The Doloriad
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- Create Date：2022-05-14 09:51:34
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Missouri Williams
- ISBN：1911585843
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Summary
Macabre， provocative， depraved， and unforgettable， The Doloriad marks the debut of Missouri Williams， a terrifyingly talented writer
In the wake of a mysterious environmental cataclysm that has wiped out the rest of humankind， the Matriarch and her brother， and the family descended from their incest， cling to existence on the edges of a ruined city。 The Matriarch， ruling with fear and force， dreams of starting humanity over。 Her children and the children they have with one another aren’t so sure。 Surrounded by the silent forest and dead suburbs， they feel closer to the ruined world than to their parents。 Nevertheless， they scavenge supplies， collect fuel， plant seeds， and attempt to cultivate the poisoned earth， brutalizing and caring for one another in equal measure。 For entertainment， they watch old VHS tapes of a TV show called Get Aquinas in Here， in which a problem-solving medieval saint faces down a sequence of logical and ethical dilemmas。 But as the Matriarch’s fragile order breaks down and her control over the sprawling family weakens， the world of the freewheeling television saint Aquinas and that of the family begin to melt together with terrible consequences。
Told in extraordinary， intricate prose that moves with a life of its own， at times striking with the power of physical force， Missouri Williams’s debut novel is a blazingly original document of depravity and salvation。 Gothic and strange， moving and disquieting， and often hilarious， The Doloriad stares down， with narrowed eyes， humanity’s unbreakable commitment to life。
In the wake of a mysterious environmental cataclysm that has wiped out the rest of humankind， the Matriarch and her brother， and the family descended from their incest， cling to existence on the edges of a ruined city。 The Matriarch， ruling with fear and force， dreams of starting humanity over。 Her children and the children they have with one another aren’t so sure。 Surrounded by the silent forest and dead suburbs， they feel closer to the ruined world than to their parents。 Nevertheless， they scavenge supplies， collect fuel， plant seeds， and attempt to cultivate the poisoned earth， brutalizing and caring for one another in equal measure。 For entertainment， they watch old VHS tapes of a TV show called Get Aquinas in Here， in which a problem-solving medieval saint faces down a sequence of logical and ethical dilemmas。 But as the Matriarch’s fragile order breaks down and her control over the sprawling family weakens， the world of the freewheeling television saint Aquinas and that of the family begin to melt together with terrible consequences。
Told in extraordinary， intricate prose that moves with a life of its own， at times striking with the power of physical force， Missouri Williams’s debut novel is a blazingly original document of depravity and salvation。 Gothic and strange， moving and disquieting， and often hilarious， The Doloriad stares down， with narrowed eyes， humanity’s unbreakable commitment to life。
Reviews
Jo
，
The premise of this book sounded a lot more interesting that it actually was。There is no plot in this book。 It feels more like a long drabble about incest and how humanity is fucked up。 I absolutely lived the technique of the writing and the language was so well written But- it had hardly any story and nothing important really happened in it。 You could skip the first half of the book and still understand what’s going on Also- why the fuck does it go into graphic detail about the abuse towards Do The premise of this book sounded a lot more interesting that it actually was。There is no plot in this book。 It feels more like a long drabble about incest and how humanity is fucked up。 I absolutely lived the technique of the writing and the language was so well written But- it had hardly any story and nothing important really happened in it。 You could skip the first half of the book and still understand what’s going on Also- why the fuck does it go into graphic detail about the abuse towards Dolores- the severely disabled sister？ Like it just felt really off and not in a “oh wow this is so cool and disturbing way”。 It fucking gross and constantly comparing her to a blob or a cow/animal feels really off putting。I persevered to see if it would get any better- admittedly it did kind of get better but was then ruined again。 Not bad for an authors first book but I don’t get how/ why this was actually published in this state。 Song vibes: You not the same （deeper version）- Tile Kid 。。。more
Neil
，
