A review by henrytinker
The Pisces by Melissa Broder

dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It starts off slow and at the start I found the main character unbearable. But it does pick up once the romance starts, and I thought the musings on codependency, love and addiction were interesting. I also liked the ending. 

The sex scenes the main character has with random men are cringy and uncomfortably relatable. The sex scenes with the merman are spicer than a lot of mainstream romance novels, but if you are expecting monsterfucking this is not the book for you.

I really didn't like how other women in the novel were described. I get that it's about the main character's internalised misogyny but it was excessive and didn't let up. Also didn't like how homeless people were described, or how Theo (the merman) was coded as disabled when on land and how the descriptions of him were uncomfortably ableist (use of the word handicapped, the main character liking that he is dependent on her etc.). I don't think the last was the author's intention, but it's right there and hard to ignore if you are disabled. 

That's not to say it's bad or you shouldn't read it, it's just not going to be for everyone. I feel like this book was kind of marketed as a fun, weird romance when it's actually an existential novel about depression and love addiction. Also didn't particularly find it funny, but there are definitely some insightful observations in there.
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