Reviewed
by Jennifer Dupree, Circulations Supervisor of the Windham Public Library
One
night while her husband is away, paleobotanist Molly hears an intruder. She’s
alone with her children—four-year-old Viv and toddler Ben—and as she cowers in
the bedroom, trying to figure out how best to keep them safe, the terror of her
aloneness is palpable.
What
(who) Molly ultimately discovers in her house propels this dystopian tale
forward. This novel is at once unbelievable and completely believable. It is
horrifying in the press of domesticity, the unyielding needs of Ben and Viv,
the intense desire Molly must keep them safe, and her genuine confusion over
how to do that. One decision leads to another and Molly is complicit in all
that happens and doesn’t happen.
This
book is fast-paced, suspenseful, and painfully beautiful. It’s about the
complexities of being a mother, a wife, a human being. It’s about the dark side
of getting what you’ve secretly wished for.
“The
Need” is a wild look at what if, but it’s so thoughtfully crafted, so artfully
written that it feels urgent, honest, and absolutely true. Fans of Emily St.
John Mandel’s “Station Eleven” will find this similar in scope and tone.
What
will Molly be able to bring herself to do when faced with the loss of her
children and herself?
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