Sam Beckbessinger

Though I prefer to avoid the horror genre I was willing to take a risk with Femme Feral, in part because of my empathy for anyone suffering perimenopause, but also to take a step out of my comfort zone in honour of the Speccy Fiction Challenge.

To be honest I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it. The social commentary is on point, not only as Ellie struggles to balance the demands of work and family while overlooking her own needs; but with regards to the medical misogyny, attitudes to show more ageing, and the entitlement of so many of the men in the story. The none too subtle analogy between the symptoms of perimenopause and ‘the beast’ is in some ways all too relatable (The insomnia! The brain fog! The hair!); and there’s some satisfaction in Ellie’s revenge.

At times Femme Feral made me snigger, but it’s also not unexpectedly, very dark. Quite apart from multiple gruesomely described pet and people deaths, Beckbessinger explores serious topics including eating disorders, domestic violence, stalking, and suicidal ideation.

While the horror elements didn’t bother me and I appreciated Femme Feral’s sharp commentary and fearless exploration of feminine rage, I’m left feeling rather ambivalent about the story as a whole. Ultimately Femme Feral is a book I admired rather than enjoyed. show less

Femme Feral is a fun horror story about how women are often pushed to bottle up their feelings to fit cultural expectations. Ellie is already dealing with a bunch of things in her life not going the way she hoped when perimenopause hits. But in her case, the mood swings, memory lapses, and sudden hair growth are actually because she’s turning into a werewolf.
I’d never read anything before that compared being a werewolf to menopause, but it works! Even though Ellie does some pretty show more terrible things and can be very negative at times, I still found myself feeling a lot of sympathy for her. I also really liked Brenda, an older woman who’s trying to get to the bottom of all the strange animal deaths and destruction around the neighborhood. The book touches on a lot of tough topics, too: aging, the treatment of women in the tech industry, unequal labor at home, eating disorders, and mental health. None of it is for the faint of heart.
The dark humor is great, the writing is strong, and the pacing is just right. I had a hard time putting it down. I only had a couple of small issues. Some of the work and cultural references, especially the acronyms, went over my head, and I wish a few of them had been spelled out at least once. I also struggled a bit with the animal deaths, even though they made sense for the story.
Overall, though, this was a really entertaining read and I really enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for the free eARC! show less

Femme Feral is wild in the best way: funny, furious, gross, and weirdly tender. Ellie’s werewolf spiral works because it feels less like a gimmick and more like every swallowed insult finally growing teeth. It does get properly dark, and the gore won’t be for everyone, but I loved how sharp it is about work, motherhood, marriage, and midlife rage. Messy, clever, cathartic, and very bitey. 🐺