I received this book as part of my subscription to the Republic of Consciousness book club。 It comes with a note that warns you:"This is a totally unique novel， featuring a post-apocalyptic hellscape， a twisted incestuous family drama， a revolution and a sitcom based around Thomas Aquinas。 So yes， fair warning， it’s dark - but it’s also absurd and gripping and I hope you find it as strange and engaging as we did。"Unfortunately， for me， I could relate to the "strange" but not to the "engaging"。I I received this book as part of my subscription to the Republic of Consciousness book club。 It comes with a note that warns you:"This is a totally unique novel， featuring a post-apocalyptic hellscape， a twisted incestuous family drama， a revolution and a sitcom based around Thomas Aquinas。 So yes， fair warning， it’s dark - but it’s also absurd and gripping and I hope you find it as strange and engaging as we did。"Unfortunately， for me， I could relate to the "strange" but not to the "engaging"。I was a bit disappointed as I read because the comments I’d seen posted on GR about the book led me to believe that it was going to be one I would be offended by and it’s not often I get to DNF a book by throwing it away in disgust。 I was quite looking forward to it。 But， although this book is definitely unsavoury， distasteful， violent and a few other things， there was never a point where I felt like I ought to stop reading。 There were， however， several points where I felt like I wanted to stop reading （see the engagement comments above）。I find myself in complete agreement with everything except the last ten words of this review at 3AM Magazine:"I had to stop and come up for air several times。 Its claustrophobically long sentences， blocky paragraphs and dense thickets of language summon the world of the book， one narrowly circumscribed and surrounded by a dead yet growing forest thick with its own menaces。 The effect is often that of reading a slightly-off translation， or one which we cannot quite trust， one whose source text may be very different to the version presented here。 This was not a book I enjoyed reading， though once I had read it， I found it fascinating。"Despite my lack of engagement， I did read closely enough to recognise that there are some clever things going on here， some that I should have stopped to work out but I really just wanted to get to the end so that I could move on， so I don’t have anything intelligent to say。It isn’t a book for me。 That’s probably the best way to leave it。 。。。more
Bridget H
，
Disturbing， desolate， and exhaustively overwritten at times。 A Faulknerian tale of a supremely messed up family’s languishing days in a post-apocalyptic world。 Your mileage may vary in just how disgusting you find The Doloriad but it is quite refreshing to read a work where the author is clearly not angling for a television or movie adaptation。 I think I will be thinking about this one for awhile。
Aranya Ram
，
Not an easy read but a unique narrative and writing style makes it extremely worthwhile for somewhat seasoned fiction readers。 The dystopian novel path is so traversed that it can be difficult to present a story with truly different moral stakes but William's succeeds in presenting a vision of the end of the world which is simultaneously horrible and very human。 The imagery will stay with you long after you put it down。。 Not an easy read but a unique narrative and writing style makes it extremely worthwhile for somewhat seasoned fiction readers。 The dystopian novel path is so traversed that it can be difficult to present a story with truly different moral stakes but William's succeeds in presenting a vision of the end of the world which is simultaneously horrible and very human。 The imagery will stay with you long after you put it down。。 。。。more
tory foulk
，
what a nasty， knife-sharp， beautiful little book。 i’ve never read anything quite like it but now i’m going to make it a point to seek out similar narratives。 though it has a plot of a kind， reading it isn’t a linear experience so much as it’s like submerging yourself in oily green water and watching the shapes of dead things float by。 missouri williams， you’re a bad bitch and i think i love you
G
，
Elegant， sometimes claustrophobic prose with a focus on larger themes-- maybe at the expense of plot and character。 Idk how I feel yet。
Jaredjosephjaredjoseph harveyharvey
，
。。。the story of the city was always a story of disintegration。 What their mother had hated about their city was that it had already been on the edge， halfway to collapse， and so it was the case that this future had been encoded in it all along， in the dark metal skyscrapers of the business districts， in the wailing outskirts with their pitiful housing projects， in the deathly silence of the orderly suburbs。。。everything winding down， declining， until the world was one great and devout listening， 。。。the story of the city was always a story of disintegration。 What their mother had hated about their city was that it had already been on the edge， halfway to collapse， and so it was the case that this future had been encoded in it all along， in the dark metal skyscrapers of the business districts， in the wailing outskirts with their pitiful housing projects， in the deathly silence of the orderly suburbs。。。everything winding down， declining， until the world was one great and devout listening， holy because it required nothing and no longer dreamed of any future; if objects， having spoken their truths， dared to shut up。 。。。more
