What do you think?
Rate this book
Supplication
A hallucinatory literary horror novel set deeply in the consciousness of a woman exploring a changed and frightening world.
Our protagonist comes to in a basement, tied to a chair, with a man looming over her. But someone has a knife.
We follow her as she emerges from captivity into an unnamed, nightmarish city, seeking some meaning to her new reality. As figures emerge from the night, some offering sanctuary, and others judgement. She keeps moving, making her way through this fever dream of a narrative. SUPPLICATION is a haunting, embodied tale of alienation, fear, and the quest for respite.
Our protagonist comes to in a basement, tied to a chair, with a man looming over her. But someone has a knife.
We follow her as she emerges from captivity into an unnamed, nightmarish city, seeking some meaning to her new reality. As figures emerge from the night, some offering sanctuary, and others judgement. She keeps moving, making her way through this fever dream of a narrative. SUPPLICATION is a haunting, embodied tale of alienation, fear, and the quest for respite.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2024
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
May 16, 2024
You know, sometimes there are books that make you feel dumb. There's no other way to say it. You feel foolish reading them. You understand the words, the sentences, but you just don't understand them in that sequence and what their effect is supposed to be. This is that book for me.
If you ask me “So inci, I see you've read Supplication. What do you think?”, I could probably tell you that it's about a woman, she's somewhere with a guy and he drools a lot. Then she's outside, goes to a bar, a couple take her home and there's a powder, whatever that is, they snort, she kills them, then there's a horse, a child with which she dances, the horse again. And that's about it.
It is written as stream of consciousness, so I'm not sure if this is her drug trip, if it was all a dream, I honestly don't know. If you think that's your jam, be my guest, it's not very much my cup of tea, 2,5 rounded up.
I was excited about this book, mainly because I love the cover so much and I still think the cover is wonderful.
If you ask me “So inci, I see you've read Supplication. What do you think?”, I could probably tell you that it's about a woman, she's somewhere with a guy and he drools a lot. Then she's outside, goes to a bar, a couple take her home and there's a powder, whatever that is, they snort, she kills them, then there's a horse, a child with which she dances, the horse again. And that's about it.
It is written as stream of consciousness, so I'm not sure if this is her drug trip, if it was all a dream, I honestly don't know. If you think that's your jam, be my guest, it's not very much my cup of tea, 2,5 rounded up.
I was excited about this book, mainly because I love the cover so much and I still think the cover is wonderful.
July 18, 2024
Like really, seriously, so bad.
April 3, 2024
Supplication by Nour Abi-Nakhoul is billed as "hallucinatory literary horror," and although it certainly lives up to that categorization, it still somehow fell short for me. Either its message went completely over my head (entirely possible), or it's just not that good.
I was interested for the first 40% of the story, but by 60% through, it seemed that my many questions about the narrator were doomed to go unanswered. What at first felt like a gripping metaphorical narrative of trauma, fear, and a search for rest, eventually became a meandering journey of episodic horrors inflicted on a main character exhibiting increasingly bizarre behavior.
Although this is a first person narrative, it feels as though everything in the story is happening to the narrator, rather than the narrator participating in her own story. She's drawn from interaction to interaction by some cosmic, unknowable horror, but even her own actions leave me with more questions than answers, especially in light of the conclusion.
This book started out as a promising wild ride, and turned into a frustrating slog filled with purple prose and not much else. Definitely missed the mark for me.
Thanks NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book.
I was interested for the first 40% of the story, but by 60% through, it seemed that my many questions about the narrator were doomed to go unanswered. What at first felt like a gripping metaphorical narrative of trauma, fear, and a search for rest, eventually became a meandering journey of episodic horrors inflicted on a main character exhibiting increasingly bizarre behavior.
Although this is a first person narrative, it feels as though everything in the story is happening to the narrator, rather than the narrator participating in her own story. She's drawn from interaction to interaction by some cosmic, unknowable horror, but even her own actions leave me with more questions than answers, especially in light of the conclusion.
This book started out as a promising wild ride, and turned into a frustrating slog filled with purple prose and not much else. Definitely missed the mark for me.
