The Pisces

A Novel

By: Melissa Broder

Narrated by: Melissa Broder

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

“Bold, virtuosic, addictive, erotic – there is nothing like The Pisces. I have no idea how Broder does it, but I loved every dark and sublime page of it.” —Stephanie Danler, author of Sweetbitter

Lucy has been writing her dissertation on Sappho for nine years when she and her boyfriend break up in a dramatic flameout. After she bottoms out in Phoenix, her sister in Los Angeles insists Lucy dog-sit for the summer. Annika's home is a gorgeous glass cube on Venice Beach, but Lucy can find little relief from her anxiety — not in the Greek chorus of women in her love addiction therapy group, not in her frequent Tinder excursions, not even in Dominic the foxhound's easy affection.

Everything changes when Lucy becomes entranced by an eerily attractive swimmer while sitting alone on the beach rocks one night. But when Lucy learns the truth about his identity, their relationship, and Lucy’s understanding of what love should look like, take a very unexpected turn. A masterful blend of vivid realism and giddy fantasy, pairing hilarious frankness with pulse-racing eroticism, THE PISCES is a story about falling in obsessive love with a merman: a figure of Sirenic fantasy whose very existence pushes Lucy to question everything she thought she knew about love, lust, and meaning in the one life we have.

Awful People Making Awful Choices

I can best describe this book as a bad indie story where the characters are terrible people ruining everything around them and spewing pseudo-philosophical bullshit.
Almost all of these characters are fundamentally broken; they’re selfish and self-destructive, but blame everyone else. I’ve read stories where the protagonists were not good people, even villainous at times, but they had something appealing or relatable about them. I actively hate this protagonist and didn’t think she deserved to actually have what she wanted (if she even knows what that is.)

Even the central “romance” feels very surface level and not nearly as interesting as we’re led to believe.
I haven’t read many books where I actively discourage others from reading it, but I genuinely don’t see anyone getting anything out of this. Maybe reading with friends to tear it apart could be fun.

Hooked at first, then drifted off

I found The Pisces to be a mix of humor and sarcasm, with some moments of entertaining fiction, but overall the story from the first 25 chapters felt too long, repetitive, and at times boring. It didn’t quite hold my interest the way it was intended so I fast forward through chapters until I get to the chapter she had her first sexual encounter with the mermen. The story has elements of contemporary women’s fiction romance with the fantasy realism and erotic elements that the mermen bring to the story. It also has some elements of satire in this modern capitalist American society and the story explores existential crises that humans arises from desire, love and the pursuit for happiness and real meaning in life.

WORST PERFORMANCE BY THE AUTHOR READING IT

I think the author did a GIANT disservice to herself by thinking that she could act. The reading of a book needs a great actor to bring the characters to life. I couldn't bear listening to this and I love listening to books.

If an animal lover, beware!

I did get tired of the things Lucy did but understand now that I haven't been a love addict. And then when an animal suffered as a result of a humans issues, I was turned off to the whole premise. Reality probably but that made it hurt my nature.

A hidden gem

Yes, this story is bizarre. It contains disturbing elements, graphic descriptions of sex, a few tragic events….lots of fishy stuff. However, if you can manage to look beyond all of that to see the deeper meaning within the story, you may be moved. I find it amazing how prudish some readers can be about certain topics, but they will think nothing about watching violence and gore on screen. This is not a book that is meant to entertain by shock value. There is a very real issue that Lucy, the protagonist, is struggling with, an issue that many individuals suffer through everyday. The author chose to use dark humor and magical realism to address it, to show us the ridiculous elements of this addiction. You can either laugh or cry while you read about love addiction and heartbreak. Why not laugh? And, why must everyone be so uptight…..it’s only fiction.