Someone You Can Build A Nest In

John Wiswell

Publisher: DAW Books

Release Date: April 2, 2024

Publisher’s Summary: Discover this creepy, charming monster-slaying fantasy romance—from the perspective of the monster—by Nebula Award-winning debut author John Wiswell

Shesheshen has made a mistake fatal to all monsters: she’s fallen in love.

Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who happily resides as an amorphous lump at the bottom of a ruined manor. When her rest is interrupted by hunters intent on murdering her, she constructs a body from the remains of past meals: a metal chain for a backbone, borrowed bones for limbs, and a bear trap as an extra mouth.

However, the hunters chase Shesheshen out of her home and off a cliff. Badly hurt, she’s found and nursed back to health by Homily, a warm-hearted human, who has mistaken Shesheshen as a fellow human. Homily is kind and nurturing and would make an excellent co-parent: an ideal place to lay Shesheshen’s eggs so their young could devour Homily from the inside out. But as they grow close, she realizes humans don’t think about love that way.

Shesheshen hates keeping her identity secret from Homily, but just as she’s about to confess, Homily reveals why she’s in the area: she’s hunting a shapeshifting monster that supposedly cursed her family. Has Shesheshen seen it anywhere?

Eating her girlfriend isn’t an option. Shesheshen didn’t curse anyone, but to give herself and Homily a chance at happiness, she has to figure out why Homily’s twisted family thinks she did. As the hunt for the monster becomes increasingly deadly, Shesheshen must unearth the truth quickly, or soon both of their lives will be at risk.

And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with, rather than in, the love of her life.

Someone You Can Build A Nest In, the debut novel of author John Wiswell, is a glorious, bloody feast of a book that boasts one of the year’s most unusual love stories. Shesheshen, a swamp-dwelling shapeshifter who has built her body out of a bear trap and the limbs of her victims, believes that she understands humanity perfectly. They view her as monstrous and worthy of being hunted, and she views them as dangerous and worthy of being devoured. Her life is uncomplicated but lonely, despite the pet bear named Blueberry that she keeps for companionship. But when Shesheshen is saved by a kind human named Homily, her life is transformed in the most wondrous way of all.

Wiswell has been a powerhouse in the realm of short fiction for nearly a decade, having won both a Nebula and a Locus Award, and he brings the same unmatched energy to this debut novel. His writing style is humorous and engaging, and those who are familiar with his work will recognize the themes of queerness, disability, and how society others those they deem to be monstrous. Wiswell’s talent for evoking empathy for his characters is unmatched, and Shesheshen is rendered with delightful vivacity. This is a story about transformation, both literal and figurative, and how we can choose to love and become our best selves, despite what society thinks of us. As she falls in love, Shesheshen literally grows a heart with which to house the new emotions her body is making room for.

Although the novel has mystery, action, and some fantastic twists and turns, the heart of this story fully belongs to Shesheshen and Homily, who are their best, bravest selves when they embrace what it means to truly love one another. A monster falling in love with the daughter of a monster-hunting family makes for a truly fraught courtship, and much of the story’s conflict arises not only from the improbability of their love, but also the danger they face from a world that does not want them to find happiness with one another.

The story is fast paced, and Wiswell is a master at building suspense and maintaining the tension throughout the novel. The novel’s horror elements come not only from the death and dismemberment Shesheshen engages in to protect herself and Homily, but also from the inhumane treatment both characters are subjected to by society. Wiswell balances these darker elements with a clever blend of humor and tenderness, adding to the novel’s overall atmosphere. The supporting cast are memorable, and Shesheshen’s clashes with the story’s antagonists offer some truly harrowing moments.

As much as this is a love story, it’s also the story of Shesheshen’s desire to be her most authentic self. The realization that she doesn’t have to be the monster the world sees her as is a slow-burn revelation that spans the course of the novel. Being in love with Homily changes her, but Shesheshen doesn’t lose herself in this bond. Shesheshen is unapologetically herself; a joyful, messy being that delights in learning to participate in a world that has rejected her, and she does it on her own terms. It’s a testament to how truly immersive Shesheshen’s perspective is that it’s easy to get lost in her. Her witty observations about humans and their bizarre, bloodthirsty behavior make for some laugh out loud moments, and her attempts to mimic humans to both deceive and relate to them is well-portrayed.

Shesheshen is a charismatic protagonist, and it would be easy for her love interest to be overshadowed, but Homily’s quiet strength and resilience are a good foil for Shesheshen’s more chaotic nature. She has a deep well of trauma to rival Shesheshen’s own, and watching Homily learn to stand up for herself and defy her family’s expectations is a real highlight of this story. Homily’s generous spirit, and determination to love Shesheshen and build a home her no matter the personal cost, show that she deserves the future that Shesheshen is fighting so hard to give her.

The only real issue with this novel is that one wishes it were longer, as the narrative is so immersive that closing the book left this reader feeling bereft. Some aspects of the story are gruesome, but not excessively so, and feel justified within the context of the narrative. It’s also nearly impossible to describe this book’s genre, but calling it a fantasy romance with elements of horror and comedy feels apt. If Wiswell decided to continue writing about these characters, this reader would be delighted.

Like a shapeshifter that has nestled in your body and laid eggs in your lungs, this story will take root within you, burrowing into your heart and carving out a place for itself. This is a book that readers will delight in returning to. Highly recommended.