extraordinary take on what it is to be a woman and a mother。 Just brilliant。
Leonard
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It seems as if the last few novels I read kept switching on me， from the past to the future， from one group of characters to an entirely different group of people， until sometimes I scarcely knew where I was and who I was with。 One of the pleasing characteristics of Rachel Yoder's Nightbitch is it's strong， single-minded， linear progression from the beginning to the end。 It's impossible to get lost in this story。When I first heard of this book and the author a few months ago I knew it was one I It seems as if the last few novels I read kept switching on me， from the past to the future， from one group of characters to an entirely different group of people， until sometimes I scarcely knew where I was and who I was with。 One of the pleasing characteristics of Rachel Yoder's Nightbitch is it's strong， single-minded， linear progression from the beginning to the end。 It's impossible to get lost in this story。When I first heard of this book and the author a few months ago I knew it was one I had to read。 Rachel Yoder grew up in a Mennonite home in eastern Ohio， and since I also am Mennonite， I have a serious curiosity about anything written by Mennonites， especially poetry and fiction。 It's the story of a young mother who is undergoing a metamorphosis from human to canine， and even more surprisingly， it's a change that she's encouraging， if not initiating。 Her young son is joining her in her transformation， sleeping in a kennel at night， and usually pretending to be a dog when playing with his friends。She first sees the change when looking in a mirror and noticing that her canines seem sharper than they used to be。 Then a patch of hair grows on the back of her neck， and she starts to get four pimples on her chest。 Although the metamorphosis is somewhat ambiguous， coming and going depending on the time of the day， the setting and activity， she goes along with it all the way。 Of course in public she has to resist the temptation to lick her son's face， and has to cut back on the howling。 She tells her friends that her transformation is a new art form she's developing。 Her husband， to everyone's surprise， is supportive， and encourages with love， empathy， and support， and only a little evidence of concern。 In fact the ongoing support and love among the members of the family is perhaps the most outstanding and surprising feature of this novel。 If someone can continue to love a spouse during a species change， why is there so much fuss about a gender change？ Nightbitch is consistently funny throughout， but not in a hilarious way。 It's entertaining， hopeful， and light in spite of some gruesome scenes， and since human DNA and the DNA of other species are nearly identical， Nightbitch might even be prophetic。 。。。more
Dawnelle Wilkie
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Brutal， thoughtful， gorgeous。 An honest （magical realist） reflection on the existential numbness and physical/emotional brutality of early motherhood。 I felt gutted and seen。* I will read anything Yoder writes next。 *flashback to looming over a seven year-old hissing "if you don't stop fucking with [my kid]， I will break your fucking kneecaps， you little shit。" Brutal， thoughtful， gorgeous。 An honest （magical realist） reflection on the existential numbness and physical/emotional brutality of early motherhood。 I felt gutted and seen。* I will read anything Yoder writes next。 *flashback to looming over a seven year-old hissing "if you don't stop fucking with [my kid]， I will break your fucking kneecaps， you little shit。" 。。。more
Randi
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Despite the premise of horror and fantasy， this is hands down the REALEST thing I’ve ever read/heard/seen about motherhood。 I started listening to it again the moment after I finished it today。 Brava to Ms。 Yoder for SAYING it， where “it” is everything mothers are expected not to say， but so many of us feel and experience。 Thank you for writing the ultimate conversation starter。 I hope every mom and every dad and every person who knows a mom will read this book and come away with more compassion Despite the premise of horror and fantasy， this is hands down the REALEST thing I’ve ever read/heard/seen about motherhood。 I started listening to it again the moment after I finished it today。 Brava to Ms。 Yoder for SAYING it， where “it” is everything mothers are expected not to say， but so many of us feel and experience。 Thank you for writing the ultimate conversation starter。 I hope every mom and every dad and every person who knows a mom will read this book and come away with more compassion for themselves and/or the other mothers in their lives。 。。。more
Troy McConnell
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Not terrible。
Anna Chenoweth
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I liked so much of this but there were some parts I had to almost skip over。 This whole premise was quite a metaphor for early motherhood （maybe even motherhood in general？） It was twisted and bizarre and maddening and funny - just like motherhood。 I loved so many of the digs at consumerism， MLM's， the art world， etc。 BUT。。It takes a lot to make be uncomfortable。 The violence towards animals and borderline child abuse was a bit too much even for me。 The chapter where she killed her cat was entir I liked so much of this but there were some parts I had to almost skip over。 This whole premise was quite a metaphor for early motherhood （maybe even motherhood in general？） It was twisted and bizarre and maddening and funny - just like motherhood。 I loved so many of the digs at consumerism， MLM's， the art world， etc。 BUT。。It takes a lot to make be uncomfortable。 The violence towards animals and borderline child abuse was a bit too much even for me。 The chapter where she killed her cat was entirely unnecessary。 It didn't plump up the narrative in any way， it just made it gross and sad。 。。。more
Lindsay Grasso
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Trippy and smart。
Wereswolf𓃝
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4。5
Kristina
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Wait wait wait。 All this just for Nightbitch to turn her experience into commercially successful performance art with swag？！？ No no no no
Melissa Boyer
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DNF at 15% （Audiobook）。 I just couldn't get into it。 I just didn't care。 I think I just couldn't relate to the main character。 I don't have kids and she takes a lot of the struggles of being a mom。 I'm also in a reading slump。 I might try this book another time。 DNF at 15% （Audiobook）。 I just couldn't get into it。 I just didn't care。 I think I just couldn't relate to the main character。 I don't have kids and she takes a lot of the struggles of being a mom。 I'm also in a reading slump。 I might try this book another time。 。。。more
