Tender

"There was a lot of well-deserved hype around this book. It fully lives up to the body horror genre, which may be disturbing for some readers; it also contains graphic depictions of self-harm. I read it in one tense sitting with a mix of sympathy and revulsion. Carolanne is obsessed with having a husband and child and the superficial affirmation of her friends and co-workers. No one notices her body-focused repetitive behaviors until they grow into more compulsive sacrifices. But even then, she is able to conceal (and others are able to ignore) her trauma and grief slowly consuming her."