Melissa Broder’s novel Death Valley is a darkly comedic, psychedelic, and self-aware novel. Broder composes a story within a story, allowing readers to create comparisons between the author, our heroine, and their real lives. Having an unnamed leading character provides an uncomfortable but exciting experience for readers to engage in and relate to the main character’s turmoil, almost as if it’s their own.
The novel starts with our MC (main character) road-tripping to Death Valley to finish writing her upcoming book. Her idea for her novel reflects her current life: a woman ashamed for leaving her sick father in New York to take care of her unwell husband. Later, she feels burdened with taking care of said husband. While writing this story, the MC lives vicariously through her protagonist, who cheats on her sick husband with a young skater-surfer.
The MC settles in at a Best Western Motel and connects with the receptionists, Jethra and Zip. She fantasizes being with either of them (or both), wishing for the days when her husband wasn’t confined to their bed. They remind our heroine to fill out her Grab N’ Go breakfast card and chat her up about the local hiking trails and flora nearby. Melissa Broder does an amazing job bringing these side characters to life, making each appearance vivid and memorable. She takes a breather after unpacking, before driving out to the hiking trails.
Setting off with her essentials and Grab N’ Go bag, she finds rocks, that are now magically talking to her and begging her to take them. Venturing further down the path, she finds a mysteriously large cactus not native to the land. Mesmerized, she reaches deep into the cactus, only to be sucked into a secret hideaway. A young boy sits before her, a spitting image of her father as a child. She relishes being close to her dad again, even though her dad is still alive in medical care.
Our MC returns several times to her massive cactus, with the Best Western receptionists skeptical of whether the cactus is real. The back-and-forth debates on the area’s flora adds levity to the more somber chapters. Now she sees ghosts of her father and husband’s past, getting what she believes to be her last chances to interact with them. Her cactus goes missing on her final trip to the desert trail, causing her to journey on unmarked paths to find it.
Melissa Broder has written a mind-bending story about self-reproach. Our MC struggles with grieving people who aren’t lost yet. We get swept into this whirlwind of self-victimization that excites and engages readers to reflect inwards while our MC spits out hilarious comments on her situation. It’s the embodiment of the question “Am I a bad person if I feel this way?” that allows readers to make peace with their perspectives. For those who have gone through similar situations, Broder’s writing helps justify frustration as a caregiver, comforting the audience and powerfully encouraging them to express one’s frustrations.
Our MC constantly looks for ways to cope with her father’s car accident, her husband’s illness, and her growing depression. There’s only so much she can do, describing her daydreams of cheating on her husband and thinking as if her loved ones are already gone. Dealing with the added pressure of her other family members and her publisher, the cactus sanctuary serves as a four-dimensional space to connect with her father as a person rather than the hospitalized version of him that can barely speak. It’s also an avenue to rekindle her love for her husband, as his younger self reminds her of their love and devotion to one another. Reading this novel reminds you to connect with your loved ones and truly appreciate the people in your life.
Dedicating this book to her father, Melissa Broder illustrates the protagonist’s deep connection with her father, but his ailments weigh heavily on their relationship and the MC’s conscience. These emotions make it difficult for our heroine to open to her father completely, fearing that her problems would stress him out and worsen his affliction. She’s truly running away from these interactions, physically and emotionally.
The desert, as the main location of this story, represents the landscape of the protagonist’s mind. While vast, there are confusing trails, harsh conditions, and various characters created from her delusion. These elements all echo her conflicted state and fluctuating emotions, keeping readers on their toes. One moment, she’s in bliss and enjoying the marvelous scenery. Then, she’s upset and frustrated by the cards that life has dealt her. She wishes to have a healthy husband to share a life with; a father who isn’t sick and depressed, fighting for his life; and wishes more than anything to get out of the desert alive before her thoughts and the climate consume her.
You can learn more about Melissa Border here and purchase your own copy of Death Valley here.
Death Valley
Melissa Broder
Scribner
October 3rd, 2023
240 pages
Maddye Perry is an undergraduate senior in Entertainment and Arts Management with a concentration in Performing Arts and two minors, Playwriting and Business Administration. Maddye has written for her senior project blog, Maddye with a YE, on Substack, which focuses on the large art scene in the city. She has also been in the Philly theater scene since 2023. She has worked for Philadelphia Theatre Company, Ensemble Arts, Hedgerow Theatre Company, and right here at Drexel’s Theatre Company. She’s spent her past few years stage managing shows in the Philly area. However, her love for writing and books brought her to DPG, and she hopes to continue writing after college.