This time we read and discussed Andrew Joseph White’s debut adult novel (he has written several youth oriented books prior to this) You Weren’t Meant To Be Human - there’s content warnings with this book, it is brutal and punishing but its also an important read I think.
Available here or wherever you get your podcasts from (but not Spotify) - as always no ads, no sponsors, no gen AI.
Sounds like an excellent book.
It really is but fucking hell its relentless. There were times I was reading this I could only manage a couple of pages.
Yeah, just looking at the synopsis I think I’ll give this one a miss lol
Tap for NSFL synopsis
This grotesque adult horror explores unwanted pregnancy through the parasitic terror of Leech and Brainwyrms, screaming with trans rage as queer and reproductive rights erode.
Alien meets Midsommar in this chilling debut adult novel from award-winning author Andrew Joseph White about identity, survival, and transformation amidst an alien invasion in rural West Virginia.
Festering masses of worms and flies have taken root in dark corners across Appalachia. In exchange for unwavering loyalty and fresh corpses, these hives offer a few struggling humans salvation. A fresh start. It’s an offer that none refuse.
Crane is grateful. Among his hive’s followers, Crane has found a chance to transition, to never speak again, to live a life that won’t destroy him. He even met Levi: a handsome ex-Marine and brutal killer who treats him like a real man, mostly. But when Levi gets Crane pregnant—and the hive demands the child’s birth, no matter the cost—Crane’s desperation to make it stop will drive the community that saved him into a devastating spiral that can only end in blood.