Camila
，
weird and dark postapocalyptic novel， but not bleak
inciminci
，
The apocalypse has come and gone， some sort of natural or man-made catastrophe， and has left behind a group of people: the woman called the Matriarch， who， having survived this catastrophe in a country foreign to her （there are clues that we are in Czechia， somewhere near Prague， but the survivors are not from here） puts her mind to re-populate earth， her brother called "uncle"， the children they produce in their incestuous relationship and a single individual outside of this family， the Schoolm The apocalypse has come and gone， some sort of natural or man-made catastrophe， and has left behind a group of people: the woman called the Matriarch， who， having survived this catastrophe in a country foreign to her （there are clues that we are in Czechia， somewhere near Prague， but the survivors are not from here） puts her mind to re-populate earth， her brother called "uncle"， the children they produce in their incestuous relationship and a single individual outside of this family， the Schoolmaster。Williams' wriing is so elaborate， su sublime that it's useless trying to describe。 Just take a look at these two sentences which capture the zeitgeist of this post-apocalyptic universe perfectly:The fire that had purified the earth had taken them too， though there had been no evil in them， only beauty; and although his sister maintained that the disaster had been a purge， their uncle could not be so certain when faced with the pitiful mess of the survivors， who -it could not be argued otherwise- lived in a kind of torpid sin， a lethargy and lust that corroded any claim to a higher moral purpose， the necessity of survival， or the particular worthiness of their species， and so over time he had come to see them as simply forgotten。 The departed gods had left their task incomplete; they had neglected to wipe away these last remnants of their great error， and in the vacuum of their intention these things had bred and clung on to a meager existence in a world more inhospitable than ever simply because "nature hateth emptiness。"Wow！ Not only is this extract a perfect example of the author's prose， it so well describes the oppressive nature and meaninglessness of this hostile world we are looking at that it renders any attempt at finding the trace of something good， something comforting futile。 Heavily characterized by solitude， a feeling of un-solidarity， a lack of morals， of humanity， of history and identity。 We are in fact witnessing the instability of a time that marks the passage between the first and second to third generation post cataclysm; the death of every remnant from our world as the last people who remember disappear or die and a new generation with a different understanding and different morals emerges and takes over。Although the title can be attributed to Dolores， the handicapped character， who seemingly suffers the most， is most subject to abuse， mockery and malice -， there is pain， suffering galore and enough for each and every character; the Matriarch in her ambitions of saving humanity， the schoolmaster in his quest of building his perfect mound for the moth gods， older brother Jan who， after the cataclysm re-built most the infrastructure and attempts to take over the leadership from his mother， Agathe， the other sibling with an affliction that gravely affects her life。 The question of nature or nurture is answered with a big， black eyeroll here。Luckily not everything is as grim and dark in The Doloriad。 In more lighthearted interludes， a fictional sitcom called "Get Aquinas in Here" from before the cataclysm features the medieval saint Thomas Aquinas （and his sidekick sheep） solving morally dilemmatic situations and will put a smile on your face。 It reminds us that， if not now， there once was a moral system， a reconciliation of belief and reason for which Aquinas stands。 I wish someone would get Aquinas into my life sometimes！Ultimately， this is by no means a perfect book。 You will by no means feel remotely satisfied when you finish it。 Despite its brilliance and intricate prose， there are sentences which may seem paltry。 It is kind of hard to keep track of the siblings and some may feel interchangeable due to lack of stronger characteristics。 It is impossible to read more than one chapter at a time because of the gloomy subject matter。 But it is a book that is deeply interesting and full of ideas that you may want to explore now and then。 I personally felt the immediate need to re-read it after having finished。 。。。more
nissele
，
