Deliver Me (novel)
First edition hardcover of Deliver Me by Elle Nash | |
| Author | Elle Nash |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Transgressive fiction |
| Publisher | Unnamed Press |
Publication date | October 3, 2023 |
| Pages | 284 |
| ISBN | 978-1-951-21371-8 |
Deliver Me is a 2023 novel by British-American author Elle Nash. It discusses motherhood under capitalism, how society treats pregnancy, reduction of women to reproductive functions, and mental illness. Nash states the novel took two weeks to plan and eleven weeks to write the first draft.[1]
Nash says her time living in the American south, specifically northern Arkansas, helped inspire the book.[2][3] The specific inspiration Nash cites was Dynel Lane's 2015 crime that occurred while she was living in Colorado.[3][2][4][5][6][1] Dynel Lane attacked a 7-month-pregnant Michelle Wilkins and removed her fetus, then pretended to be pregnant for nine months.[7][8][9] Nash additionally cites the story of Lisa Montgomery, who murdered and cut out the fetus of 8-month-pregnant Bobbie Stinnett, and the experience of working while she was pregnant herself.[6][10]
The novel is structured in three parts, labeled from the first to the third trimester, accompanying an image of a fetus that grows smaller.[4] Nash created a music playlist of 35 songs accompanying the novel after writing the first few drafts.[11]
Plot
"Dee-Dee," whose real name is Daisy, is a secretly queer young woman who works in a chicken meat packing facility in Missouri and has a boyfriend whom she calls "Daddy." He has a sexual attraction to insects and watches true crime. Dee-Dee is obsessed with the idea of being pregnant, and she and her boyfriend have been unsuccessfully trying after five miscarriages. Sloane, a childhood friend and crush of Dee-Dee, moves into the apartment above her and is pregnant. Later, Dee-Dee is finally pregnant but fails again to keep it to term, so she lies about still being pregnant.
Reception
Deliver Me received positive reviews from Publishers Weekly,[12] Kirkus Reviews,[13] Big Issue,[14] Fangoria,[15] and Dead End Follies.[16] On Medium, the online publishing platform, Zachary Houle describes it as daring while saying the religious aspects are unneeded.[17] Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, described it as "Shocking and unforgettable."[18]
It has been longlisted for the 2024 Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year.[19][20] It was nominated for 2023 Larry Prater Award for Best Read.[21]
References
- ^ a b Kelso, Chris (October 30, 2022). "I'm Only Happy When It Rains – 3:AM Magazine". Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ a b Elsby, Charlene (2023-10-03). "Desire Against Reality: An Interview with Elle Nash". Chicago Review of Books. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ a b Cochrane, Beth (June 18, 2024). "Elle Nash on her new novel Deliver Me – The Skinny". www.theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ a b "A Novel Deliverance from Evil: A Review of Elle Nash's Deliver Me". BIG OTHER. 2023-09-22. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ "Between the Covers Elle Nash Interview". Tin House. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ a b "DESIRE WILL ALWAYS FIND A WAY: Elle Nash On 'Deliver Me' and More - Glasgow Review of Books". glasgowreviewofbooks.com. 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ "Craigslist Suspect Who Cut Woman's Fetus From Womb Faked Own Pregnancy: Police". NBC News. 2015-03-20. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ Stapleton, Ralph Ellis,AnneClaire (2016-04-29). "Woman who cut out fetus gets 100 years". CNN. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Dynel Lane, Colorado woman, convicted in mother-to-be stabbing trial - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2016-02-23. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ Franzini, Sam (2023-10-13). "Author Spotlight: Elle Nash, "Deliver Me"". Our Culture. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ^ "Elle Nash's playlist for her novel "Deliver Me" – Largehearted Boy". largeheartedboy.com. October 12, 2023. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
- ^ Wolf, Kent (July 20, 2023). "Deliver Me by Elle Nash". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ DELIVER ME | Kirkus Reviews. August 12, 2023.
- ^ Atkins, Jamie (2024-06-27). "Deliver Me by Elle Nash review – transgressive thrills". Big Issue. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ^ Restaino, Max (2023-11-16). "DELIVER ME Author Elle Nash Delivers Full Blown Body Horror In Third Novel". www.fangoria.com. Retrieved 2025-05-20.
- ^ "Book Review : Elle Nash - Deliver Me (2023)". Dead End Follies. 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ Houle, Zachary (2023-09-14). "Book Review: "Deliver Me" by Elle Nash". Medium. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ "Deliver Me". Unnamed Press. 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ "DELIVER ME | VERVE BOOKS". vervebooks.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ "Deliver Me by Elle Nash". www.fantasticfiction.com. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ "Nominations for the 2023 Larry Prater Awards". Dead End Follies. 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2025-05-18.