Death Valley by Melissa Broder

I’m a fan of Broder’s writing and have hoovered up her novels as they come out, and this one was no different.

It’s a simple premise sprinkled with some funky desert cactus 🌵 magical realism. A woman leaves her sick husband and ailing father behind (though they are all she thinks about) and checks into a desert Best Western near LA. She’s going through some heavy stuff and you see her processing, though ostensibly she’s trying to write a book. I like these kind of “escaping my life, but I’m not OK” novels.

Out on the desert trail, she encounters a giant cactus… Things get a little weird, and reality starts to shift. There’s even a bit of the survival/adventure novel here.

This book is about vulnerability, realisation, and a lot about mortality too. It’s dark and sad, but equally funny and a little bit ridiculous. The emotional pitch js intense, even strident, but it’s also weirdly gentle.

The hotel environment and staff are really well observed, it’s definitely a good satirical take on customer service and hotel life.

If you don’t like magical realism or surrealist stuff, you might find parts of it challenging. I’m fine with not everything lining up perfectly, but fair warning if you need that!