Thanks NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book.
July 15, 2024
I dnfed it at 43%. I had no idea what I was reading. My brain couldn't take in the story at all and it just disappeared as I was reading it. I don't know if the story went over my head or if it was the wrong time to read it. But I feel I got nothing out of the reading experience therefore the rating.
May 2, 2024
Although I usually don’t rate my DNF’s, I’ve seen enough after 200 pages to:
1. Know that I am not going to change my mind about disliking it.
2. Have a profound headache, the likes of which not many novels can claim to have caused me.
There may be an audience out there who will eat a book like this up, and on the surface I thought I might be part of that audience. Unfortunately, I was not.
The story:
An unnamed woman wakes up in a basement, tied to a chair, a strange man looming over her. Following a bloody escape, she emerges from her captivity into the light of a strange and alienating town. Her journey through the streets of this nightmarish landscape, and her equally nightmarish mind is captured here in these pages.
What I liked:
The most striking part of Supplication is its prose. In fact, it’s basically all the novel has to offer, as the plot is barely there, and more so hinted at than actually developed. The author clearly has a great grasp of “the feeling of language”. She paints a hallucinatory picture in your mind with her words, and if the goal was to disorient and confuse the reader, they definitely succeeded in that aspect. Maybe, if I had read this as more of an experimental type of long-form poetry, I might have enjoyed it more, just for its artistic value… As it stands; it’s barely readable as a novel…
What I didn’t like:
The prose in this book isn’t so much purple, as it is somewhere outside the visible spectrum into the ultraviolet hues. Dense to the point of being almost unreadable, this was a labour to get through, and ultimately failed to deliver any plot or development of substance. Metaphors go on for paragraphs on end, seemingly without purpose or reason. Speaking of which; the same can be said for our protagonist. It’s (perhaps deliberately so) impossible to get a feeling for our protagonist, her motivations, or even her emotional state. She floats through the story like a ghost, not connecting to anything around her, let alone the reader. Again; this might be deliberate, as a manifestation of her post-traumatic state and feelings of isolation from the world as a result. In that case: well done to the author for capturing that. As the reader however, her character was so slippery and incorporeal that I felt like I had nothing to grasp onto.
Overall; a very marmite book, that unfortunately wasn’t for me. Credits to the cover though, for capturing the essence of the story: flowery, dense, disturbing, eye-catching, and something I would NOT hang on my wall as it’s distinctly not my personal taste…
Many thanks to Strange Light by Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
1. Know that I am not going to change my mind about disliking it.
2. Have a profound headache, the likes of which not many novels can claim to have caused me.
There may be an audience out there who will eat a book like this up, and on the surface I thought I might be part of that audience. Unfortunately, I was not.
The story:
An unnamed woman wakes up in a basement, tied to a chair, a strange man looming over her. Following a bloody escape, she emerges from her captivity into the light of a strange and alienating town. Her journey through the streets of this nightmarish landscape, and her equally nightmarish mind is captured here in these pages.
What I liked:
The most striking part of Supplication is its prose. In fact, it’s basically all the novel has to offer, as the plot is barely there, and more so hinted at than actually developed. The author clearly has a great grasp of “the feeling of language”. She paints a hallucinatory picture in your mind with her words, and if the goal was to disorient and confuse the reader, they definitely succeeded in that aspect. Maybe, if I had read this as more of an experimental type of long-form poetry, I might have enjoyed it more, just for its artistic value… As it stands; it’s barely readable as a novel…
What I didn’t like:
The prose in this book isn’t so much purple, as it is somewhere outside the visible spectrum into the ultraviolet hues. Dense to the point of being almost unreadable, this was a labour to get through, and ultimately failed to deliver any plot or development of substance. Metaphors go on for paragraphs on end, seemingly without purpose or reason. Speaking of which; the same can be said for our protagonist. It’s (perhaps deliberately so) impossible to get a feeling for our protagonist, her motivations, or even her emotional state. She floats through the story like a ghost, not connecting to anything around her, let alone the reader. Again; this might be deliberate, as a manifestation of her post-traumatic state and feelings of isolation from the world as a result. In that case: well done to the author for capturing that. As the reader however, her character was so slippery and incorporeal that I felt like I had nothing to grasp onto.
