Name: Apiecalypse Jen's review of The Need by Helen Phillips
Item: The Need
Rating: 3
Author: Apiecalypse Jen

Helen Phillips

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION * BEST OF 2019 SUMMER READING * THE NEW YORK TIMES * VANITY FAIR * O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE * ELLE * VULTURE * NYLON * OPRAHMAG.COM * THRILLIST * BUSTLE * NEWSWEEK * STAR TRIBUNE (MINNEAPOLIS) * MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL * LITHUB * BETTER HOMES & GARDENS “A profound meditation on the nature of reality…An extraordinary and dazzlingly original work from one of our most gifted and interesting writers.” —Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven “Phillips is, as always, doing something at once wildly her own and utterly primal. Maybe it doesn't surprise me that the strangest book I've read about motherhood is also the best, but it does thrill me.” —Rebecca Makkai, author of The Great Believers “Spellbinding...both unsettling and irresistible. Phillips manifests the surreal, terrifying, and visceral experience of motherhood.” —Dana Spiotta, author of Innocents and Others “An existential page-turner that captures, with perfect sharpness, the fierce delirium of motherhood, the longing to understand the workings of our universe, and the wondrous and terrifying mystery that is time.” —Laura Van Den Berg, author of The Third Hotel “An unforgettable tour de force that melds nonstop suspense, intriguing speculation, and perfectly crafted prose…this story showcases an extraordinary writer at her electrifying best.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Suspenseful and mysterious, insightful and tender, Phillips's new thriller cements her standing as a deservedly celebrated author with a singular sense of story and style… [A] superbly engaging read—quirky, perceptive, and gently provocative.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) When Molly, home alone with her two young children, hears footsteps in the living room, she tries to convince herself it’s the sleep deprivation. She’s been hearing things these days. Startling at loud noises. Imagining the worst-case scenario. It’s what mothers do, she knows. But then the footsteps come again, and she catches a glimpse of movement. Suddenly Molly finds herself face-to-face with an intruder who knows far too much about her and her family. As she attempts to protect those she loves most, Molly must also acknowledge her own frailty. Molly slips down an existential rabbit hole where she must confront the dualities of motherhood: the ecstasy and the dread; the languor and the ferocity; the banality and the transcendence as the book hurtles toward a mind-bending conclusion. In The Need, Helen Phillips has created a subversive, speculative thriller that comes to life through blazing, arresting prose and gorgeous, haunting imagery. Helen Phillips has been anointed as one of the most exciting fiction writers working today, and The Need is a glorious celebration of the bizarre and beautiful nature of our everyday lives.

The Need

Alice

She had never been able to decide whether it was a pleasing sensation or a disconcerting one, when you’re holding their hands and you can feel their hearts beating in their hands.

Ellie Miller

Well, that settles that. I’m glad I didn’t have kids. File this speculative fiction alongside Night Bitch for general vibes. I am sure I would have rated this higher if I was an exhausted mom, and I will say I am also really glad I can’t relate because, oooof. 

Apiecalypse Jen

Janice Hopper

I am not the target audience for this book. I think it's saying something about motherhood and the ties that bind women and children in some idealized version of parenthood, but I'm not sure.

I'm not a mother, and never wanted to be one. Little wonder this made no particular sense to me.

Also, there was something about alternate universes or something. And I got really tired of reading "I felt my milk come down." Jeezopete.

Not for me.

Fraser Simons

Interesting concept that, I think, successfully encapsulates the different “versions” of Molly as she takes care of her kids by herself and tries to somehow meet her own needs as well as those of her children. 

It has Black Matter vibes but in some ways was more interesting to me because it married the concept of alternate selves to something more relatable while also completely alien to me as a single man. I’ve heard friends describe motherhood in a lot of different ways and I think this book was so interesting to me because at times it describes a lot of them, just with a different, strange approach.

Stephanie Cox

Creepy and imaginative. Refuses to explain itself, which means I'm still speculating but kind of mad about it.

'The Need is a profound meditation on the nature of reality, a fearless examination of parenthood, and also somehow a thriller. This is an extraordinary and dazzlingly original work from one of our most gifted and interesting writers' Emily St. John Mandel She crouched in front of the mirror in the dark, clinging to them. The baby in her right arm, the child in her left. There were footsteps in the other room... Molly is exhausted, anxious, losing her grip on reality. Her husband is away and she is running between her children and her job, where things are unravelling. She’s a paleobotanist, working at a fossil quarry, and has recently unearthed artefacts that defy understanding; the coke bottle with the lettering that leans the wrong way, an alternate version of the Bible. Where do these things come from? At home, as dusk falls, she gets jumpy. Are those footsteps out in the hall? What was that noise? She holds her two small children close to her, and tries to pull herself together. But her worlds of work and home are about to collide. She discovers that the stranger in her sitting room knows everything about her life and, as their identity becomes chillingly clear, this intruder makes a demand of Molly that upends everything, forcing her to reckon with her most unspeakable fears. The Need is a gripping, unsettling and stunningly original story that probes deep truths about motherhood, and explores grief, loss and how we treat others. It's a compulsive, reality-warping novel that makes us rethink our world, and question how far we would go to protect the ones we love. 'Helen Phillips is one of the most exciting young writers working today, and I envy those who get to discover her work here for the first time' Jenny Offill

