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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Deep, reflective, and tough to process but something I’m glad I read. I went on an emotional and reflective journey reading this memoir, and it had me taking a moment to reflect on my own relationships with trauma, with grief, with shame, with pain, and brutal honesty with myself.
Quotes that stick with me:
“If transgressions were all bad, people wouldn’t do them. Do you consider me a transgression?”
“Feel culpable in my insanity because you are partly to blame.”
“At thirty-two, I was a child, a victim of something.”
“The right love is an adhesive.”
“I am not too ugly for this world.”
“This story is yours, culprit of my pain. Which one of us is asking for mercy?”
Quotes that stick with me:
“If transgressions were all bad, people wouldn’t do them. Do you consider me a transgression?”
“Feel culpable in my insanity because you are partly to blame.”
“At thirty-two, I was a child, a victim of something.”
“The right love is an adhesive.”
“I am not too ugly for this world.”
“This story is yours, culprit of my pain. Which one of us is asking for mercy?”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment
God DAMN this book is good. Probably one of the very few memoirs I’ve read that are worth rereading...
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
“You think weakness is a problem. I’m torn apart by everything.”
“No child is ruined— and the one inside of me is worth remembering fondly. My mother’s looming spirit guides me some days, telling me that nothing is too ugly for this world. I am not too ugly for this world.”
I read this book in one sitting, absolutely heart wrenching and raw and flooring… there were multiple times I literally had to just stop reading and sit with the intensity of what she was sharing… I am astounded.
My one qualm is some sections about her on-and-off unhealthy relationship with Casey felt redundant, but I think this repetitiveness probably reflected the reality of what that felt like in her life, but as a reader, it was a bit exhausting, but maybe that’s what it needed to be…
“No child is ruined— and the one inside of me is worth remembering fondly. My mother’s looming spirit guides me some days, telling me that nothing is too ugly for this world. I am not too ugly for this world.”
I read this book in one sitting, absolutely heart wrenching and raw and flooring… there were multiple times I literally had to just stop reading and sit with the intensity of what she was sharing… I am astounded.
My one qualm is some sections about her on-and-off unhealthy relationship with Casey felt redundant, but I think this repetitiveness probably reflected the reality of what that felt like in her life, but as a reader, it was a bit exhausting, but maybe that’s what it needed to be…
This book put me in a bad place for a few days. And also inspired me to pick up the Maggie Nelson that had been waiting on my shelf.
tense
fast-paced
A powerful book! It started off really strong with some incredible essays. As the book went on, the essays became a littler harder to read due to their content and structure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt
The first read cleared the space for me to be able to listen better, to follow the really pretty profound structure and subtlety of this book. The second read blew my mind.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced