Set in the aftermath of a vague and unknown environmental disaster, The Doloriad follows a family living on the edge of a ruined city, surviving through incest and ruled by The Matriarch. The novel opens with The Matriarch's mute and legless daughter being abandoned, left seemingly as a sacrifice to unseen 'others'. But, to everyone's surprise, Dolores manages to claw her way back to the camp, and brutality and spiralling chaos ensues.
The children of this new world are strange and cruel, often committing unspeakable acts of violence against one another. It is a story of the human instinct to continue, to survive even when there seems to be nothing left and no good reason to go on.
This is without a doubt a deeply unsettling and disgusting novel, but that's what makes it brilliant. Missouri Williams debuts with distinct style and a rare ability to write prose that is both beautiful and depraved.
Review by Abi.
The Doloriad was published on 03/03/22 by Dead Ink.
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