Jaelyn reviewed Brainwyrms by Alison Rumfitt
Review of 'Brainwyrms' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
After Frankie survives a TERF terrorist attack on the GIC she works in, her life starts to deteriorate. Frequenting the kink scene a lot, she is desperate to fulfil an impregnation fetish which drives away her partner at the time. She eventually meets Vanya, an enby who is obsessed with hosting parasites and who is beholden to a rich dom landlord. As their relationship gets rough, Frankie slowly uncovers a conspiracy of brain-controlling worms including prominent TERFs (such as an unsubtle stand-in for JKR - not that unsubtle is bad). A lot of the plot shadows the mainstreaming of TERF ideology in the UK and its impact on queer people.
Between the constant body horror, transphobia, switching between third, second and first person and the non-linear storytelling it isn’t a particularly easy read and there are more content warnings needed here than I can remotely remember. I could certainly connect …
Between the constant body horror, transphobia, switching between third, second and first person and the non-linear storytelling it isn’t a particularly easy read and there are more content warnings needed here than I can remotely remember. I could certainly connect with Frankie’s spiralling helplessness and depression in the face of overwhelming problems. If you’re up for things you would gleefully call disgusting then this will likely tick a lot of boxes for you.