Bad Nature is about Hester, who finds out she has terminal cancer on her fortieth birthday, and decides to rent a car, drive to California and kill her estranged father. It’s a brilliant plot and is combined with darkly humorous narration and an unforgettable character voice, alongside themes of trauma and family relationships.

We come across a range of obstacles and vibrant characters along the way, which make the book an exciting adventure to follow. Also, I love a roadtrip, and this was such a fun one, with so many lines that made me laugh out loud. Hester’s voice honestly made this, and I enjoyed seeing her develop new relationships on her journey.

Despite the very humorous tone, there was a lot of thought-provoking commentary within this, reflecting on trauma, the climate crisis, life/death and family. The climate section did lose me a little bit, as it felt a bit jarring when paired with the main narrative, but it did provide a lot of relevant commentary about the state of our world and the impact of the climate crisis. I absolutely loved everything else though, and found this a very entertaining and enjoyable read.

If you love a cynical but hilarious character out for revenge, then I’d highly recommend this one! Thank you so much to Chatto and Vintage for the gifted copy!

a fantastic take on the road trip novel. one with even more to give because for the character there is nothing left to give,recieve,come back from or even go to. or is there? because the time she has left is her life, its important, and is the time she has left. but this is a woman who has been told she is dying of cancer. and so becomes adrift. and uncertain. until she decides she will go across country to kill her (abusive im thinking) estranged father. i mean who cares right? what will they do, put her in prison?
and so what begins as the final aim and gumption in her life might just become something more. for this is her journey. and along the way who she meets and what she meets might be just so life changing and learning after all.

i really enjoyed this book. its had all the great bits of a road trip novel. the character and storyline was jsut what you would expect and want. and the added bit of questioning both the woman morals and what she would end up doing was a fab boost to the plot.

I have been a little tired of the 'funny killer' books that are popular at the moment, but this pleasantly surprised me. The narrator is a nihilistic, affluent lawyer who discovers she's dying of cancer. She takes a road trip across America to kill her estranged father, whose abuse is hinted at but rarely depicted. She's truly awful as a narrator, but not trying to be funny: instead, she struggles with the meaningless of post-diagnosis life while she's unable to fully commit to her murderous goal. She muses on life and her history, with the reluctant support of a hitchhiker she picks up. This book is a little rambling, but that's the point: Will she make it? Does she want to? What can we live for when we know we're dying? I was surprised and impressed by the acuity and immersiveness of this road trip novel. One to watch out for.

Thank you NetGalley for the early review copy!

‘Bad Nature’ is an awesome take on the road trip novel. A woman in her 40s finds out she has terminal breast cancer, and sets out on her dying mission to kill her father. The novel engages in many of the typical narrative functions of a road trip novel – we meet a myriad of new characters that teach her a lesson, she sees faces of her past and there is a sense of being chased or compelled forward. Yet, all of these seemed to have a fresh approach in this context. The character is unlikeable and unpredictable in all the best ways that ultimately, while setting out to do something inconceivable to most people, made her seem very human.

I really enjoyed this book for its narrative structure, pacing and unique characters. I would recommend to those who enjoy a thriller style general fiction. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to #netgalley for this DRC of #badnature

The premise of the book was so interesting and unlike any other book I’ve previously read. It drew me in and intrigued me to a point where I couldn’t put it down! I’m not sure the FMC is actually likeable, but the road trip element with John kept me interested. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. It’s not overly satisfying but maybe it is? A very bizarre but interesting book!

Bad Nature by Ariel Courage is incredibly well written, original, darkly funny and sad with an anti-heroine I felt for. One for fans of Miranda July, Rufi Thorpe, Ottessa Moshfegh, Sarah Thankam Mathews, Monica Heisey. Ariel Courage is definitely a writer I will now keep an eye on for any future reading.