Too gratuitous and melodramatic for me. The shed scene in particular felt very writhing-on-the-stage-pulling-red-handkerchiefs-from-my-armpit. That said, I know this sort of thing can be cathartic; sometimes you need to indulge in a bit of woe.

The concept is decent. Internet celebrities are forced to reckon with the horrors of meatspace, and the pervasive terror of existing as a woman in a misogynistic world.

And the experience turns Angie into a man-hating lesbian. Good for her.

What happens to Wes makes a lot more sense if you interpret him not as a person but as a personification of heteronormativity. Angie isn’t killing her husband, she’s killing comphet; she’s killing her straight persona to set herself free.

I assume that was what Leitz was going for? That’s how I’ve chosen to read it, at least.

But I don’t like it, and I don’t know why. I can’t quite articulate it. There were lots of little issues that bugged me – pacing issues, backstory exposition interrupting the actual story, etc. – but I can’t pinpoint exactly where or why it falls apart for me.

I can see how Girl Flesh might resonate with other readers. I thought it was okay.

CONTENT WARNINGS:

stalking, kidnapping, drugging, alcoholism, disordered eating, self harm, suicidality, death (including animal death), violence (including gun violence, sexual assault, and torture), blood/gore/injury, vomit, misogyny, transphobia