This was super fun, but honestly not actually that good. We meander A LOT, we say "the world" but we really mean for white people, and our journalistic integrity is pretty so so.

There is lots of interesting and surprising information here, but surprising no one I wanted a little more about the tomatoes themselves and a little less about all the random people and such, although I didn't really expect a focus on the plants directly.

Tomatoes have been through a wild ride, and this was a fun way to learn about it, even if I wish we had dialed it in in some places and not even bothered with others.

This book was really unexpected for me! I was immediately captivated with how well Yoder seems to have captured the lonely, isolating, infuriating, and maddening experience that being a new mother can be. The mediocrity of the husband, the culty nature of the other mom's we meet, the deranged commitment to just appeasing the child so life is easier - the constant run down, exhausted, find the path of least resistance approach to survival was so tangible and visceral.

I think everything about this book is intentional. The monotonous pace, the length, the pretty consistent repetition, character choices that irk instead of resolve, and on and on. To me the experience Yoder creates with all of these things is part of the commentary. Being frustrated that the narrative is circling the same concept again feels very akin to how The Mother's life is a copy + paste of the same struggles and negotiations day in and day out. How absolutely idiotic the husband is and how much I wanted to throttle him every time he showed up mirrors how Nightbitch feels. And that she doesn't leave him is such a realistic portrayal of how often times there just isn't enough energy to "fight back" - to demand better, to hold accountable; it's easier to continue than to improve. My frustration is The Mothers frustration.

I totally get if that didn't resonate or work for some; it's definitely not a book for everyone. For me the acknowledgement and exploration of this dynamic felt cathartic to me; affirming in how it acknowledges something that I think we struggle to be super honest about in at least USAmerica. For me personally, it was interesting to see how much empathy is not extended to The Mother in conversations about this book (in general - not just on PB.) There is often little patience for women, for new mothers, who are struggling and caught in the mire, and it really stood out to me how many folks were just annoyed that she wasn't behaving the way they wanted her to without really engaging with what that would actually mean practically. Exhausted sleep deprived brains do not always make good decisions; they cannot always anticipate potential outcomes and consequences, and we so often fail to extend patience or empathy to someone who is doing the best they can while being entirely overwhelmed. And instead of engaging with how she's been financially and socially isolated, we demand she essentially take accountability for how shitty her husband is and expect her to make up the difference herself. A new mother, isolated very literally, and dependent entirely, cannot just break way from her absentee husband, and being angry with her for not doing so is really making her responsible for him instead of holding him accountable. His sins become her sins, his faults become her faults. The way this book has been received, to me, really feels like a reflection of how we receive mothers in general. We expect a lot and it's never enough, and it's entirely focused on her.

That's not to say this book is perfect or that there aren't valid critiques by any means! In particular the end was lacking for me - I think it would have been better left more open to interpretation instead of being hand-holdy.

All in all, this isn't a book for everyone. I found it a very interesting read, and I as always appreciate how quests encourage me to pick up titles I never would have otherwise!

I had a great time with this, largely due to my audiobook being narrated by Paul Giamatti.

I'm kind of luke warm about recommending the book in general, but I would definitely recommend listening to Giamatti's edition if you can find it. Something Wicked This Way Comes is absolutely dripping with atmosphere, and Giamatti's performance tips the book into An Experience™️ most delicious.

Bradbury's prose is exceptional - there are so many solid quotes throughout that a physical copy might be joining my collection soon. However, the plot is a little flimsy and over all the cast of characters not all that exciting. I found myself identifying with and rooting for Charlie, the father of one of the boys, far more than I ever rooted for Jim or Will themselves. The circus is eerie and unsettling, but I've encountered far creepier circuses and evil magicians, so it felt a little underwhelming to me in that regard. It's also obviously an older book, and there are some elements that haven't aged very well.

I do a little bit wish I had lined this up to read during October/around Halloween, as the vibes would have been unmatched.