Overall; a very marmite book, that unfortunately wasn’t for me. Credits to the cover though, for capturing the essence of the story: flowery, dense, disturbing, eye-catching, and something I would NOT hang on my wall as it’s distinctly not my personal taste…
Many thanks to Strange Light by Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
March 29, 2024
This book promises a horror-filled soul-seeking journey of a nameless protagonist as she emerges from traumatic captivity. Her harrowing journey is delivered through a stream of consciousness and purple prose
...In all honesty though, I feel like I need a literary detoxification after this journey. This could be a case of the level of writing being beyond my comprehension but I was struggling to comprehend any meaning behind the convoluted prose. There were repetitions that took me out of the story instead of evoking emotion, there were analogies that needed some time to process and connect them to the situation at hand. By the end of it, I was quite exhausted.
The author is clearly talented though, and was probably exploring some deep-rooted trauma in her own way so I would be keen to give any future works a chance.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Strange Light for this advance reader copy. I leave this review voluntarily.
...In all honesty though, I feel like I need a literary detoxification after this journey. This could be a case of the level of writing being beyond my comprehension but I was struggling to comprehend any meaning behind the convoluted prose. There were repetitions that took me out of the story instead of evoking emotion, there were analogies that needed some time to process and connect them to the situation at hand. By the end of it, I was quite exhausted.
The author is clearly talented though, and was probably exploring some deep-rooted trauma in her own way so I would be keen to give any future works a chance.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Strange Light for this advance reader copy. I leave this review voluntarily.
March 2, 2024
oh boy where do I start with this...
Supplication begins with our nameless main character coming to in a dark and dingy basement, with a man standing over her. After making a quick escape, she finds her way back to her apartment, and then heads out into the night. For the rest of the book, we follow her as she encounters different people in the world.
This is a hard book for me to review because at the beginning, I was absolutely loving it! I thought it was fascinating when she wakes up in this unknown place and is describing how her life has become so distorted that there is no 'before the basement' in her mind. There were a lot of quotes in this portion of the book that I highlighted because I found them really interesting and think they do a good job of getting across the feeling the author was trying to portray. (I would include quotes, but as this is an ARC I will try to avoid directly quoting anything for now).
After the main character makes it back to her apartment, something strange happens to her, and she heads back out onto the streets. And this is where the story began to lose me. The writing is very dense and follows a literary stream of consciousness style, which normally I do not have a problem enjoying, but this book just felt a bit overwritten. A lot of the same words/phrases/descriptions were used multiple times throughout the whole book and was very distracting. Around the 50% mark this book became a slog to get through. Despite still being interested in how the story might end, it took me foreverrrr to get through and I found myself skimming some parts.
Then comes the end, which I felt severely let down by. This book definitely has a vague, sort of open to interpretation ending which I am not always a big fan of. Especially when the rest of the book has already been so difficult to decipher.
This book is described as a hallucinatory literary horror, and it certainly checks all those marks, but in the end, the writing style just didn't work for me. However, there is definitely an audience out there for this book. If you enjoy weird, fever dream feeling stories told in a stream of consciousness style, you might like this one.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Strange Light for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book to review.
Supplication begins with our nameless main character coming to in a dark and dingy basement, with a man standing over her. After making a quick escape, she finds her way back to her apartment, and then heads out into the night. For the rest of the book, we follow her as she encounters different people in the world.
This is a hard book for me to review because at the beginning, I was absolutely loving it! I thought it was fascinating when she wakes up in this unknown place and is describing how her life has become so distorted that there is no 'before the basement' in her mind. There were a lot of quotes in this portion of the book that I highlighted because I found them really interesting and think they do a good job of getting across the feeling the author was trying to portray. (I would include quotes, but as this is an ARC I will try to avoid directly quoting anything for now).