While i feel that the description is a good bit more exciting and stimulating than the book itself–hence the 4 star mark over 5–i thought it was a nice， refreshing， worthy book （the things inside of it， though， were not nice）。 that obscene and grotesque mutilated little civilization is what made it all the more entertaining and i will remember this book and the experience of stepping into its world positively。 gross。
Sarah Vernall
，
How did I love this？ Let me count the ways。 It's Shakespearean， it's a Classical tragedy， it's futuristic and Gothic and hopeless and HORRIBLE and I want a hundred more narratives like it。 So rotten to the core but so compelling and challenging at the same time。 How did I love this？ Let me count the ways。 It's Shakespearean， it's a Classical tragedy， it's futuristic and Gothic and hopeless and HORRIBLE and I want a hundred more narratives like it。 So rotten to the core but so compelling and challenging at the same time。 。。。more
Robert
，
The Doloriad is not an easy book to review: The prose is ， not dense， as it is readable but requires multiple readings to understand what is happening。 It also does feel claustrophobic at times。 There’s also a lot of symbolism and things to reflect on。The setting is a world overrun by greenery and one group of people have survived。 The things is that each member is related to each other and through the inbreeding they have evolved into these blobby-like creatures。 Their activities include watchi The Doloriad is not an easy book to review: The prose is ， not dense， as it is readable but requires multiple readings to understand what is happening。 It also does feel claustrophobic at times。 There’s also a lot of symbolism and things to reflect on。The setting is a world overrun by greenery and one group of people have survived。 The things is that each member is related to each other and through the inbreeding they have evolved into these blobby-like creatures。 Their activities include watching a television show in where St。 Aquinas helps solve people’s problems。 The younger ones go to school and are treated cruelly by their teacher。One day a member of the colony is found brutally beaten and this leads to a moral disintegration to the Matriarchs， already violent rule and the group break out into a killing spree， with main protagonist Dolores as a pawn。As one can see the plot does have elements of the Iliad， in where a society also breaks out into a long brutish war but there are bits an pieces of other Greek tragedies: interbreeding， death and a breakdown in an established order。The role of Aquinas I’m not too sure of， as I have only read about his five ways which prove the existence of God and his hermeneutics （the interpretation of religious texts） but my guess is that his TV show， which is about good， can only be the only beacon of hope in this strange and damaged world。I also felt something Shakespearean about the text: the way characters try outdo each other through acts of treachery。 I saw bits and pieces of Julius Caesar and The tempest （ O brave new world with such people in it ）The Doloriad is not a book to read once。 Further readings will reveal more depths。 Missouri Williams has written a multi-layered narrative which provides a lot to think about。 As for me， I admired The Doloriad， rather than embraced it but it is an original novel takes the dystopian genre to new dimensions。 。。。more
dbirdan
，
4。5Felt a little ？？？ about some of this （with regards to how it approaches body types）， and parts of it fell flat， but， overall， one of the freshest things I’ve read of late
Anthony Murphy
，
The Doloriad is a bizarre， grotesque novel about an incestuous family struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world - i。e。 this is exactly my type of book。 The story was tough to digest at times。 Missouri Williams does a wonderful job of illustrating how harsh this world and family is。 What really stood out was Williams’ prose。 Being able to beautifully describe brutal and decrepit experiences is a sign that an author knows exactly what they are doing。 Although there’s no one in my life that The Doloriad is a bizarre， grotesque novel about an incestuous family struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world - i。e。 this is exactly my type of book。 The story was tough to digest at times。 Missouri Williams does a wonderful job of illustrating how harsh this world and family is。 What really stood out was Williams’ prose。 Being able to beautifully describe brutal and decrepit experiences is a sign that an author knows exactly what they are doing。 Although there’s no one in my life that I would recommend this book to， it really stands out to me and has made its way into my favorites。 。。。more
Kin
，
