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bookishcori's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide, Alcoholism, Abortion, and Death of parent
2treads's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Roemer's novel is intense. With feeling, history, prejudices, identity, love, and relationships. Our main cahrater Noenka leaves her marriage and is shamed and blamed.
She questions her capacity to love and how her very complicated bonds with both parents have shaped her own romantic views and expectations. She is afraid to give herself fully, keeping the most sacred part of herself locked away.
The prose is rich yet sparse in some places and the reader must pay close attention so that they miss nothing and are able to follow the change in time and place, which occur without warning. I love how the poeticism emerges, woven quite seamlessly within dialogue and descriptions. The sensuality that is subtle yet so compelling when you come across it.
There is passion, anger, betrayal, violence, and love within these pages and for Noenka, just trying to live a life for herself is difficult. There is always the weight of expectations from family, society, even history. But she is not being completely honest with herself or her lovers and exists in a sort of maelstrom of undecidedness and torture.
She questions her capacity to love and how her very complicated bonds with both parents have shaped her own romantic views and expectations. She is afraid to give herself fully, keeping the most sacred part of herself locked away.
The prose is rich yet sparse in some places and the reader must pay close attention so that they miss nothing and are able to follow the change in time and place, which occur without warning. I love how the poeticism emerges, woven quite seamlessly within dialogue and descriptions. The sensuality that is subtle yet so compelling when you come across it.
There is passion, anger, betrayal, violence, and love within these pages and for Noenka, just trying to live a life for herself is difficult. There is always the weight of expectations from family, society, even history. But she is not being completely honest with herself or her lovers and exists in a sort of maelstrom of undecidedness and torture.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Grief, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Death, and Violence
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