Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder

Rachel Yoder’s debut novel “Nightbitch” sinks its teeth into the raw meat of modern motherhood and refuses to let go. It’s a fever dream of a book that will leave you panting, exhilarated, and maybe a little unnerved. Yoder takes the mundane frustrations of stay-at-home motherhood and transforms them into something primal and ferocious. The result is darkly funny, deeply weird, and unexpectedly moving.

Our unnamed protagonist is a former artist who has put her career on hold to care for her two-year-old son while her husband travels for work. She’s exhausted, isolated, and increasingly resentful of her new role. Oh, and she might be turning into a dog.

Yeah, you read that right. A dog.

It starts with a patch of coarse hair on the back of her neck. Then her canine teeth sharpen to points. Soon she’s growling at other moms in the playground and developing a taste for raw meat. As her transformation progresses, she embraces her new canine nature with a mixture of horror and glee. Finally, an outlet for all that pent-up rage and frustration!

Yoder’s prose is sharp and bitingly funny (pun very much intended). She perfectly captures the monotony and touches of madness that come with caring for a toddler day in and day out:

“Every morning, it was the same: six o’clock, the train tracks on the living-room floor, a heavy skillet on the kitchen stove, a pat of butter, frozen hash browns retrieved from a wrinkled bag in the freezer, a dusting of salt, a carton of yogurt in the fridge, wash his plastic bowl left in the sink from the night before, wash his tractor plate because it was the only plate on which the little prince accepted his food, flip the hash browns, fill the bowl, wash his fork and spoon, hashies on the plate, plate on the little plastic table in the corner of the kitchen. Milkie or juice, honey? Milkie or juice?”

The repetition perfectly mimics the mind-numbing routine of motherhood. You can feel the protagonist’s sanity slowly unraveling with each passing day.

But “Nightbitch” is more than just a surreal take on mommy burnout. It’s also a meditation on female rage, the loss of identity that often comes with motherhood, and society’s impossible expectations for women. Our protagonist yearns for her old artistic life and resents how motherhood has subsumed her entire identity. Her husband is sweetly clueless, breezing in and out while she does the exhausting work of child-rearing.

As she embraces her inner “Nightbitch,” the protagonist rediscovers her creative spark and sense of self. There’s something liberating about giving in to animal instincts and shrugging off societal expectations. Who says moms can’t howl at the moon and run wild through the neighborhood at night?

Yoder’s background as an Iowa Writers’ Workshop grad shines through in her precise, evocative prose. Take this description of the protagonist’s increasing hairiness:

“She had even witnessed two black hairs curling from her chin and, in the right light—in any light at all, to be honest—you could see the five o’clock shadow of her mustache as it grew back in after her laser treatments. Had she always had so much hair on her arms? Descending the edge of her jaw from her hairline? And was it normal to have patches of hair on the tops of your feet?”

You can practically feel those bristly hairs sprouting as you read.

The novel takes some truly bizarre turns as it progresses, venturing into territory that’s part body horror, part feminist manifesto. I don’t want to spoil too much, but let’s just say things get wild. Like, public-performance-art-involving-raw-meat wild. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea (or bowl of puppy chow), but I found it thrillingly unpredictable.

“Nightbitch” has drawn comparisons to other surrealist takes on motherhood like “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “The Awakening.” I’d also throw in a dash of Chuck Palahniuk’s “Fight Club”—there’s a similar exploration of primal urges and societal expectations. And like “Fight Club,” “Nightbitch” seems destined for cult classic status.

Speaking of which – this puppy is headed for the big screen. Amy Adams is set to star in and produce a film adaptation for Annapurna Pictures. I’m both excited and slightly terrified to see how they’ll bring some of the book’s wilder scenes to life. Will they go full transformation or keep things more ambiguous? Either way, Adams seems perfectly cast as our frazzled, feral protagonist.

“Nightbitch” won’t be for everyone. It’s weird and gross and sometimes uncomfortably raw. But for the right reader, it’ll strike a chord. New moms especially may find catharsis in its exploration of maternal ambivalence and rage. Just maybe don’t read it right before bedtime—you might find yourself howling at the moon.

