Cassie's Reviews > Chrysalis

Even virtually, without the smell or the feel of her, she has a power over the people who find her; once you've known her, it's hard to go back to a time before.

Chrysalis is an entirely unique novel about an unnamed woman who transforms herself, physically and mentally, in the wake of an abusive relationship.

But at the same time, this book isn't really about the woman at all: Instead, it becomes about three people in her orbit, who are drawn to her and find a purpose in her presence. There's Elliot, who watches her transformation from the very beginning at the gym they both attend; her mother, Bella, who struggled to understand her daughter when she was young and can now only watch from a distance as she blossoms; and Susie, a coworker whose empty apartment and lonely existence are reinvigorated when the woman moves in with her. The book is told in three parts from their first-person points-of-view, as Anna Metcalfe explores themes of isolation and loneliness, reinvention, desperation and obsession, and the complex ramifications of trauma.

This is such an intriguing, thought-provoking read that made me think a lot about ideas surrounding independence, selfhood, and perception. It's fascinating to view this character only through the lens of others; each of the three sees something different in -- and get something different out of-- their relationships with her. For her part, the woman comes across as unfeeling and aloof, and there is something almost distasteful about her. Of course, we never learn who she really is -- just how she is perceived by others -- and I thought that was such an interesting (and successful) narrative choice by Anna Metcalfe.

Chrysalis isn't a book where a lot actually happens, but it nevertheless kept me riveted all the way through with its deeply psychological subject matter and strange, unsettling vibes. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the advance reading opportunity.