After the main character makes it back to her apartment, something strange happens to her, and she heads back out onto the streets. And this is where the story began to lose me. The writing is very dense and follows a literary stream of consciousness style, which normally I do not have a problem enjoying, but this book just felt a bit overwritten. A lot of the same words/phrases/descriptions were used multiple times throughout the whole book and was very distracting. Around the 50% mark this book became a slog to get through. Despite still being interested in how the story might end, it took me foreverrrr to get through and I found myself skimming some parts.
Then comes the end, which I felt severely let down by. This book definitely has a vague, sort of open to interpretation ending which I am not always a big fan of. Especially when the rest of the book has already been so difficult to decipher.
This book is described as a hallucinatory literary horror, and it certainly checks all those marks, but in the end, the writing style just didn't work for me. However, there is definitely an audience out there for this book. If you enjoy weird, fever dream feeling stories told in a stream of consciousness style, you might like this one.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Strange Light for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book to review.
April 17, 2024
Thank you netgalley for an e-arc!!
This is a tough one to rate and I have been going back and fourth since I finished it. I have decided a solid 3.5 (rounded to 4).
The first ~30-35% was absolutely stunning. CONFUSING, and I stumbled through, but was able to hold onto enough. It felt like a situation that was more about living in the writing and feeling the emotions, rather than latching onto a stable storyline. I was getting chills at some of the metaphors for trauma and effects of trauma. I would read passages and then just sit and soak in the words.
BUT then the story had some moments that felt a little clunky, and then the last ~25% really just got away from me and I found myself much more disconnected compared to how I felt in the beginning.
Overall, I wish there was a little more cohesion and just a bit more grounding moments, but the writing absolutely stood out as some of the most unique I've ever read (which pushed it to the extra half star). BUT this will not be a book for the masses.
This is a tough one to rate and I have been going back and fourth since I finished it. I have decided a solid 3.5 (rounded to 4).
The first ~30-35% was absolutely stunning. CONFUSING, and I stumbled through, but was able to hold onto enough. It felt like a situation that was more about living in the writing and feeling the emotions, rather than latching onto a stable storyline. I was getting chills at some of the metaphors for trauma and effects of trauma. I would read passages and then just sit and soak in the words.
BUT then the story had some moments that felt a little clunky, and then the last ~25% really just got away from me and I found myself much more disconnected compared to how I felt in the beginning.
Overall, I wish there was a little more cohesion and just a bit more grounding moments, but the writing absolutely stood out as some of the most unique I've ever read (which pushed it to the extra half star). BUT this will not be a book for the masses.
May 3, 2024
While I can always appreciate a book with intricate storytelling and I was so excited to dive into this novel, I unfortunately found the prose unnecessarily dense and convoluted which made the narrative challenging to follow thus I had to add this book to the DNF pile.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC.
May 30, 2024
I really wanted to love this one because it’s by an author local to me but it just flew right over my head and I had no idea what was going on for 90% of the book.
March 25, 2024
Brace yourself, readers! Supplication is an intense, nightmare journey, following our unnamed narrator from one bizarre situation to the next. We join her as she wakes up tied to a chair, but her escape is just the beginning of her troubles.
This book is relentless. There is no relief in the myriad of disturbing things our narrator goes through. Abi-Nakhoul’s writing created such horrific images in my head, I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover. I could only read a certain amount in one sitting. The writing is consuming, and requires full attention and focus.
The fact that this is in the first person adds a level of terror to the story. We have no choice but to accompany the narrator on her surreal journey.
Fans of brutal, weird, literary horror will appreciate Supplication.
This book is relentless. There is no relief in the myriad of disturbing things our narrator goes through. Abi-Nakhoul’s writing created such horrific images in my head, I don’t think I’ll ever fully recover. I could only read a certain amount in one sitting. The writing is consuming, and requires full attention and focus.
The fact that this is in the first person adds a level of terror to the story. We have no choice but to accompany the narrator on her surreal journey.
Fans of brutal, weird, literary horror will appreciate Supplication.
