⇢ 4.4 ★

thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

if you enjoyed the films "annihilation" or "mother!", get your hands on this short story immediately. i was enamored by this story. in horror, i am a firm believer that the "nature's revenge" trope is criminally underutilized. fritz did a STELLAR job at this. i was listening to the curated playlist the author included with the story, and it gave me chills the entire time i was reading. it's a quick read-- i finished it in one setting. i quite literally could not put this one down. i think this would be a superb A24 film, or even a short film. the poems implemented into the beginning of each chapter were right on point with each chapter's theme. the artwork between each chapter was stunning as well.

fitz does an excellent job at creating atmosphere. in the beginning, you are following along with the lives of this objectively wholesome older couple. the wife has stage four pancreatic cancer, and her dying wish was for her husband to plant her a gorgeous garden. however, you can literally feel this overwhelming sense of dread as the storyline progresses. the playlist the author provides in the book was SO perfect for each scene. it's my understanding fitz has another book, "a fig for all the devils", and i 100% plan to get my hands on it as soon as possible. the author's writing is gorgeous and haunting.

౨ৎ TRIGGER WARNINGS
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