Their group is led by a man named Will, who initially seems helpful, insightful, and well-trained to lead a therapy group such as this. This would make the perfect book club pick too.įive women are meeting weekly to tell their story to each other in hopes of dealing with their trauma and mental health struggles. It made me want to go back and revisit the fairy tales with my kids, eager to see their reactions. It’s a dark humour that permeates these pages, and I was entranced with the clever premise almost the entire way through, nostalgic as I slowly recognized the childhood stories these women emerged from. We all joke about how terrifying these Grimm’s Fairy Tales really are when you look back at them as an adult, and this book lays bare the true terror and trauma that the characters of those long-ago stories would have experienced. Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard’s Girlfriend, and Gretel are a few examples.

The twist is that each woman is a famous character from a fairy tale. Dark, edgy, and wickedly funny, this debut for readers of Carmen Maria Machado, Kristen Arnett, and Kelly Link takes our coziest, most beloved childhood stories, exposes them as anti-feminist nightmares, and transforms them into a new kind of myth for grown-up women.This book has one of the most unique storylines I’ve come across in years How to be Eaten by Maria Adelmann is all about a support group of women who come together in the basement of a YMCA to tell their stories. Named a Best Book of May by TIME Magazine & Glamour One of NPR's Best Books of the Year Dark, edgy, and wickedly funny, this debut for readers of Carmen Maria Machado, Kristen Arnett, and Kelly Link takes our coziest, most beloved childhood stories, exposes them as anti-feminist nightmares, and transforms them into a new kind of myth for grown-up women. What really brought them here? What secrets will they reveal? And is it too late for them to rescue each other? Though the women start out wary of one another, judging each other's stories, gradually they begin to realize that they may have more in common than they supposed.

And Raina's love story will shock them all. Ashlee, the winner of a Bachelor-esque dating show, wonders if she really got her promised fairy tale ending. Gretel questions her memory of being held captive in a house made of candy.

Ruby, once devoured by a wolf, now wears him as a coat. Bernice grapples with the fallout of dating a psychopathic, blue-bearded billionaire. In present-day New York City, five women meet in a basement support group to process their traumas. One of NPR's Best Books of the Year: This darkly funny and provocative novel reimagines classic fairy tale characters as modern women in a support group for trauma.

How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann