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kklecornu's review
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.5
This was a masterpiece of a memoir. The author seamlessly wove cultural critique and historical fact with personal narrative. Gurba's analysis of the interplay between trauma and humor was a completely fresh perspective, and the way she threaded that duality through multiple essays hammered at the nuance of her point. The last essay may be the most horrifically accurate description of domestic abuse I've ever read. Gurba's writing is confessional without being extravagant, and this work instantly puts her in the top tier of memoirists of our generation. Move over Joan Didion, California has a new literary queen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape, Xenophobia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Stalking
Minor: Child death and Police brutality
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