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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late November.
There are immediate similarities to Hanna Who Fell from the Sky, but this book is more in the moment, stream of consciousness, and aware. Silvie lives in a slightly primitive campground with her parents among intellectuals, who make repeated reference to the Iron Age, the lay of the land during that timeframe, and activities of their civilization. Her mother's mindset is, however, more askance and frustrated about her father’s need to play a hyper-masculine role and emphasize authenticity among the other academics on site. Combined, they create a ghost wall of accumulated animal bones, and Silvie gradually reveals the emotional seams of her family life before her father asks her a favor in the name of authenticity….
There are immediate similarities to Hanna Who Fell from the Sky, but this book is more in the moment, stream of consciousness, and aware. Silvie lives in a slightly primitive campground with her parents among intellectuals, who make repeated reference to the Iron Age, the lay of the land during that timeframe, and activities of their civilization. Her mother's mindset is, however, more askance and frustrated about her father’s need to play a hyper-masculine role and emphasize authenticity among the other academics on site. Combined, they create a ghost wall of accumulated animal bones, and Silvie gradually reveals the emotional seams of her family life before her father asks her a favor in the name of authenticity….
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This short novel (novella?) is creepy. The father is definitely in the running for worst father ever. He's obsessed with pre-Roman Britain and would like nothing more than to go back to the days when there were only his type of people around - even though the professor in the book tries to convince him that even the people from the Iron Age probably came from France or Ireland. The premise of the book is that a university professor and three of his students decide to live in Northern England for the summer as people of the Iron Age would have lived. The father is a bus driver, but he has become known as an expert on Iron Age survival skills, so the professor hires him to be their guide. The father brings his wife and daughter along. The book is told from the daughter's perspective. Suffice it to say that it doesn't end well, and while the book ends in a good place, I'm afraid the daughter will still be her father's victim in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A sharp and spooky narrative about nationalism, patriarchy, and human progress (my three biggest fears). As I read, I kept thinking that this is the kind of book I wish I had read in high school—it's really an updated Lord of the Flies. I'm definitely going to pick up a couple of Moss's other books because her writing is so clear and evocative.
dark
emotional
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5? I'm not sure I really got a message after reading this. I feel just bleh about it all. I don't know what was meant to accomplished in the storyline. It was a quick read and not boring; I just kept waiting for some resolve, something and it never came. Her dad and the Prof were absolutely abhorrent, infuriating characters-- her dad especially.
I will not be getting rid or this book because I love the cover
I will not be getting rid or this book because I love the cover
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes