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hendriati's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thebobsphere's review against another edition
5.0
This year’s International Booker Longlist is an interesting one. So far the books chosen are not necessarily ones I would read but, at this point, I am glad I am read them. Is Mother Dead being an example.
After leaving her husband and her country for another man, artist, Johanna finally returns to her town after a thirty year absence, She is now a grandmother in her sixties and she has one aim. To reconcile with her mother, and to a certain extent, her sister, Ruth. Johanna is conscious that she has not been the best daughter, never contacting her parents and even skipping out on her dad’s funeral. Even her paintings have depicted her childhood in a less flattering light.
When Johanna’s mother does not contact her, she begins to worry and thinks up of scenarios on why there is zero communication. Some of the musings border on paranoia but then Johanna starts delving into her past and some startling secrets emerge and what we get is a story about someone who was loved by a parent but then diminished.
Not all of it is Joahanna’s fault. She recalls instances where her mother acted cowardly, in one cause even betrays hers, which leads to Johanna rebelling against her mother’s wishes and receiving no support for her decisions. In fact when she does ‘obey’ them: getting married and taking up law she finds out that she can’t follow her mother’s wants and breaks away by having an affair and moving to the States. To be blunt, this book is a tale of psychological abuse and warfare.
The spirit of Beckett looms large in Is Mother Dead: there is very little progression in Johanna’s attempts to make a bigger effort to contact her mother, instead she is stuck on the painful memories instead. One can feel the rot and decay in this relationship. When there is some actual movement, it just accentuates how dour this relationship has developed.
The book is full of many symbolic moments most of them quite poignant, my favourite one being a scene where Johanna goes to her neighbour’s yard and digs up a cigar box which contains some elements of her past, which incite her to make her final moves in rekindling her mother’s love. This signifies that the past has to be exposed in order to proceed with the present and future. Another scene involves an elk who is shedding it’s antlers, which Johanna compares herself to.
Is Mother Dead struck me. Johanna’s desperation, the pain of her memories are tangible. Although my relationship with my parents is different, I could still feel her paranoia and her stress at being cut off. Being rejected by one’s parents is not easy to cope with and the book exposes that feeling of helplessness. The only way I can conclude it to quote Philip Larkin’s famous opening lines in This Be The Verse, which mirror Is Mother’s Dead’s themes perfectly:
They f*** you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
After leaving her husband and her country for another man, artist, Johanna finally returns to her town after a thirty year absence, She is now a grandmother in her sixties and she has one aim. To reconcile with her mother, and to a certain extent, her sister, Ruth. Johanna is conscious that she has not been the best daughter, never contacting her parents and even skipping out on her dad’s funeral. Even her paintings have depicted her childhood in a less flattering light.
When Johanna’s mother does not contact her, she begins to worry and thinks up of scenarios on why there is zero communication. Some of the musings border on paranoia but then Johanna starts delving into her past and some startling secrets emerge and what we get is a story about someone who was loved by a parent but then diminished.
Not all of it is Joahanna’s fault. She recalls instances where her mother acted cowardly, in one cause even betrays hers, which leads to Johanna rebelling against her mother’s wishes and receiving no support for her decisions. In fact when she does ‘obey’ them: getting married and taking up law she finds out that she can’t follow her mother’s wants and breaks away by having an affair and moving to the States. To be blunt, this book is a tale of psychological abuse and warfare.
The spirit of Beckett looms large in Is Mother Dead: there is very little progression in Johanna’s attempts to make a bigger effort to contact her mother, instead she is stuck on the painful memories instead. One can feel the rot and decay in this relationship. When there is some actual movement, it just accentuates how dour this relationship has developed.
The book is full of many symbolic moments most of them quite poignant, my favourite one being a scene where Johanna goes to her neighbour’s yard and digs up a cigar box which contains some elements of her past, which incite her to make her final moves in rekindling her mother’s love. This signifies that the past has to be exposed in order to proceed with the present and future. Another scene involves an elk who is shedding it’s antlers, which Johanna compares herself to.
Is Mother Dead struck me. Johanna’s desperation, the pain of her memories are tangible. Although my relationship with my parents is different, I could still feel her paranoia and her stress at being cut off. Being rejected by one’s parents is not easy to cope with and the book exposes that feeling of helplessness. The only way I can conclude it to quote Philip Larkin’s famous opening lines in This Be The Verse, which mirror Is Mother’s Dead’s themes perfectly:
They f*** you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
fleurleestboeken's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tarrowood's review against another edition
4.0
What an intriguing read that explores the depths of grief of losing one’s mother, not to death, but due to your actions — and your inability to accept your actions. It almost received a 3 star review due to the trembling and rambling narrative, but that’s just the point. The narrator is not only unreliable, but mentally in shambles. She’s driven to extreme levels of surveillance and gall due to her anxiety and surity that she’s in the right.
sarahe221's review against another edition
Uninteresting plot, unlikeable characters and not very gripping
silverbullet096's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm reading this book at a very emotional time in my life both as a parent now myself and as a child who clashed terribly with their own mother. The depths this story explores spoke to me on a personal level in much the same way the art of the main character spoke to those who saw it exhibited. I would recommend this to anyone on a journey of healing from their past. It may not be a 1:1 fit for your experience but I can almost guarantee you will find yourself and your mother here for better or worse. It's just a matter of what you'll do with that discovery afterwards.
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm
r3dgiant's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
zmeiat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Dette var en mild thriller med en vag slutt som kan tolkes som man vill. Karakterene var ihvertfall meget dynamiske og sammensatte hver for seg.
Forholdet Johanna har til moren sin gjør henne besatt og hengt opp i fortiden og en kilde av kompliserte følelser, og gjett om hun tenker på det 20 år senere! Det er også alltid noe i forholdet mellom karakterene som lurer under overflaten, men som man ikke er helt sikker på før mot slutten hvordet viser seg at moren var så ulykkelig at hun kuttet seg mens Johanna var fortsatt liten.
Dessverre var det Vigdis Hjort som leste i lydboka og ga et for voldsomt uttrykk til teksten, noe som ikke passet i det hele tatt. Johanna lider i stillhet, og bortsett fra den dramatiske scenen mot slutten så var den typen innlesning av hennes indre monolog for distraherende og unødvendig. Ellers var alt annet glimrende.
Forholdet Johanna har til moren sin gjør henne besatt og hengt opp i fortiden og en kilde av kompliserte følelser, og gjett om hun tenker på det 20 år senere! Det er også alltid noe i forholdet mellom karakterene som lurer under overflaten, men som man ikke er helt sikker på før mot slutten hvor
Dessverre var det Vigdis Hjort som leste i lydboka og ga et for voldsomt uttrykk til teksten, noe som ikke passet i det hele tatt. Johanna lider i stillhet, og bortsett fra den dramatiske scenen mot slutten så var den typen innlesning av hennes indre monolog for distraherende og unødvendig. Ellers var alt annet glimrende.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking and Grief
Moderate: Self harm
frede11's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
2.75