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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
killing stella is a housewife’s account of bringing her friend’s teenage daughter into her home, and the subsequent destruction (both emotionally and literally) of the daughter while our narrator does nothing to intervene. cold, dark, and bleak, but written in a way that pulls you into the narrator’s spiral as she tries to untangle the disaster that she let happen within her home.
so glad i picked this up along with a copy of haushofer’s other book, the wall. decided to dive into this one first since i love a tiny book, and it delivered the sort of sharp, focused prose i love in a story this short. almost reminiscent of the dry heart by natalia ginzburg in that aspect, as well as the darker themes.
so glad i picked this up along with a copy of haushofer’s other book, the wall. decided to dive into this one first since i love a tiny book, and it delivered the sort of sharp, focused prose i love in a story this short. almost reminiscent of the dry heart by natalia ginzburg in that aspect, as well as the darker themes.
If you liked reading the Yellow Wall Paper you might like this. The narrator draws you into her tortured mind, with simple but punchy writing. Short and not so sweet read.
Translated from German to English by Shaun Whiteside.
Another outstanding work by Marlen Haushofer, this short novelette(?) preceding The Wall. This one wrestles with the complicity of silence; we are once again caught in the internal inward world of a woman and her spiralling thoughts. While it could be a domestic 'horror,' this commonplace situation of an older established man seducing a young inexperienced girl happens in many settings, like universities, offices, politics etc. I am probably in the minority when expressing the opinion that the wife Anna should not shoulder blame over what happened. Women tear themselves up in guilt, in shame over things they have little control over. Replaying the same events over and over, wondering how they could have done better. In this instance, the rapacious lustful unfaithful husband is the problem and of course, he is not losing any sleep with guilt or self-blame. He's a lawyer who helps other sleazy men get out of paying alimony! Sadly, this situation and dynamic is quite familiar even in this modern age (MeToo). The system is rigged that allow men sitting on the top echelons of power to get away with assault, rape and murder. What could Anna have said to Stella to warn her? Would Stella have listened? Even with the upbringing she had, did Stella not comprehend that she was accessory to destroying a marriage for a couple that had taken her in? Is Stella really an apt comparison to the helpless little bird that fell out of a nest? That being said, relationships with a wide power differential and significant age gap may benefit from an opportune word of warning to the disadvantaged party whose life could be ruined by the experience.
Eminently readable, Haushofer once again stirs up emotion and raises questions for me about the unfair strictures of a sexist society. Ultimately, it's akin to a trap with no real answers until the system changes.
Another outstanding work by Marlen Haushofer, this short novelette(?) preceding The Wall. This one wrestles with the complicity of silence; we are once again caught in the internal inward world of a woman and her spiralling thoughts. While it could be a domestic 'horror,' this commonplace situation of an older established man seducing a young inexperienced girl happens in many settings, like universities, offices, politics etc. I am probably in the minority when expressing the opinion that the wife Anna should not shoulder blame over what happened. Women tear themselves up in guilt, in shame over things they have little control over. Replaying the same events over and over, wondering how they could have done better. In this instance, the rapacious lustful unfaithful husband is the problem and of course, he is not losing any sleep with guilt or self-blame. He's a lawyer who helps other sleazy men get out of paying alimony! Sadly, this situation and dynamic is quite familiar even in this modern age (MeToo). The system is rigged that allow men sitting on the top echelons of power to get away with assault, rape and murder. What could Anna have said to Stella to warn her? Would Stella have listened? Even with the upbringing she had, did Stella not comprehend that she was accessory to destroying a marriage for a couple that had taken her in? Is Stella really an apt comparison to the helpless little bird that fell out of a nest? That being said, relationships with a wide power differential and significant age gap may benefit from an opportune word of warning to the disadvantaged party whose life could be ruined by the experience.
Eminently readable, Haushofer once again stirs up emotion and raises questions for me about the unfair strictures of a sexist society. Ultimately, it's akin to a trap with no real answers until the system changes.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3,5/4 stelle per una novella agghiacciante, che calza perfettamente con quello che risulta essere l'esperienza umana: ipocrisia, indifferenza e tantissima violenza, un gioco di complicità e vittimismo che vi porterà ad odiare chiunque, soprattutto dopo aver preso consapevolezza delle terrificanti allusioni che l'autrice nasconde in modo subdolo fra le righe