Book Bites: Open Wide

Open Wide by Jessica Gross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Open Wide is an engrossing work of literary body horror. Or psycho-sexual rom-com? Or bizzaro slice-of-life? It is a genre-bending novel that demands to be read, brimming with the propulsive energy of a short story. Through her (adorable) budding relationship with Theo, loner Olive begins to unpack lingering feelings: of obsession, of needing extreme physical closeness, of her hovering mother. Gross tells the best kind of story, with just enough subtext to allow the reader to engage and speculate as the story unfolds. For those who don’t mind a little horror with their meet-cutes, Open Wide should delight.

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