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upbeatmetaphor's review against another edition
2.0
According to the narrative voice, Man and Wife is a story of how love blinded psychiatrist Cal Bradley to his wife's true nature or history, and as such allowed BAD THINGS to happen while homo-terrified patient Peter Blue healed lepers, talked in riddles, and reminded Cal of his dead sister.
In actual fact, it's a story of how one man knew and suspected exactly what his wife was doing and used the narrative voice to tell us all about it, then expressed surprise when he was proven right. His closing declarations that "I didn't see what was right in front of my eyes ... if only I'd seen through [the] lies" are absolute bull.
There is no explanation for the Jesus-like nature of Peter Blue, or how he is able to affect those around him and why. One scene even has him doling out endless sandwiches ala loaves and fishes, and all those observing seem to take this as just a character quirk rather than, SOMETHING THAT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
I'm slightly annoyed and pleased to admit I enjoyed reading Man and Wife, pitting my expectations of loathing against my eagerness of reading as I did. However I felt myself once again following a narrator inside and outside his head only out of curiosity as to where the author would take them, and not out of any genuine concern or investment in the character themselves...
Nick
xx
In actual fact, it's a story of how one man knew and suspected exactly what his wife was doing and used the narrative voice to tell us all about it, then expressed surprise when he was proven right. His closing declarations that "I didn't see what was right in front of my eyes ... if only I'd seen through [the] lies" are absolute bull.
There is no explanation for the Jesus-like nature of Peter Blue, or how he is able to affect those around him and why. One scene even has him doling out endless sandwiches ala loaves and fishes, and all those observing seem to take this as just a character quirk rather than, SOMETHING THAT DEFIES THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.
I'm slightly annoyed and pleased to admit I enjoyed reading Man and Wife, pitting my expectations of loathing against my eagerness of reading as I did. However I felt myself once again following a narrator inside and outside his head only out of curiosity as to where the author would take them, and not out of any genuine concern or investment in the character themselves...
Nick
xx
avidreader24's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Gun violence
Minor: Suicide and Suicide attempt
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