Review summary
Shapeshifting monster Shesheshen falls for kind human Homily, then learns her new girlfriend's family is hunting the very creature Shesheshen must pretend not to be.
Full review
Shesheshen is an amorphous shapeshifter who builds temporary bodies from chains, bones, and whatever else is available. After monster hunters injure her, Homily nurses her back to health, and Shesheshen discovers that affection complicates her species' usual idea of reproduction.
The romance becomes more difficult when Homily reveals that her abusive family is hunting the monster they blame for a curse. John Wiswell balances body horror and gruesome jokes with unusual tenderness, using a monster's perspective to examine disability, boundaries, and learned shame.
A monster learning a different intimacy
Shesheshen initially understands love through appetite and biology. Her effort to build a life with Homily, instead of literally inside her, makes consent and communication the story's real transformation.
Content and tone
Expect gore, abusive family dynamics, body horror, attempted murder, and discussion of disability. The warmth is genuine, but so are the teeth.
Key ideas
- Being treated as monstrous can distort what a person believes they deserve.
- Compatible love requires negotiating needs rather than erasing difference.
- Family narratives can preserve abuse by naming resistance a curse.
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FAQ
- Is Someone You Can Build a Nest In a romance?
- Yes. It is a queer fantasy romance with a central relationship and a complete emotional arc, alongside mystery and body horror.
- How graphic is it?
- Its shapeshifter biology involves bones, consumed bodies, eggs, and gore, usually described with a blend of horror and dark humor.
Reading guide
- Pay attention to how Shesheshen interprets human customs.
- Separate Homily's beliefs from her family's claims.
- Notice when physical monstrosity contrasts with ordinary cruelty.
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