Brainwyrms

Starred review from August 28, 2023
Rumfitt’s talent for portraying the deplorable, disgusting, and grotesque shines throughout her masterful sophomore horror outing (after 2021’s Tell Me I’m Worthless). In a too-close-for-comfort near-future U.K., protagonist Frankie is a trans woman increasingly under threat from the rise in militant transphobia, spearheaded by such figures as Jennifer Caldwell, a beloved children’s author turned unrepentant bigot. Frankie enters into a relationship with nonbinary Vanya, whose fetish for parasites leads to the crux of the story: the reveal that there are parasites—the eponymous “brainwyrms”—inhabiting the so-called “gender-critical,” proponents of anti-trans ideology. The ensuing body horror is often viscerally disgusting, including multiple lengthy sex scenes involving parasitic worms, but the gross-out factor never feels gratuitous: it’s an incendiary response to what is already an incendiary stance. Rumfitt has a point to make and she makes it with passion and nuance, without ever getting in the way of good storytelling. The characters are memorable and realistically flawed, and the horrors feel all too real. Readers will need strong stomachs to get through this, but those who do will be rewarded by the thoughtful intensity of Rumfitt’s voice.