September 13, 2024
Nour Abi-Nakhoul's Supplication is a protracted phenomenological nightmare, written in relentlessly sprawling sentences that careen and unspool like the threads of our anonymous narrator's reality. This is a bold vision of horror: abstract and frantic, equal parts psychological, corporeal, and cosmic. Tinges of Poe, Kafka, and Koja.
July 27, 2024
What the fuck did I just read?!?
#bookstagrammademedoit and they did me dirty. I saw so many people reading this over the last handful of months and it sounded so intriguing that I went on a mad hunt for it and when I finally found a copy, I shot it up to the top of my TBR...
I like weird books, but this was just waaaay too weird.
(gives #bookstagram the side eye)
#bookstagrammademedoit and they did me dirty. I saw so many people reading this over the last handful of months and it sounded so intriguing that I went on a mad hunt for it and when I finally found a copy, I shot it up to the top of my TBR...
I like weird books, but this was just waaaay too weird.
(gives #bookstagram the side eye)
May 3, 2024
Supplication was the most beautiful type of strange. Abi-Nakhoul grabbed my attention from the first page and didn't let go. I felt like I was tied to a chair right along with our unnamed narrator--forced to endure horror after horror. The writing was a little overwrought and lost me at times, but I honestly do think that was the point. It's supposed to be disorienting and I can confirm it succeeded in making me spiral in the best way. I can definitely see why this has been getting mixed reviews, but it really worked for me. Surreal nightmare fuel at its finest.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Influx Press for this e-arc!
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Influx Press for this e-arc!
July 2, 2024
This book is almost indescribable. Beautifully and sadly surreal. A fever dream of anguish. Who could even direct the film adaptation? Lynch? Jodorowsky? Carax?
June 3, 2024
Thank you so much to Influxpress for sending me an ARC!
This was one of the most anticipated reads on my radar this year! This cover and the black and white one pulled my attention, along with the blurb, as soon as my eyes set on them.
My hopes were so happy when I started this. I LOVED how this kicked off and also how it was written. Mainly in prose, with very poetic, descriptive style of writing, I was getting into the story but then it just got too much to read to get invested in the story that was behind all of the prose.
The story itself would have been SO GOOD if it was about the story and our unnamed narrator instead of more about the way this is written. If that makes any sense. It's very dense and convoluted.
Sadly wasn't exactly for me but damn that start was fantastic.
This was one of the most anticipated reads on my radar this year! This cover and the black and white one pulled my attention, along with the blurb, as soon as my eyes set on them.
My hopes were so happy when I started this. I LOVED how this kicked off and also how it was written. Mainly in prose, with very poetic, descriptive style of writing, I was getting into the story but then it just got too much to read to get invested in the story that was behind all of the prose.
The story itself would have been SO GOOD if it was about the story and our unnamed narrator instead of more about the way this is written. If that makes any sense. It's very dense and convoluted.
Sadly wasn't exactly for me but damn that start was fantastic.
July 31, 2024
the fuck did I just read
alright, was it bad? no
did I want some horror and gore? yes
am I still confused? yes
the worst part is that I bought this book as a beach read which further proves my thesis of never buying physical books just taking them as suggestions to read on kindle
alright, was it bad? no
did I want some horror and gore? yes
am I still confused? yes
the worst part is that I bought this book as a beach read which further proves my thesis of never buying physical books just taking them as suggestions to read on kindle
March 11, 2024
Abi-Nakhoul's writing is aggressive; heady and overwhelming like the unnamed narrator's story. I spent most of this book confused, but I flew through it regardless, hoping the pieces would come together by the end. I'm not sure if they did yet, but I'm sure this will stay in my brain for quite some time.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!
June 15, 2024
The prose is fantastic and it is a very challenging read. I picked it up cos of the cover and the plot sounded interesting. I don't really know what I read but hey ho i enjoyed it
April 16, 2024
A hallucinatory horror novel written at a high level. Fever dreamish throughout and does not let up. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC. Publish date is May 06, 2024
May 30, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a work of translated horror that feels more like experimental descriptive writing than a story? Are you cool with slogging through a book without a clear narrative?
