Title: The Hostess
Author: Cat Oyster
Description: In a near-future gig economy, her body is not her own. While asleep, strangers rent Michaela’s body to experience life through her senses—virtual tourists who step into her skin from across the world. It’s seamless. Harmless. Voluntary. Until it’s not.
When Michaela wakes with unexplained bruises, she and her coworker at the body-hosting agency start asking questions they were never meant to ask.
Who’s really using their bodies? And what are they doing while the hosts sleep? When your body is just another platform, what happens when you lose control of it? A taut, thought-provoking novellette for fans of Black Mirror, Klara and the Sun, and Severance.
Book Review
What would you do if you were so broke that you couldn’t sustain your life any longer? No matter your answer to this question, I bet it isn’t that you would be a host for people to take over your body for a certain period of time.
That’s what Michaela has to do in The Hostess by Cat Oyster in the near future to be able to pay off her debts and help her family. There are some problems, though: she keeps having nightmares, she has bruises she didn’t have before, and something’s not right with the company she works for.
The audiobook, narrated by Susan Spano, is decent overall. She switches tones for each character, which helps keep the book interesting, especially when the plot starts to slow down. That said, sometimes the voice changed for the basic narration with no dialogue, and that was a bit odd. There were also some weird editing cuts in the beginning, but that seemed to fix itself as the story went on.
For the turn‐on-earbuds and drift scenario, it’s okay, but it felt like the narration was kind of put together without much editing, which lowered the book’s immersion a bit. But it was a solid audiobook for a short listen (~1h 37m), so I’d give this audiobook 3.5 out of 5 black pills.
AudioBook Review
What would you do if you were so broke that you couldn’t sustain your life any longer? No matter your answer to this question, I bet it isn’t that you would be a host for people to take over your body for a certain period of time.
That’s what Michaela has to do in The Hostess by Cat Oyster in the near future to be able to pay off her debts and help her family. There are some problems, though: she keeps having nightmares, she has bruises she didn’t have before, and something’s not right with the company she works for.
The core idea is strong: body-rental while asleep does equal an eerie, novel, and creepy story. But this core idea doesn’t save the story from pacing issues. The story in the beginning drags a bit, the build-up being heavier than the payoff. And then the ending races against the clock in speed, and it’s like, whoa, what is going on? Went from slow simmer to microwave explosion in record time.
The whole thing’s about an hour and a half long, so if you don’t want a 300+ page book, this would be an option for you. It has that 1984 paranoia (in a different type of world), and The Matrix (for the ending). But overall, it just feels uneven. It seemed like it was a bit all over the place. While it’s not a bad book, I wouldn’t read it again.
Warning: If you’re already feeling down, this may not be your pick-me-up. It’s bleak. There are vulgar words, some triggering content, and it definitely doesn’t end with a hug.
I would have to give this story a 3.2 out of 5 black pills. It had potential, and the premise is solid, but the execution feels uneven. Read it if you’re in the right headspace and want a short sci-fi flicker of a story. But I personally wouldn’t re-read it.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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