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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
Wow. Beautiful, haunting, challenging, full of the complexity of being a human. A rare collection of essays where each one is fantastic. Highly recommend.
Challenging to read a book about trauma but written so lovingly that it's worth it. I really admire her for sharing these stories.
It is a strange time to be reading essays about health and the complications of childbirth, while The Supreme Court in the United States has decided that women don't get to have equal healthcare over their bodies. I found these essays inciteful and poignant. Whether writing about motherhood, loss, or acting, I appreciate the perspective of Sarah's experiences.
Honest, compelling, intricate. Polly writes about the dialogue between the past, and the present, the way images can shape your memories and the importance of the memories that surface, and how to re-interpret them decades after the events occurred. A fascinating read.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Gorgeous and raw. The conceit behind this collection is confronting painful episodes in her life as a form of literary healing. Like a gut punch in places but hopeful in others. Amazing.
I connected a lot to Polley's story. Even though each event that she explores is specific to her, there is so much that's universal about it. As a woman, as a Canadian, as a lover of theatre, and as a daughter, in each essay, I found myself thinking "hmm, I guess it's not just me." I so respect Polley's activism, and respect the courage it must have taken for her to write this, when she grew up in a life that was so exposed. Also, anyone who wants to truly understand why women react the way they do to physical and emotional assault must read the essay about Ghomeshi. She captures the contradictions and unreliability of memory during trauma in the best way I've ever seen.