A Howling Success or Barking Up the Wrong Tree?

Look, I’ll be honest—I devoured this book in one sitting. Couldn’t put it down. Yoder’s voice is fresh and fearless, and she’s unafraid to venture into some truly outlandish territory. The premise could easily have become gimmicky, but she commits to it fully and uses it to explore deeper themes.

That said, I can see how some readers might find it off-putting or just too darn weird. If you’re looking for a straightforward mommy memoir, this ain’t it. There’s a lot of visceral body horror and some genuinely disturbing moments. The ending in particular goes to some wild places that I’m still mulling over.

But for me, that’s what made “Nightbitch” so memorable. In a sea of domestic dramas and mommy blogs, this book dares to bare its fangs and howl. It captures something primal about motherhood that’s rarely discussed – the loss of self, the feral protectiveness, the simmering rage.

Yoder’s protagonist isn’t always likeable, but she feels achingly real. Her struggles with identity, her resentment towards her husband, her ambivalence about motherhood—it all rings true. And while most of us (I hope) don’t literally transform into dogs, that feeling of becoming unrecognizable to yourself after having a baby? Yeah, that tracks.

The Craft Behind the Howl

From a craft perspective, Yoder’s prose is top-notch. She seamlessly blends humor and horror, often in the same sentence. Her descriptions are vivid and sensory, really putting you in the protagonist’s increasingly hairy skin. And she has a knack for nailing the absurdities of modern parenting:

“She spoke in toddler talk and was constantly asking different questions about poop. Poop in the potty, she suggested when the boy’s tummy hurt.”

The structure is loose and dreamlike, mirroring the protagonist’s unraveling mental state. Time becomes fluid, reality bends. It shouldn’t work, but somehow it does.

I was also impressed by how Yoder maintains narrative tension throughout. Even as things get weird, you’re constantly wondering—is she really turning into a dog? Is it all in her head? What’s going to happen to her son? It keeps you turning pages even as you’re going “WTF am I reading?”

Howls from the Critics

“Nightbitch” has been generating plenty of buzz since its release. The New York Times called it “a feral, unholy coupling of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ and ‘Kafka’s Metamorphosis.'” NPR praised its “wicked sense of humor” and “sharp commentary on the isolation of new motherhood.”

Not everyone’s been won over, though. Some critics have found it too bizarre or alienating. A few have questioned whether it trivializes postpartum mental health issues. Valid concerns, though I’d argue the book’s surrealism allows it to explore those issues in a unique way.

Personally, I’m with the Washington Post, which declared “Nightbitch” to be “an incredible feat of imagination and a terrifying, thrilling exploration of what it means to be a modern woman and mother.”

The Pack: Similar Reads

If “Nightbitch” leaves you hungry for more surreal takes on motherhood, here are a few suggestions to add to your reading list:

• “The Need” by Helen Phillips – Another genre-bending look at maternal anxiety with a sci-fi twist.
• “Dept. of Speculation” by Jenny Offill – A more grounded but equally raw exploration of motherhood and marriage.
• “The Vegetarian” by Han Kang – Not about motherhood, but a similarly visceral tale of transformation and societal expectations.

And if you want to dive deeper into Yoder’s world, keep an eye out for her upcoming story collection, “Infinite Things All At Once.” Based on “Nightbitch,” I’m betting it’ll be a wild ride.

Final Thoughts: To Bite or Not to Bite?

“Nightbitch” is a singular reading experience—profoundly weird, darkly funny, and unexpectedly moving. It won’t be for everyone, but for the right reader, it’ll sink its teeth in and refuse to let go.

If you’re a new mom feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or just plain pissed off at the world, this book might be the catharsis you need. If you’re a fan of body horror or surrealist fiction, you’ll find plenty to chew on here. And if you’re just looking for something completely different from your usual reading fare, well, “Nightbitch” definitely delivers.

Just maybe don’t read it right before picking the kids up from school. You might find yourself growling at the other moms in the parking lot.