Viggy Parr Hampton Explores the Horrors of Motherhood in ‘Ripped Up the Middle in Two’

It’s crazy to think that Viggy and I have been friends for more than two years now. By this point, she’s basically an honorary co-host of the Midnight Terrors Podcast with Kevin and me.

What’s even crazier is that in the time I’ve known her, she’s published four books, with a fifth on the way. 

In her new horror novel, “Ripped Up the Middle in Two,” Viggy dives into the horrors of motherhood. 

“Ripped Up the Middle in Two” follows new mom Sadie, who is struggling with the reality of caring for her three-month-old daughter—the loss of identity, autonomy, and selfhood are grinding her down. When a casual stroll with the baby leads to the discovery of a secret trail leading to a miniature door hidden deep in the woods, Sadie’s world unravels even further. Who put the door there? Why does the trail only appear when Sadie is alone? Why is the door surrounded by a clearing full of tiny bones?

And, most terrifying of all: What lives behind that door, and what will it do to her baby?

R. Jacob Honeybrook: First of all, Viggy, congrats on your latest novel! Why don’t you start by telling us where you came up with this story. 

Viggy Parr Hampton: First off, no one tells you the truth about motherhood. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, it’s not the ‘most amazing time of your life,’ at least not in my experience. During the postpartum period, I felt my worst, looked my worst, and acted my worst. And, when I looked around at the horror world for some escapism, I couldn’t find any novels that really explored motherhood in a way that felt real to me. So, I wrote “Ripped Up the Middle in Two” as a way to document my own experience and tell the truth as I see it.

RJH: How would you describe the main character, Sadie? What are some of her defining traits?

VPH: Sadie is a type-A, go-getter woman—intelligent, feisty, opinionated. However, after she has her baby, Holly, her identity gets completely reshuffled, to the point where she can’t recognize herself amidst the dirty diapers, stained onesies, and confusing feeding schedules. One of the most important pieces of the story is how Sadie’s identity fractures after giving birth, as well as how she copes with that dissolution.

RJH: “Ripped Up the Middle in Two” places a strong emphasis on postpartum exhaustion and the stressors that come with being a new mom. Being a mother yourself, why was this an important topic for you to write about? 

VPH: People don’t always realize just how hard being a new mother is, and many moms with grown children might have forgotten the brutal first few months of being a parent. For Sadie, exhaustion is absolutely inescapable, and it’s at the root of all of her issues, too. It’s hard to be the person you want to be, the mother you want to be, the partner you want to be, when you’re so tired you can’t even think straight. I wanted to bring that to the forefront to give readers a taste (or maybe a reminder) of how truly terrifying those first few months postpartum can be.

RJH:  The easy question would be “What do you want moms to take away from this?” But I think the more interesting one is: what would you want someone like me (1. A guy 2. Someone without kids) to take away from this?

VPH: Give moms some grace and kudos, including your own mom. It’s easy to fall back on the societal idea of ‘Oh, so many women throughout history have been mothers, so it can’t be that hard.’ Sentiments like that keep women from speaking up about their experiences and perpetuate these false ideas about how beautiful and peaceful new motherhood should be. Even if you’re 1. a guy and 2. don’t have kids, you do have a mother—go call her and thank her!

RJH: We’ve seen an evolution in your craft from your first book until now. Has becoming a parent changed your writing style at all?

VPH: “Ripped Up the Middle in Two” is my most personal book—in fact, my husband isn’t allowed to read it. I wrote the first draft of this story when I was just about a year postpartum with my second child, and I found the entire writing process incredibly cathartic. I could pour out all of my confusing, rage-filled, complex emotions onto the page, which definitely enhanced my writing style. Putting the emotion into the story, from how the plot is structured to the words I use, really helps the novel pack a punch.

RJH: “Ripped Up the Middle in Two” has been described as a dark fairytale. Was this the vibe you were going for? Or is it something readers later picked up on?

VPH: Yes, I absolutely wanted a dark fairytale vibe for this story. I wanted to marry psychological motherhood/postpartum horror with something supernatural, partly because our main character, Sadie, is an inherently unreliable narrator. Nobody around her wants to believe her about the evil creature living in the woods, and after a while, she’s not even sure she can believe herself. Updating the classic Rumpelstiltskin story for a modern audience helps bring some darkness to the story beyond the obvious psychological horror.

RJH: You have five books out now, a successful podcast, and a screenplay in the works. You did all this independently, without the backing of the machine. What advice do you have for anyone wanting to begin a creative endeavor? 

VPH: Don’t wait for permission! We are living in a time when anybody has the tools at their fingertips to write and publish that book, shoot and distribute that movie, get that content out there for everybody to see. The sooner you start putting your work out for people to engage with, the sooner you’ll make a name for yourself.

“Ripped Up the Middle in Two” comes out Wednesday, July 29. You can preorder it here. 

Check out Viggy’s website to keep up on all of her latest updates!