Man， this was a journey。 I think this was the most horrible thing I've ever read （as in， so-grotesque-I-wouldn't-recommend-it-to-almost-anyone horrible） and it gave me a lot to think about。 At the same time， I think it was maybe a little too esoteric for me in places。 I wish there had been somewhat clearer of a conclusion。I know this will be in my head for the rest of my life， for good or bad。 Man， this was a journey。 I think this was the most horrible thing I've ever read （as in， so-grotesque-I-wouldn't-recommend-it-to-almost-anyone horrible） and it gave me a lot to think about。 At the same time， I think it was maybe a little too esoteric for me in places。 I wish there had been somewhat clearer of a conclusion。I know this will be in my head for the rest of my life， for good or bad。 。。。more
Justin
，
I’m really split on this。 It deserves 1 star as much as 4。It’s engrossing and disgusting at the same time。 I can’t decide if there’s legitimate skill/talent/genius， or if it’s a selfish exercise in pretence that a publishing company got conned by。 Maybe it’s both？ Either way， I finished it and found enough in it that I wish it was longer and more fleshed out。 But also， the 1 star review ripping it isn’t exaggerating a damned thing。 The 5 star reviews definitely are。 100% not for everyone/brace y I’m really split on this。 It deserves 1 star as much as 4。It’s engrossing and disgusting at the same time。 I can’t decide if there’s legitimate skill/talent/genius， or if it’s a selfish exercise in pretence that a publishing company got conned by。 Maybe it’s both？ Either way， I finished it and found enough in it that I wish it was longer and more fleshed out。 But also， the 1 star review ripping it isn’t exaggerating a damned thing。 The 5 star reviews definitely are。 100% not for everyone/brace yourself if you decide to give it a go。 Really curious about future stories from this author。 。。。more
Libby
，
Disgusting， disturbing， pretentious， over-stylized， absurd， substanceless and literally dripping in fatphobic， misogynistic and ableist subtext… really really hated reading this lol
heartblesser
，
I wish the interesting religious hysterias created a more interesting plot。 Instead， the book reads as a stream of conscious with heavy themes of cruelty。 The depictions of the characters are arguably ableist and 'fat-phobic。' This novel is depraved and grotesque， I had to set it down at times to take a break from it， but was compelled to keep coming back because I love the way that Williams writes。 I was especially intrigued by Aquinas。 Williams creates some kind of creation horror story that f I wish the interesting religious hysterias created a more interesting plot。 Instead， the book reads as a stream of conscious with heavy themes of cruelty。 The depictions of the characters are arguably ableist and 'fat-phobic。' This novel is depraved and grotesque， I had to set it down at times to take a break from it， but was compelled to keep coming back because I love the way that Williams writes。 I was especially intrigued by Aquinas。 Williams creates some kind of creation horror story that feels rotten to the core。 。。。more
Lis
，
Ehhh
Fien
，
This was。。。 Disturbing and weird。。 And I liked it。。？
Claire McCarthy
，
NSFW
Will McDowell
，
This book was on the new arrivals tables and literally screamed BUY ME。 I'm glad it screamed， because this hauntingly funny book brought out the most devilish of grins on my otherwise cherubic face。 Missouri Williams goes for gold and makes zero apology。 I'm only hoping for a 'Get Aquinas In Here' merch line at this point。 Oh， and I kept thinking about the movie Tree Of Life while reading this。。。。 This book was on the new arrivals tables and literally screamed BUY ME。 I'm glad it screamed， because this hauntingly funny book brought out the most devilish of grins on my otherwise cherubic face。 Missouri Williams goes for gold and makes zero apology。 I'm only hoping for a 'Get Aquinas In Here' merch line at this point。 Oh， and I kept thinking about the movie Tree Of Life while reading this。。。。 。。。more
Annabelle Penhaligon
，
I would like to preface this review with the noble assertion that I， dear reader， am not a prude。 I am， however， a despiser of needlessly vile and depraved narratives and descriptions。 The blurb does a pretty good job of summarising the events of the novel。 It does such a good job that 120 pages in （out of 210） nothing massively significant to the plot had happened which I had not already been briefed on thanks to the blurb。 Now I knew this book was going to be disturbing。 I bought it for that v I would like to preface this review with the noble assertion that I， dear reader， am not a prude。 I am， however， a despiser of needlessly vile and depraved narratives and descriptions。 The blurb does a pretty good job of summarising the events of the novel。 It does such a good job that 120 pages in （out of 210） nothing massively significant to the plot had happened which I had not already been briefed on thanks to the blurb。 Now I knew this book was going to be disturbing。 I bought it for that very reason。 I love a good old unhinged book written by a woman。 It's my shit。 BUT I do not like traumatic reads for the sake of shock factors。 It's why I refuse to read A Little Life。 I'll read a traumatic book if I or someone else is going to gain from reading， but trauma porn is not my thing。 That is what makes a good dystopia in my mind: if it made a valid comment on some aspect of society or humanity then it's a good dystopia。 Unless I have missed out on something， I don't see what this book made a comment on。 Was the incestuous rape and ableism a comment on something I I apparently unaware of？ Unsure。 Something else that just didn't sit right with me was the portrayal of Dolores' physical appearance。 As a midsize woman I just didn't enjoy reading about how repulsive all of Dolores' rolls and folds were perceived to be。 Maybe I'm being particularly sensitive but I haven't read another review from another mid or plus sized woman so I'd be keen to hear if she has the same thoughts。 I'm not going to be an asshole and claim that Williams is not a good writer， because she is， and there's a really fantastic piece of writing on page 118 which I'll happily share with year 13 dystopia students。 It's deliriously deranged and dilapidated and isolated and just genuinely a brilliant piece of prose。 The rest of this book with its stomach-churning depictions of incest， rape， cruelty and brutal disfigurement and mutilation will remain firmly removed from my recommendation list。 。。。more
Eleanor Dunn
，
*2。5 stars
Maia Rose Mackenzie
，
I feel obliged to give this book five stars cause I have no idea if I enjoyed it yet can not stop thinking about it。
Collin
，
A lot to like and a lot （more） not to like。
Jason Pettus
，
2022 reads， #17。 I admit， author Missouri Williams first came to my attention， while reading the "newest acquisitions" newsletter of the Chicago Public Library， because her first name is the same name of the American state where I grew up， and you simply don't hear of many people in the world named "Missouri，" especially one who lives in England。 But then I read on and saw that her debut novel is actually right up my alley， a nightmarishly perverted horror show of a post-apocalyptic novel， so I 2022 reads， #17。 I admit， author Missouri Williams first came to my attention， while reading the "newest acquisitions" newsletter of the Chicago Public Library， because her first name is the same name of the American state where I grew up， and you simply don't hear of many people in the world named "Missouri，" especially one who lives in England。 But then I read on and saw that her debut novel is actually right up my alley， a nightmarishly perverted horror show of a post-apocalyptic novel， so I went ahead that day and became the first person in the city to put it on reserve， and just got done with it last week。The answer to the question， "Is anyone in Generation Z even allowed to make artistic projects that are dark， gross， offensive， and often truly transgressive， or will they be stoned to death for doing so by their earnest， shiny， happy， neon-clothes-wearing， cheerleader-dancing TikTok mouth-breather peers？" （spoiler alert: yes）， the novel basically asks what the world might look like after an apocalyptic event if the only people who survived were the worst dregs of society -- the Springer trash， the Trump rioters， the rapists and the con artists and the unmedicated mentally ill？ And what if their only option for trying to continue the human race was serial incest not only between the patriarch and matriarch but also any of the children once they reach childbearing years， creating a piglike brood of a next generation who all have physical deformities and barely measurable intelligence？ And what if the only way to keep these slobbering， claw-handed animals from going wild and killing everything in sight was to build a harsh Calvinist-style religion around the batshit mother's supposed prophet-like status， ala The Island of Dr。 Moreau？ Well， it doesn't look too freaking great， I can tell you that without spoiling any of the plot; although I don't really need to give spoiler alerts anyway today， because this is one of those MFA kind of books that's much more about setting a mood than about relaying any substantial storyline。Unfortunately， though， this was one of those books that I wanted to like a lot more than I actually did end up liking; for not only does Williams assault us with her outre storyline and repulsive characters， she literally writes the story in the most aggressively reader-hostile way possible， using these unending paragraphs that last for four or five pages and sometimes results in page spreads that are nothing but two giant impenetrable black rectangles of ink （no， seriously）。 It's like she's punishing us for daring to take an interest in her writing， and I have to say， I kinda like that; but a little of that kind of stuff goes a long way， and it didn't surprise me to learn that after an early career so far of short work in impressive places like The Baffler and The Believer， this is her first full-length book， because this very much feels like a short story that Williams tried and mostly failed to squeeze out into a compelling full novel （and just barely at that， clocking in at a shade over 200 pages in a 5 x 7" paperback）。 