books-on-a-wire
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The ending missed the mark for me， but up to that point I was hooked。 I found the commentary on motherhood to be very relatable。 It was definitely unique， had a few squeamish moments and there is animal cruelty so be warned！ But this was definitely memorable and one I want to buy a physical copy to reread/annotate。 For young women who are contemplating their futures， this and The Push by Ashley Audrain are must reads。
Anna
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This was super weird and gross and I loved it。
Antonela
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This book left me utterly afraid for motherhood someday， but I loved every minute of it。 The mother felt so real to me （despite the absolutely insane events that transpire） and I felt like I lost a friend after I finished the book。 It's just so satisfying for someone to put into words what so many women silently go through while also taking you on a crazy journey where you never really know what's going on。 This book left me utterly afraid for motherhood someday， but I loved every minute of it。 The mother felt so real to me （despite the absolutely insane events that transpire） and I felt like I lost a friend after I finished the book。 It's just so satisfying for someone to put into words what so many women silently go through while also taking you on a crazy journey where you never really know what's going on。 。。。more
Jessica Mae Stover
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In progress。 At page 1oo。 So far， this is a juicy-weird and furious book that screamed to be written， a better take on a persisting gender slur made literal coupled with a take on -- what do and shall I call it？ -- the fascism in the relationships between men and women。 Will not be surprised to see a motion picture fast-tracked to screen。 And if it's somehow approached as prestigious and directed by a feminist， surreal， literary director （lol， right？！ the film industry doesn't let us exist but m In progress。 At page 1oo。 So far， this is a juicy-weird and furious book that screamed to be written， a better take on a persisting gender slur made literal coupled with a take on -- what do and shall I call it？ -- the fascism in the relationships between men and women。 Will not be surprised to see a motion picture fast-tracked to screen。 And if it's somehow approached as prestigious and directed by a feminist， surreal， literary director （lol， right？！ the film industry doesn't let us exist but maybe it will happen）， it will really be something with a capital S。 Like， ok， if we all， instead of reading all about ourselves and "our situation，" instead of reading， Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger， instead threw the book across the room after the first sentence， instead screamed 'F THIS！'， and instead cut all the corners of civility and became WEREWOLVES WHO DGAF。 That is this book。 But， you know， with meaning。At least， so far。 （Page 100） 。。。more
Rachel Hamil
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This book isn’t the most accessible read and I think a lot of people would hate it。 It’s filled with a lot of symbolism， metaphors and literary references。 The story is bizarre to say the least。 If that sounds like your thing though， I think it’s definitely worth reading！ I especially suggest to young and new moms。 The experiences talked about seem very relatable， though my point of reference is secondhand。 Give it a chance and you’ll probably either love it or hate it。 I also think fans of Mona This book isn’t the most accessible read and I think a lot of people would hate it。 It’s filled with a lot of symbolism， metaphors and literary references。 The story is bizarre to say the least。 If that sounds like your thing though， I think it’s definitely worth reading！ I especially suggest to young and new moms。 The experiences talked about seem very relatable， though my point of reference is secondhand。 Give it a chance and you’ll probably either love it or hate it。 I also think fans of Mona Awad’s Bunny would enjoy。 。。。more
Jroseokgmail。com
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I can’t even believe I finished this book。 It was disturbing on so many levels。
Bethany
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I need to process。 Have definitely never read anything else like this before， though。。okay， so， a day later and here are my thoughts:I've read a lot of books， and I've never met a character quite like Nightbitch。 I said to a friend that this book reads like an alternate timeline of "We Need to Talk About Kevin，" because motherhood is the underlying "enemy" in this book。 I'm not sure I'd characterize her as a heroine， or anti-heroine， she's just。。。Nightbitch。 She does what she does， and she is wh I need to process。 Have definitely never read anything else like this before， though。。okay， so， a day later and here are my thoughts:I've read a lot of books， and I've never met a character quite like Nightbitch。 I said to a friend that this book reads like an alternate timeline of "We Need to Talk About Kevin，" because motherhood is the underlying "enemy" in this book。 I'm not sure I'd characterize her as a heroine， or anti-heroine， she's just。。。Nightbitch。 She does what she does， and she is who she is， and some of the things she does are violent against animals， and batshit insane。But， it's not as if I ended the story thinking she's a villain， either。 This book has such。。。"fun" is not the right word， but "interesting" seems lame。 But the undercurrents in this book are *mwah*Motherhood， womanhood， fatherhood， patriarchy， nature vs nurture， defining art， MLMs， feminism， performative feminism， performative art， the power of connection， childhood trauma。。。I mean。。。it's ALL here， folks。 But none if it （for me） smacks the reader *too* in the face。 Motherhood seems horrible， though。 I'll say that， haha 。。。more
Heather
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Weird & beautiful。 I absolutely loved this book！ I feel like all mothers can relate to Nightbitch。
Danielle
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❤️🥩🐺❤️❤️❤️❤️
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Nightbitch
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Nightbitch&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Nightbitch&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0