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A Veritable Household Pet

Name: A Veritable Household Pet
Rating: 4.792 (12 reviews)
ISBN: 9798989875573

By Viggy Parr Hampton

Publisher Description

"Brooding and twisted, but beautiful in its honesty, A Veritable Household Pet will chill you to the bone as it simultaneously breaks your heart." -Paulette Kennedy, bestselling author of The Devil and Mrs. Davenport

Darla Gregory received a lobotomy at 11 years old ... and she was never the same.

Based on painfully true history, mixed with family drama, complex characters, and a gut-punch twist.

[Scribe's note: This is my sister Darla's story, as dictated to me. I have tried to remain as faithful to her diction and voice as I can, while also making it intelligible and coherent. Darla has progressed considerably since the lobotomy, but she is still unable to write by herself. I have added notes, interpolations, and supporting documentation where necessary to clarify or explain, or to add my own experience if relevant.

If you're wondering why it took so long for you to read this, I'd encourage you to keep your bratty thoughts to yourself. You're lucky I'm telling you the truth at all. This is the last thing I have to do for her, and I hope you're finally mature enough to handle it.]

"Painful, tragic, horrifying-yet achingly beautiful. A testament to resilience, this book held me in its thrall from the first page. Like peering into the most intimate thoughts of two sisters, it was like witnessing a car crash in slow motion-devastating, impossible to look away. A powerful novel about sisterhood, independence, freedom, and the fragile value of our minds and bodies. I wanted to cry, to scream, to rage-and still I could not look away. I have borne witness. Now I hope you will too." -Dawn Kurtagich, award-winning author of The Thorns and The Madness

"A blistering indictment of patriarchal power - A Veritable Household Pet is a luminous, tragic, and unputdownable story of the nightmare that is the theft of autonomy and identity, a quiet and constant terror women know all too well." -Haley Newlin, author of The Film You Are About to See and Take Your Turn, Teddy

"This book twisted my guts, my heart, and my head. There's toxic family dynamics that would make VC Andrews blush. There's body horror made all the worse by its historical accuracy. There's the ingenious device Hampton uses to tell the story from two POVs simultaneously. Plus, there's this constant competition in tone between hopelessness and determination. All underscored by the knowledge that this exact story may very well have occurred in reality. So that's the scariest part...all the ingredients existed for this story to be true. Something precisely like this probably did happen somewhere, sometime. What could be more tragic than that?" -Ben Young, author of Home

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A Veritable Household Pet Reviews

4.5

the_epi_reader

Created 9 days ago

“Joyce Carol Oates’ The Butcher meets Liz Nugent’s Strange Sally Diamond in this lobotomy themed medical horror novel. A Veritable Household Pet was a phenomenal read that was very well written, well researched and heartbreaking. While Viggy’s past books have been more cut and dry horror, this one is literary/character based and focuses on the horrors of retired medical procedures. The reader can really step into the mind of someone who just had a lobotomy, and experience their frustrations. I was often left furious based on how people took advantage of Darla, particularly men. While character-based novels are not my favorite, I was not bored at all by Viggy’s storytelling, and the dual POVs made Darla’s story that much more interesting. A Veritable Household Pet is a must read for your 2026 TBR! Moreover, I love that Viggy referenced Sam Kean’s The Icepick Surgeon for additional reads on lobotomies, since this is my all time favorite nonfiction book. She also mentions My Lobotomy: A Memoir by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming, which is on my TBR. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.”

Tabathareads

Created 14 days ago

“This book completely destroyed me. The real world horror at the center of this story is one of the things that truly makes it stand out, and knowing it is rooted in actual history makes every moment feel heavier and more unsettling. The way the trauma unfolds feels intimate and invasive in the best way, pulling you straight into the lives of these sisters. The dual POVs were written in a format that took me a bit to latch onto, but once I did, it became clear it was the only way this story could be told. Themes of control, loss of autonomy, and toxic family dynamics hit hard and never let up. This is dark, devastating, and painfully beautiful, and it stayed with me long after I finished. An absolute five star read for me! Thanks to the author for the gifted copy!”

Scarlettanomalyreads

Created 17 days ago

“I was so so freaking lucky to get to read this early and loved it, I am a sucker for historical fiction, but make it horror ? YES. This isn’t just horror or historical fiction, it’s also heart breaking and hard and beautiful and terrible. I know, what does that even mean?? This was from two POV the caretaker and the one being taken care of, its of sisters who were fated to have this horrible terrible but prison sentence of a relationship until one of them dies. It was hard to read the parts from Darla’s sister Ellie, the one transcribing for Darla, you could feel how much she hated this, hated her sister but she just keeps doing it out of what? Guilt or family obligation or something else.. I understood her and didn’t at the same time and that’s what made this such a ugly thing, having to stare right at this, this family that created this “burden” by having Darla go through a lobotomy at 11 years old and set this into motion. Neither girl asked for this and both were forced into prisons of their own and lets be honest if Darla had mental issues early on, Ellie probably has her own to deal with while also having to be the “good sister”. Can you tell I was a caretaker at a young age? At the same time, my heart absolutely shattered for Darla, who at this point never had a chance, that type of procedure so young or hell ever really. This book had me emotional and yelling, the only time I think I have gotten this way about a book was probably when I ready The Yellow Wallpaper for the first time, one of my favorite stories ever and this piece of historical fiction had that same fire burning anger under the surface of how women are looked at, treated and what we can and cannot do under the patriarchal gaze. This was so uncomfortable, but in a way that absolutely has me needing to tell you all about it from the rooftops. I have actually read this through twice now and I hope a audiobook happens, this was a terrible work of gut wrenching art.”

PaperbackGhosts

Created 19 days ago

“Viggy Parr Hampton writes the books I want to read. I feel so privileged to read her books as arcs. Everything she writes is my specific flavor of fucked up. I really liked the way Darla’s story is told and I think Ellie’s additions gave so much depth to such a tragic tale. I think this did an exceptional job at showcasing parentification and how absolutely barbaric lobotomies were. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend grabbing a copy on January 31!”

julz + ghouls

Created 24 days ago

“Wow, I would like to thank Viggy Parr Hampton for sending me this copy of A Veritable Household Pet! I absolutely loved this story and felt immersed in the diary-style writing. It is a shared narrative of two sisters experiencing the same life events differently. One sister was lobotomized at the age of 12 and the other is academically and occupationally successful. Together, they weave their story of the chronological life timeline in diary form. It is technically written to someone specific, who is revealed on the last few pages. This book was emotional for me. While some may read this and say “where’s the horror?” Try being a woman. It is a horror in itself. My only complaint is that I wish there was a little more to the plot at times but it was not a boring read by any means. I would recommend this to anyone who feels like an outcast or hates men. 🥰”

Believable Change and grow Morally ambiguous Multilayered Satisfying conclusion Well-structured Realistic Easy to read Original Witty Ableism Abuse Child abuse Death Eating disorders Grief Murder Sexual assault