Pre-reading:
I love unhinged books. I love this cover. Please be good.
Thick of it:
That's interesting. Desire as a psychotic break survival strategy
I put this book down, and I have been dreading picking it back up. It’s not that it’s particularly bad, it just takes a lot of brain power to read because of the translated language. And then I’m also not motivated to read it because I can’t see myself giving it any higher than a two.
I think this is artsy she’s getting raped, but I don’t know, and I’m afraid I’m reading into it, but I’m also like pretty sure that’s what’s happening.
I don’t wanna kill people, but the parasites wanna kill people
Simultaneously Miley Cyrus’s Can’t Be Tamed and also a horse girl.
But hair and fingernails don’t grow after death? The skin just contracts so it looks longer.
I have no clue what’s going on. I don’t know if any of this is a metaphor or if we’re supposed to buy that it’s actually happening.
Are all these people she’s encountering dead? I’m so confused.
Is she there to give birth? I’m so confused.
Is she there for an abortion? I’m so confused.
Detritus sin
So who’s gonna explain this book to me? I don’t get it at all.
Post-reading:
I have no idea what I just read.
Listen, when they described this book as a fever dream, they were not exaggerating. It is incoherent. It’s all purple prose that would be juicy if it actually led anywhere. There’s no clear string of plot for the audience to grasp onto to pull them through the story.
When the book opens, it reads like some torture porn psychological break. It’s set up with the flavor of a revenge thriller. And that’s the book I wanted to read.
But instead, you’re left floating through scene after scene that are bogged down with nothing but lengthy descriptions. It might be a flaw of the translation, but there’s nowhere for the reader to pause and catch a mental breath. It’s just clause after clause after clause.
And what’s frustrating is that there are some pretty little gems of quirky writing in here. I just had no clue what was going on, and I kept reading in the hopes that the ending would be some grand illuminating twist that would make you want to reread the novel in a new context. But it’s not that. You’re just left with more of the same.
There’s vague impressions of rape and abortion, but the story’s so unclear that I can’t tell if I’m reading into something that’s not there or if that’s the whole point. It’s dense. It’s hard to get through. It has horrific imagery, but I struggle to actually classify it as horror without a concrete narrative. It feels more like a descriptive writing experiment than a story.
Who should read this:
Translated horror fans
Do I want to reread this:
No? If someone can explain this book to me in a way that makes it coherent, I would try it again.
Similar books:
* Walking Practice by Dolki Min-translated horror, experimental writing style
* We Spread by Iain Reid-psychological horror about Alzheimer’s, unreliable narrator
* I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid-psychological horror, unreliable narrator
* Mothtown by Caroline Hardaker-psychological horror, unreliable narrator, purposely confusing to read
* Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko-dark academia, purposely confusing to read
My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a work of translated horror that feels more like experimental descriptive writing than a story? Are you cool with slogging through a book without a clear narrative?
Pre-reading:
I love unhinged books. I love this cover. Please be good.
Thick of it:
That's interesting. Desire as a psychotic break survival strategy
I put this book down, and I have been dreading picking it back up. It’s not that it’s particularly bad, it just takes a lot of brain power to read because of the translated language. And then I’m also not motivated to read it because I can’t see myself giving it any higher than a two.
I think this is artsy she’s getting raped, but I don’t know, and I’m afraid I’m reading into it, but I’m also like pretty sure that’s what’s happening.
I don’t wanna kill people, but the parasites wanna kill people
Simultaneously Miley Cyrus’s Can’t Be Tamed and also a horse girl.
But hair and fingernails don’t grow after death? The skin just contracts so it looks longer.
I have no clue what’s going on. I don’t know if any of this is a metaphor or if we’re supposed to buy that it’s actually happening.
Are all these people she’s encountering dead? I’m so confused.
Is she there to give birth? I’m so confused.
Is she there for an abortion? I’m so confused.
Detritus sin
So who’s gonna explain this book to me? I don’t get it at all.
Post-reading:
I have no idea what I just read.
