I recently finished the audiobook to She's a Doll by Barbara Truelove. The story centers feminine rage and friendship with a cheeky horror revenge plot. In addition to it being a superb novel and audio production, I couldn't help but notice features that felt like a warm hug to my disabled self.

In the words of the late Alice Wong, disability justice activist and warrior, "Disabled people know what it means to be vulnerable and interdependent. We are modern-day oracles." The supporting character, Nicola, embodies the oracle in this novel. Her disability aid is the reason she is able to hear and subsequently help Lucy's unrestful soul. Truelove's ingenious application of the disabled oracle principle to this pivotal point in the plot made for great reflection material on the nature of disability and how it shows up in fiction.

There are time-jump and time-freeze sequences in this novel that actually made me feel like I was a mosquito trapped in amber, helpless to the whims of Lucy's emotional dysregulation. This was a powerful representation of the daily highs and lows many disabled folks feel as a result of chronic pain, mental health episodes, and lack of support from loved ones and systems.

The descriptions of Lucy's use of her new doll limbs simulated the way I feel when I'm having a particularly bad rheumatoid flare. Her journey into accepting and working with her new body is hard-won and painful, but so rewarding in the end.

Most importantly, this novel is an ode to survivors. Gender-based violence and disability are inextricably linked, and Lucy's character is a compelling representation of this. I hope every survivor who picks up this book takes care of themselves (first and foremost) while also feeling the bubbling joy for Lucy's pursuit of justice. Justice looks different for everyone, so I find joy in characters who find theirs.

She's a Doll is the perfect horror novel for all of us this upcoming scary season!