Charlotte Rayfield

This is very creepy, and wonderfully written, with a portrayal of motherhood that is unflinching and definitely does not make me want to be one…

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2019 A New York Times 2019 Notable Book 2019 BOOK OF THE YEAR: Oprah Magazine, Time, Vulture, and Entertainment Weekly 'The Need is a profound meditation on the nature of reality, a fearless examination of parenthood, and also somehow a thriller. This is an extraordinary and dazzlingly original work from one of our most gifted and interesting writers' Emily St. John Mandel She crouched in front of the mirror in the dark, clinging to them. The baby in her right arm, the child in her left. There were footsteps in the other room... Molly is exhausted, anxious, losing her grip on reality. Her husband is away and she is running between her children and her job, where things are unravelling. She's a paleobotanist, working at a fossil quarry, and has recently unearthed artefacts that defy understanding; the coke bottle with the lettering that leans the wrong way, an alternate version of the Bible. Where do these things come from? At home, as dusk falls, she gets jumpy. Are those footsteps out in the hall? What was that noise? She holds her two small children close to her, and tries to pull herself together. But her worlds of work and home are about to collide. She discovers that the stranger in her sitting room knows everything about her life and, as their identity becomes chillingly clear, this intruder makes a demand of Molly that upends everything, forcing her to reckon with her most unspeakable fears. The Need is a gripping, unsettling and stunningly original story that probes deep truths about motherhood, and explores grief, loss and how we treat others. It's a compulsive, reality-warping novel that makes us rethink our world, and question how far we would go to protect the ones we love. 'The atmosphere is as close and taut as a thriller, but this is, in fact, both a highly original examination of grief and an extraordinarily vivid evocation of motherhood -- the moments of terror and hilarity, the visceral burden of it, and the fleeting, but almost transcendent, joy' Daily Mail 'A chilling novel from a blazing talent' Observer

Jordan Robinson

Josephine Lemonade 

i have absolutely no idea what to say about this book but oh it was so good

Emily C Peterson

Kaylah Rodriguez

I saved this just for vacay because I knew I’d want uninterrupted time to dive into it and boyyyyyy was I right 😳 This book infiltrated my dreams and unsettled me deeply, but in the most enjoyable way. 🙈 
Here’s the setup: the main character is a mom of 2 little kids and is also a paleobotanist who has been working in a fossil quarry where lately some strange and controversial objects have been being unearthed. Between the mysterious events at her job and the chaos of being a mom she’s been feeling borderline delirious, so when she thinks she hears an intruder while her husband is away she tries to convince herself that her mind is playing tricks on her until she realizes it isn’t and she comes face to face with a stranger in her home who knows alarmingly personal things about her and her family. 🤭
I don’t really even know how to accurately describe the experience of reading this book except that it was a wiiiiiilllldddd ride with some really mind-bendy, disorienting moments. I was surprised at the range of emotions it provoked in me from excitement to deep empathy to suspense to utter dread - sometimes all at once. It described the experience of motherhood and love so differently than anything else I’ve ever read and I was surprised with some of the questions it left me with about how well I know myself and the things I feel entitled to. Go and read it if you want your brain to be taken apart and put back together. 😍 Definitely one of my new favorite books. 👌🏻

Alyssa Jacunski

I read this after listening to my favorite book podcast (Currently Reading) and it sounded like something I needed (lol) in my life. I was wrong. This wasn't for me.

Objectively, it's a solid book. The suspense is written really well and some of what happened was very unexpected. Maybe I did this to myself, since I didn't really read the synopsis much before diving in. I enjoyed the writing style and the overall story was interesting enough.

It honestly didn't blow me away, nor is it something that I'll be telling my mom she has to read (which is what usually happens when I read a good thriller / mystery book). What would've caused me to enjoy this more? Honestly, having kids probably would've made this creepier and more entertaining for me. Without kids, I truly found it difficult to relate to the main character.

Not my favorite, but I'm glad that I gave this book a chance and read it. 

Trigger warning: discussion of death of a child

erin alise 

Sarah Erle

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Alecx Motus

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Tessa

Micah

Amy Thibodeau

Alli Sweeney

Molly is exhausted, anxious, losing her grip on reality. Her husband is away and she is running between her children and her job, where things are unravelling. She's a paleobotanist, working at a fossil quarry, and has recently unearthed artefacts that defy understanding; the coke bottle with the lettering that leans the wrong way, an alternative version of the Bible. Where do these things come from? At home, as dusk falls, she gets jumpy. Are those footsteps out in the hall? What was that noise? She holds her two small children close to her, and tries to pull herself together. But her worlds of work and home are about to collide. She discovers that the stranger in her sitting room knows everything about her life and, as their identity becomes chillingly clear, this intruder makes a demand of Molly that upends everything, forcing her to reckon with her most unspeakable fears. The Need is a gripping, unsettling and stunningly original story that probes deep truths about motherhood, and explores grief, loss and how we treat others. It's a compulsive, reality-warping novel that makes us rethink our world, and question how far we would go to protect the ones we love.

Ellie Miller &
The Need by Helen Phillips

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Ellie Miller &The Need by Helen Phillips

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Ellie Miller &
The Need by Helen Phillips