Listen, when they described this book as a fever dream, they were not exaggerating. It is incoherent. It’s all purple prose that would be juicy if it actually led anywhere. There’s no clear string of plot for the audience to grasp onto to pull them through the story.
When the book opens, it reads like some torture porn psychological break. It’s set up with the flavor of a revenge thriller. And that’s the book I wanted to read.
But instead, you’re left floating through scene after scene that are bogged down with nothing but lengthy descriptions. It might be a flaw of the translation, but there’s nowhere for the reader to pause and catch a mental breath. It’s just clause after clause after clause.
And what’s frustrating is that there are some pretty little gems of quirky writing in here. I just had no clue what was going on, and I kept reading in the hopes that the ending would be some grand illuminating twist that would make you want to reread the novel in a new context. But it’s not that. You’re just left with more of the same.
There’s vague impressions of rape and abortion, but the story’s so unclear that I can’t tell if I’m reading into something that’s not there or if that’s the whole point. It’s dense. It’s hard to get through. It has horrific imagery, but I struggle to actually classify it as horror without a concrete narrative. It feels more like a descriptive writing experiment than a story.
Who should read this:
Translated horror fans
Do I want to reread this:
No? If someone can explain this book to me in a way that makes it coherent, I would try it again.
Similar books:
* Walking Practice by Dolki Min-translated horror, experimental writing style
* We Spread by Iain Reid-psychological horror about Alzheimer’s, unreliable narrator
* I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid-psychological horror, unreliable narrator
* Mothtown by Caroline Hardaker-psychological horror, unreliable narrator, purposely confusing to read
* Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko-dark academia, purposely confusing to read
July 5, 2024
I am not a person who likes calling it quits with a book but, unfortunately, this book was the first one I've ever had to categorize as DNF.
I had such high hopes for this. The cover art is stunning and the description on the back cover made this book sound incredible. I even had a thought that this might be a depiction of the Lilith story or even Eve's.
This book was.... that's all I've got. It was. The constant description and purple prose was off-putting as was the main character/narrator. I got the feeling that she was on a really bad acid trip...who knows? Maybe she was. I didn't get that far.
I finally decided to let this one go when it took me an hour to read 10 pages the other night. I wish I was kidding. I had to read and reread to try to make sense of what was happening....that failed. I still have no clue what was going on but I just couldn't care enough to hang in and find out.
I had such high hopes for this. The cover art is stunning and the description on the back cover made this book sound incredible. I even had a thought that this might be a depiction of the Lilith story or even Eve's.
This book was.... that's all I've got. It was. The constant description and purple prose was off-putting as was the main character/narrator. I got the feeling that she was on a really bad acid trip...who knows? Maybe she was. I didn't get that far.
I finally decided to let this one go when it took me an hour to read 10 pages the other night. I wish I was kidding. I had to read and reread to try to make sense of what was happening....that failed. I still have no clue what was going on but I just couldn't care enough to hang in and find out.
May 18, 2024
Did not finish, got about a third of the way through before I had to be honest with myself on whether I could be compelled to open it again if I stopped reading. The writing style reminds me too much of my own when I started writing. There's too much description in every detail making it hard for me to hook on to the narrative. I think if the author limited the intense descriptions to where it would make the most impact (the tub scene really made me uneasy) we could get a truely horrifying book
Read
June 22, 2024Setting this one down. I’m not digging the writing style. This is definitely for some people, but it’s a little too purple for me - to the point where I’m not even sure what’s happening in the book more than 15% in. Not in a fun way, either.
May 19, 2024
I can only describe this book and the experience I had with it with a quote from it: “… it was like the total emptiness of a dream once the dreamer leaves it behind.” 3.5 stars
August 17, 2024
2.5 stars
May 26, 2024
hmmmm much to consider
May 10, 2024
i think i hate literary horror.
