Book: A Veritable Household Pet
Author: Viggy Parr Hampton
Thank you, NetGalley and Tantor Media, for an advanced audio copy.
I do not even know where to start with this one.
A Veritable Household Pet follows Darla Gregory, who received a lobotomy at eleven years old and was never the same. Her story is told through the dual perspectives of Darla herself and her sister, who becomes her reluctant keeper as tragedy after tragedy unfolds around them. Presented as Darla’s story dictated to and transcribed by her sister is absolutely ingenious.
The writing in this book is on another level. Hampton does something I genuinely did not think was possible, she puts you inside the mind of someone who had a lobotomy in a way that is heartbreaking, infuriating, and completely immersive all at once. Reading this made me feel inadequate as an author, that’s how good it is. There are authors who tell good stories and then there are authors who make you feel like you have been completely outmatched. Hampton is the latter.
The ending delivers the gut punch the story has been building toward and it absolutely earns it.
This is one of those books that stays with you long after you finish it. Easily one of the best things I have read this year.
Final score: 5/5
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