The Haar by David Sodergren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ever since I finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir two months ago, I have been in an unrelenting reading slump. But I'm happy to say that this book, The Haar, managed to successfully pull me out of it, and also deliver a fantastic story along the way!
I was surprised how heartfelt this book is. I went into it because extreme supernatural body horror tends to be a good palate cleanser for me during reading slumps (I can't explain why, but it just is). I picked this book up with the simple expectation to read about gross things happening to bad people, and it definitely delivered. But I was surprised how tender and romantic the moments between visceral scenes of bloody violence were.
As many people have mentioned, Muriel is a fantastic protagonist. She is wise, sharp-witted, and stubborn in the way only a woman pushing her 90s could be. But her relationship with the husband was beautiful in a way that really caught me off guard. On top of being a quick, pulpy horror novel, The Haar also delivers some beautiful reflections on the meaning of a life well spent and what it is like to look back on that life in old age.
I'm only 21, so I can't say anything about how realistic the writing was, but it FELT realistic, and I really felt like I was in Muriel's shoes mourning her lost years away from her late husband with her. I think that it's a mark of good art when a book can make you feel things and relate to people that you normally don't. The Haar pulls that off splendidly. I only wish that my own grandmother could stomach body horror so that I could have her read the book and relay to me how relatable she thinks it is. But alas-
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