January 20, 2024
In the literary realm where nightmares and reality converge, Nour Abi-Nakhoul's "Supplication" emerges as a hallucinatory horror novel that delves deep into the consciousness of a woman navigating a transformed and terrifying world. This essay delves into the captivating narrative, exploring its themes, imagery, and the profound impact it leaves on the reader. The novel opens with a chilling scene: our protagonist awakens in a basement, bound to a chair, with a menacing figure looming over her. This unsettling introduction sets the tone for a journey through a distorted reality, where fear and uncertainty permeate every corner. As the protagonist escapes her confinement and ventures into an unnamed, nightmarish city, she embarks on a quest for meaning and understanding in a world that seems to have been turned upside down. Abi-Nakhoul's prose masterfully weaves a tapestry of vivid imagery, immersing the reader in the protagonist's heightened senses and fractured perception of reality. The city itself becomes a character, a labyrinthine entity that reflects the protagonist's inner turmoil and alienation. As she encounters various figures, both benevolent and menacing, each interaction unveils a deeper layer of the narrative's enigmatic tapestry. At its core, "Supplication" explores the profound themes of alienation, fear, and the relentless search for respite. The protagonist's journey is a metaphor for the human condition, our constant struggle to find solace and meaning in a world that can often feel overwhelming and incomprehensible. Abi-Nakhoul skillfully weaves these themes into the narrative, creating a visceral and emotional experience for the reader. "Supplication" is not merely a horror novel; it is a profound exploration of the human psyche, delving into the depths of fear, resilience, and the indomitable spirit that drives us forward even in the darkest of times. Abi-Nakhoul's writing is both haunting and beautiful, leaving a lasting impression long after the final page is turned. In conclusion, Nour Abi-Nakhoul's "Supplication" is a thought-provoking and unsettling literary journey that captivates the reader from its opening scene to its haunting conclusion. Through its exploration of alienation, fear, and the quest for respite, the novel offers a profound reflection on the human condition. Abi-Nakhoul's masterful storytelling and evocative prose create an immersive experience that lingers long after the book is finished. "Supplication" is a must-read for those who appreciate literary horror, psychological exploration, and the exploration of the boundaries between reality and nightmare.
April 7, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I was very excited for this title on the face of it. I love horror - it definitely fits as my favourite genre- and I am never someone to pass up on something that feeds from a trauma response. I was hoping this would be a Lovecraftian master work, but unfortunately this was not to be.
This was a very odd book. I felt that it was more an exercise in art than anything else, with a sharp focus on descriptions and using language to paint pictures, but unfortunately I found the pictures were a little too abstract for my liking. This book felt a bit lost, like it was trying to be elevated but wasn't quite getting there, and there was no characterisation beyond the mental workings of what appeared to be a very confused narrator, but not in an unreliable way, just in the way that it didn't feel like it was connected and cohesive enough.
It was not an easy read, but not because it particularly focused on any great terror or panic - it was just dense, and it felt as though the actual story was lost to style. I wish that I had the opportunity to enjoy this more, but I just didn't feel that this was accessible for all audiences, well-written, or within the scope of horror. It felt like a literary exercise that went on too long, an attempt at trying to sound more educated in a horror format than what was really going on. This one was definitely a miss for me I am afraid.
I was very excited for this title on the face of it. I love horror - it definitely fits as my favourite genre- and I am never someone to pass up on something that feeds from a trauma response. I was hoping this would be a Lovecraftian master work, but unfortunately this was not to be.
This was a very odd book. I felt that it was more an exercise in art than anything else, with a sharp focus on descriptions and using language to paint pictures, but unfortunately I found the pictures were a little too abstract for my liking. This book felt a bit lost, like it was trying to be elevated but wasn't quite getting there, and there was no characterisation beyond the mental workings of what appeared to be a very confused narrator, but not in an unreliable way, just in the way that it didn't feel like it was connected and cohesive enough.
It was not an easy read, but not because it particularly focused on any great terror or panic - it was just dense, and it felt as though the actual story was lost to style. I wish that I had the opportunity to enjoy this more, but I just didn't feel that this was accessible for all audiences, well-written, or within the scope of horror. It felt like a literary exercise that went on too long, an attempt at trying to sound more educated in a horror format than what was really going on. This one was definitely a miss for me I am afraid.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews