I never imagined that reading a horror book would give me serious thoughts about whether I should really reproduce, but here we are.
Robert builds a fantastic group of characters, especially our main Lola and Ian, and a lot of the emotional turmoil they experience initially are things I can relate to. Especially when it comes to feeling left out as your friends make their way through the "adult experience" faster: marriage, houses, kids, and all the white picket fences. Even though they're happy with their life together, they make a decision that will completely change the course of their future, and they make it for the wrong reasons. You sympathize with them, you feel their pains, you understand why they're making that particular choice, all the while mentally beating them up for doing something they shouldn't have.
Then, the story really gets started. A roller coaster of unimaginable physical agony, the terror that comes with being unable to trust your own eyes or mind, and the conflict between what society says you should feel versus what you really feel. Oh, and add in some gaslighting, because what doesn't get 10x scarier with some of that? You start doubting your own sanity as you take trips along with Lola and Ian, struggling to decipher what the larger picture is and what's really haunting them.
This book is like a fine dinner. Layer by layer, you uncover the complex flavors lovingly developed in each course, leaving you excited about what might be next.
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