Synopsis
A woman must learn to take life by the throat after a night out leads to irrevocable changes in this juicy, thrilling novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Such Sharp Teeth and Black Sheep. Sloane Parker is dreading her birthday. She doesn’t need a reminder she’s getting older, or that she’s feeling indifferent about her own life. Her husband surprises her with a birthday-weekend getaway—not with him, but with Sloane’s longtime best friend, troublemaker extraordinaire Naomi. Sloane anticipates a weekend of wine tastings and cozy robes and strategic avoidance of issues she’d rather not confront, like her husband’s repeated infidelity. But when they arrive at their rental cottage, it becomes clear Naomi has something else in mind. She wants Sloane to stop letting things happen to her, for Sloane to really live. So Naomi orchestrates a wild night out with a group of mysterious strangers, only for it to take a horrifying turn that changes Sloane’s and Naomi’s lives literally forever. The friends are forced to come to terms with some pretty eternal consequences in this bloody, seductive novel about how it’s never too late to find satisfaction, even though it might taste different than expected.
Review
A huge, huge thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the eARC!
To know me is to know that any upcoming Rachel Harrison release is my most anticipated release. Naturally, So Thirsty sits at the very top of my list for upcoming titles being published this year, and, upon reading, this top spot is earned in spades. Sloane Parker is getting older, and with her birthday approaching, a sense of acquiescence emerges. Married to a man with a more than questionable track record in the loyalty department, Sloane spends her birthday with her (very) free-spirited friend, Naomi. In true Naomi fashion, Sloane finds herself on a night out with strangers of the weirdest variety in an effort to live a little. This night turns into something unexpected, something that pushes both Naomi and Sloane to reconsider their lifestyles and make some rather brutal choices. But what does this violent shove into the unknown look like? Is it something Sloane and Naomi’s friendship can survive?
The queen of the uniquely horrific female experience, Rachel Harrison has tackled her share of complex dynamics, relationships, and misfortunes. In her previous works such as The Return and Such Sharp Teeth, Harrison explores the complexities of female friendship in combination with unwanted, traumatic occurrences befalling women. So Thirsty also thrives in a similar space that unpacks what it means to handle unexpected, horrific changes through the lens of camaraderie and discovery of self-worth. Sloane and Naomi’s relationship feels utterly authentic; they love each other dearly yet see each other’s flaws. Despite the small idiosyncrasies that may drive each other slightly crazy, there’s so much love to be found.
Harrison’s character studies craft some of the most compelling arcs I’ve read in recent horror fiction. Meeting Sloane at the beginning of the novel presents a woman who has settled into her life, a place where she feels comfortable (to a degree) despite mistreatment from her husband. She feels like the embodiment of “the devil you know” as she does not want to rock the proverbial boat to attain fairness. This is in deep contrast to Naomi’s character, a woman who acts on impulse in the name of not wasting a single moment (think Samantha from Sex and the City but a little hippier). The situation they find themselves in at the crux of the novel only magnifies these qualities, initiating an evaluation of what these characters truly desire and forcing a state of metamorphosis, both figuratively and literally.
It’s no secret So Thirsty is a vampire novel, a unique subgenre of horror that typically entails blood and sex. While this novel sufficiently checks those boxes, Harrison manages to turn this dichotomy on its head and uses vampirism as a means to explore female empowerment. Your traditional, textbook vampire often oozes with lust and desire tackling emotions of gluttony and guilt; however, these ideas manifest in a rather unique way for Sloane as she begins to reckon with the reality of her situation. One of the deepest emotions she experiences is that of guilt, something that feels representative of the feminine experience; women should not ask for too much, should be content with what they are given, should shove any desires away for the convenience of others. In truth, this repression exemplified by Sloane feeds into an ugly, gruesome repository of self-loathing and unhappiness. The realization that her previous lifestyle was not substantial becomes overly apparent, not unlike a vampire going without blood. Harrison proves that desiring equitable treatment is not gluttonous, that space is yours to occupy, all through the relationship of vampirism and guilt.
A cellular inspection of the ties that bind, So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison blends the sexy, classic tropes of vampirism we’ve come to know and love with a nuanced, feminine experience that examines guilt, love, and indulgence. Both Sloane and Naomi provide a unique context to define what it means to be a friend in the face of the inconceivable, both rooted in reality and the otherworldly. Another stellar entry in her catalog, Rachel Harrison harnesses the supernatural to give us another widely enjoyable, moving feminine tale that should not be missed.
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison releases on September 10th from Berkley.
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