Someone You Can Build a Nest In
by John Wiswell

Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted April 9, 2024

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I enjoyed John Wiswell's debut novel about a weird monster who falls in love with a human, a love that is reciprocated. Shesheshen lives in the ruins of an abandoned estate near the unincorporated town of Underlook, on an isthmus between two rival kingdoms. The people of the area speak of a dangerous wyrm that preys on them, the implication being Shesheshen is that wyrm. She does eat lifestock, and the occasional human, but only when she needs sustenance and/or she feels threatened by humans. The Baroness Wolfyre has sent her son, Catharsis, to kill the wyrm and make the area safe for her visit. Shesheshen kills Catharsis instead, but only in self-defense, and drives off the two dragon hunters that he had hired.

Shesheshen is different than any other monster I've ever read about, but that is not to say she couldn't be compared to some other author's creation, or some myth. One thing I thought strange is she does think of herself as a 'she,' although it seemed more logical to be agender. I'll get another quibble out of the way now; Shesheshen appears to have a lot of knowledge of human behavior, which I assumed was due to the human brains she had consumed, but later it is stated she "…fantasized about eating the woman's heart, or her brain, or whatever organ was supposed to retain memories. It didn't work for her; no number of purloined hearts gave Shesheshen the memories of a victim." Perhaps it was due to her observing humans over a long period. Apparently an amorphous blob until she incorporated bones and organs from those she ate, along with metal objects to give her body structural strength, such as a length of chain used as a spine. Another such object that came in handy was a bear trap.

She is able to mimic being a human, which helps when she goes to Underlook to find out what the townsfolk are saying about her. That disguise is not good enough to fool everyone though, and she has to flee, leading to her falling off a cliff. When she comes back to consciousness she finds a woman has tended to her wounds. She later learns Homily is the oldest daughter of the Baroness, although she has been estranged from her family for years, traveling the countryside looking for clues about wyrms, and the supposed curse one had placed on her family. Earlier, when disguised as a human girl, Shesheshen had told Catharsis her name was Roislin, but now she tells Homily it is Siobhan. Her powers of mimicry must be even stronger than she suspected if Homily was not able to tell she was not human. Shesheshen continually refrains from her natural inclination to feed on Homily, and she is puzzled as to why. Could it be because no one else had treated her with such compassion?

There are monsters, and then there are others who act monstrously. It is one of the reasons Homily had distanced herself from her mother, and she has an equally contentious relationship with her two sisters, Epigram and Ode. The Baroness kept trying to arrange betrothals for her daughters in order to solidify her political power, but Homily wanted nothing to do with that. Epigram seemed more suited to the Baroness's plans, yet the youngest, Ode, appeared to be her favorite. Even more than political power, the Baroness wanted revenge against the wyrm, which she blamed for her husband's death, along with other deaths in the family going back generations. Can Shesheshen avoid the traps being laid for her, but also keep Homily safe? She wants to reveal the truth to Homily, but never finds the right time. It is not until she learns a truth about the Baroness that she knows she must open herself to Homily, no matter the consequences.

Weird and wonderful, with quite a bit of humor mixed with the mayhem. Never has a monster been more loveable, even if she might eat your sister. Another amazing facet to the story is the Epilogue, but I decline to give details about that. Highly recommended.

 

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