Extremely strange and often off-putting. There are many graphic depictions of violence which may seem that they border on obscene. I loved it, though. I can see why many readers were ultimately dissuaded with the actual obscenities (bodily fluids, imagery that cannot be described as anything but disgusting) and I have to admit, in the first 60 pages or so I was very annoyed by the liberal peppering of the words "piss" and "shit"--but those words were finally mostly done away with after that, and I found myself very much enjoying the book.

It borders on absurdity at times, mainly due to its disjointed and surreal nature, which is something I was captivated by. It's an absurdity that is endlessly fascinating--with every page it seems like there is another tale to digest and incorporate into the overall meaning of the narrative. I think the novel is bursting with that meaning and warrants a reread for that reason. I'd have given it 5 stars if it wasn't for my initial annoyance and other complaints, such as what seemed to me unnecessary footnotes in a particular section of the book: the tone of these footnotes were completely jarring and didn't fit at all with the tale they were added to, especially how one mentions "globalization"--and I was under the impression that the daughter was relating this story, who is in middle school, so it made no sense to me how she would be speaking with those kinds of terms when there was no prior indication that she knew about things like that.

I think it puts an interesting spin on the often tired narrative of motherhood. It's visceral, gross, and brutal. That's why I feel like it really isn't a novel for everyone, or that everyone can appreciate, though I understand why one wouldn't. As for me, I enjoy this sort of organic and grotesque language when it's not obnoxious like it was in the first pages, though I do admit to having rolled my eyes at some descriptions.