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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
It was ok, but would have been much easier to read had there been some quotation marks when characters were speaking.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a challenging read of a very dysfunctional and abusive marriage. I couldn’t fully understand the level of co-dependency and it was the inability for both to leave and have a better life that kept me reading. This is different from other Erdrich books but was still one of the best I’ve read of the genre. She is a genius at writing characters that seem so real in an effortless way. I’ll keep working through her canon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt
I was riveted by this novel. A woman tries to decide whether staying with her unstable husband would be better for her kids than breaking up the family to shield the children from abuse. It's filled with heartbreaking details, like the fact that the closest she comes to hanging out with friends is having conferences with her kids' teachers.
The concept of the book is what drew me in, and I was disappointed that the book wasn't totally in diary format. Irene is interesting to me, although I don't really understand her because I can't imagine allowing someone to paint me in degrading and awful ways, although her husband paints her beautifully too. The relationship between Gil and Irene is fascinating and very twisted. The book was difficult to put down, but very different from my usual type. For some reason it reminded me a lot of Anita Shreve with lots of Native American heritage added in.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Painful. Embarrassing in a stomach-dropping way because a lot of this material is too horrible and specific to have been imagined and it feels a bit shameful to have access to the author's excruciating personal history.
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Being that I so recently read Gone Girl, there were a lot of similarities being that it involved a diary and playing mind games with a husband, but I feel this book was more realistic. You can see this one happening much more easily than Gone Girl. But with that being said, this book was so painfully and brutally honest, and I SO did not expect that ending. As always with Erdrich, her writing is pure poetry.
Brilliantly written, but ultimately heartbreaking story of a marriage falling apart. Erdrich has a bleakness that stays with me, and I feel guilty for always having liked Michael Dorris better.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes