Reviews

Excellent satire

I wish it was longer! Funny, profound, and intriguing- I was really gripped by the narrative and I loved the intertextual references to other feminist novels.

I want to say "I'm not mad, just disappointed," but in this instance I'm mad AND disappointed.

I haven't watched the movie, just a couple of clips, but if anyone asks which they should see I would suggest they watch the movie. The writing in this book is simple to the point of being detrimental to the story, the ending to chapters were either weak at best or confusing at worst, and there's little to no build up for major events.

Considering how short this book is, the author should have prioritized building up the suspense and creating tension between Johanna and the men, especially her husband. But for reasons I'm sure I'll never know, the author shoved so much useless filler that by the time it was getting to the climax, it felt rushed and unsatisfying. Just like the nothing burger that is the ending to this novel, which again is not built up and only sparks rage in my heart for what could have been.

And that, frankly, is the biggest disappointment of all: this book had so much potential and it was squandered at every corner. There is so much to explore with this topic and so many ways the author could have capitalized on the psychological horror elements, but it felt like he had an idea and just ran with it, no further thought given. Also, as a side note, there are a lot of unanswered questions, questions that are never brought up in universe but ones I'm sure readers will have.

For a book that inspired a film with a title that is still used to describe women today, this was a really disappointing read. I wouldn't say it was a complete waste of my time, but as someone who never saw the film in its entirety and didn't even know how the story ended, this left me feeling unsatisfied and angry, and not in a thought-provoking way. That being said, if you still want to read it, go for it. Its a short and easy read, so it won't take long to finish, but those are the only positives I personally can give.