Williams is just starting her career， and I'm really fascinated to see where she goes next， which I'm willing to bet will be in even weirder directions， but in the future with more and more of a mature control over her writing and less reliance on gimmicks; but here， while she admirably swings for the fences， the ball drops just short enough that you can't legitimately call the book great， but only on the intriguing side of okay。 That would usually get a score of 3 1/2 stars from me， rounded up to 4 here at the no-half-star Goodreads。 If you're intrigued at the mental image of a severely autistic， morbidly obese， legless teenage girl dragging her torso across a parking lot of debris using her claw-tipped arms， by all means give this a try; but if you're horrified by that image， then sister， you really don't want to read page two。 。。。more
Ashley
，
This is a strange book and the author definitely gets all of the creativity points。 The writing is lush， packed with grotesque and vividly horrifying imagery of a post-catastrophic world where few survive。 Though the environmental event that decimates the population is rather ambiguous （was it a fire？ A flood？）， the world that remains is poisoned and so are it’s inhabitants。 The Matriarch wises to recreate the world in her own image and uses her children and their children to repopulate the new This is a strange book and the author definitely gets all of the creativity points。 The writing is lush， packed with grotesque and vividly horrifying imagery of a post-catastrophic world where few survive。 Though the environmental event that decimates the population is rather ambiguous （was it a fire？ A flood？）， the world that remains is poisoned and so are it’s inhabitants。 The Matriarch wises to recreate the world in her own image and uses her children and their children to repopulate the new world。 As the power begins to shift and the Matriarch’s world behinds to crumble we’re left to wonder - is the cost of survival one worth paying？This is not an easy book to get through， but it is rewarding。 I found myself reading and then rereading several times - the book is written in large chunks with few paragraph breaks， but rereading these passages helps solidify the many （many） WTF moments。 This is a hard book to review in terms of who I would recommend this to。 If you like beautifully written， taboo stories with really weird humor then this might be the book for you。 Definitely look up TWs because there are a lot。 Not limited to incest， rape and body horror。 Thank you to NetGalley and FSG for a review copy。 I will definitely be checking our more from this author in the future。 。。。more
Dani Kass
，
about 15 pages into the doloriad， i was like， 'i should dnf this，' but i pressed on because i was intrigued enough。 i regret that decision。 while there was a lot about this book that was extremely good， i just wasn't into it。 it's very slow and atmospheric， with no likable characters and only one brief moment of humanity through all of it。 the writing is beautiful， incredibly poetic， but it just goes on and on and on and i honestly groaned when i would turn the page and a current thought was sti about 15 pages into the doloriad， i was like， 'i should dnf this，' but i pressed on because i was intrigued enough。 i regret that decision。 while there was a lot about this book that was extremely good， i just wasn't into it。 it's very slow and atmospheric， with no likable characters and only one brief moment of humanity through all of it。 the writing is beautiful， incredibly poetic， but it just goes on and on and on and i honestly groaned when i would turn the page and a current thought was still continuing。 i also consider myself to have a pretty good vocabulary， but i've never had a book send me to the dictionary so often。 the point of view weaves seamlessly between characters in a way i thought was brilliant and really enjoyed， but there was no plot or focus to make the form work。 it's dark and hopeless （"they had endured。。。 the whole damned performance of survival”）， largely plotless and actionless （although that's part of the atmosphere and point）。 it probably has enough depth and commentary about humanity and survival to justify a thesis or two， it just wasn't for me。 trigger warnings across the board， mostly sexual assault， incest and fatphobia。this new york times review captures a lot of my thoughts very well。 。。。more
Mabel
，
Wow， okay this was intense。 I dont think I’m quite clever enough to understand it completely。 But it was certainly beautifully written， and unlike anything else I’ve ever read， and wonderfully dark and cynical and I will probably read again at some point but I definitely need some distance from it first。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Doloriad
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Doloriad&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Doloriad&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0