Nightbitch

Nightbitch is an example of magical realism, in which hyperbolized or supernatural elements coexist with the ordinary, expected elements of everyday life. Whereas realist literature describes a world consistent with the laws of reality as we perceive them, and fantasy describes a world with a unique, internal logic, magical realism combines both. Magical realism also differs from surrealist literature, as fantastical events have an objective reality and are not just expressions of psychological states or hallucinations. Although Nightbitch’s transformation mirrors her emotional state, it’s not happening in her head—it’s real.

As is the case with magic realism, the novel disrupts our ordinary perceptions of reality. Whereas fantasy encloses the magic safely in a different domain, magic realism disturbs reality, allowing the fantastical to emerge from the most ordinary of settings. In Nightbitch, this process works by subverting the meaning of motherhood. Nightbitch’s transformation highlights the remarkable and extreme nature of being a mother, highlighting motherhood’s dark side—its violence, frustration, and animality, and how this has been suppressed and sanitized by modern culture. This particular application of a fantastical metaphor in the arena of the private family home also makes the novel a good example of what many critics refer to as domestic fabulism. This relatively recent category describes fabulist fiction concerned with issues surrounding gender roles, the domestic space, and home and family life.

Yoder wrote Nightbitch after becoming a mother herself, and the novel is partly a response to the challenges of her new situation (Aswell, Sarah. “‘Nightbitch’ Author Rachel Yoder Talks Motherhood, Art, And Getting Personal.” Scarymommy.com). As Nightbitch laments, looking after a young child can be challenging; there is the near total loss of personal space and time to oneself and a resulting erosion of independence. As a creative person, Nightbitch finds the transition to parenting particularly difficult. Her transformation into a dog reflects her frustration, the unleashing of her primal animalism. Her dog form is a literalized metaphor for her emotional state.