Hexis, Paperback

I'm not relentless. "Relentless" makes it sound like there's something called "relent" and that I'm lacking it. In that sense, I'm not relentless, but perhaps I'm unrelenting. I could relent if I wanted to. But he always has to die. I mean "always" in two senses: at all times and all of the time. I can't kill him all of the time. That would take too long. But all of the times I did, I did. I'd do it again. I could relent if I wanted to, but instead I'd do it again. If he's different, then he's the same and if he's the same, he's got to go. If he were different and not the same, then there would be two things and I'd only have to kill one of them. If only I only had to kill one of him. What a life I would live, if only I only had to kill him the one time. But death doesn't always do him in.

"Elsby is attuned-one might say obsessively attuned-to the ways in which women's lives are composed of violences both major and minor, crystal-clear and oblique. Watch as she reveals instance after instance of such violence in tones that could be mistaken for casual or even dismissive, if the book weren't deadly serious about the reality and ubiquity of such violence. ... However, the fact that Hexis operates in at least one register as a revenge fantasy makes facing such violences something more important than easy: exhilarating and terrifying."

Lindsay Lerman, Entropy Magazine

"Hexis is not an easy read, but it's an insanely effective one. It puts the reader in the mind of a very troubled and complex character and asks you to go along with each act of violence she commits. While it may frustrate some with its lack of clarity or detail, it does ruminate on a lot of subjects like revenge, violence, sexual abuse, and more in a way that demystifies and removes the glamour from revenge fantasies. It's an intense read, but one that can be needed in order to make one rethink the appeal of revenge narratives and think more about the long term effects of abuse."

Alex Carrigan, Quail Bell Magazine

"Her obsessive, detailed analysis of each killing, explaining how and why reminds me of Nicholson Baker's The Mezzanine, in its first person narrative with extreme attention to detail... Charlene Elsby's writing is bold and poetic, drawing the reader into a dreamscape that is equal parts nightmare and dark comedy... I highly recommend Hexis. If I were doing a Best Books list, this book would be up at the top."

Jessica Drake-Thomas, This Week I Read