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boundye's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kimberlyf's review
5.0
The story centers around Jane—artist, wife, mother—who is growing slowly and ever more resentful of her distant, unhelpful, lazy partner; growing slowly more depressed; feeling more and more vexed with the minutiae of her every day life. Her husband, John, is prideful, insecure, a bully, and insists on cutting his wife down through his many manipulations.
“Calling a woman crazy is a man’s last resort when he’s failed to control her.”
This novel lacks any kind of typical structure or formatting, working in staccato sentences in an almost stream of conscious fashion. I expect that the reason behind Manguso writing this novel the way that she did is to really show—as another reviewer mentions—how Jane has fallen in to autopilot: moving through the motions of marriage and daily life while feeling completely and utterly dejected. I found the lack of thought given to the character names—John, Jane (which we hear only a time or two), and “the child” as he is often referred to—an intriguing and brilliant choice. Jane is so in her own head constantly and I loved it.
This all just felt too real and, in parts, achingly familiar. I needed to remind myself a few times that this book is being classified as fiction and not non-fiction because it read very like a memoir on nuclear family and divorce. I could understand and empathize with the narrator’s pain and frustration while also understanding her reasons for wanting to stay in a hopeless marriage. It was heartbreaking to witness. My e-book is heavily annotated with astute observations of a failing marriage and a woman filled with rage.
Thank you NetGalley for my digital copy. Pick yours up when it's out on 07/23/2024.
“Calling a woman crazy is a man’s last resort when he’s failed to control her.”
This novel lacks any kind of typical structure or formatting, working in staccato sentences in an almost stream of conscious fashion. I expect that the reason behind Manguso writing this novel the way that she did is to really show—as another reviewer mentions—how Jane has fallen in to autopilot: moving through the motions of marriage and daily life while feeling completely and utterly dejected. I found the lack of thought given to the character names—John, Jane (which we hear only a time or two), and “the child” as he is often referred to—an intriguing and brilliant choice. Jane is so in her own head constantly and I loved it.
This all just felt too real and, in parts, achingly familiar. I needed to remind myself a few times that this book is being classified as fiction and not non-fiction because it read very like a memoir on nuclear family and divorce. I could understand and empathize with the narrator’s pain and frustration while also understanding her reasons for wanting to stay in a hopeless marriage. It was heartbreaking to witness. My e-book is heavily annotated with astute observations of a failing marriage and a woman filled with rage.
Thank you NetGalley for my digital copy. Pick yours up when it's out on 07/23/2024.
rina1986_reads's review against another edition
This book reads like bullet points and I can't read another 88% of it like that!
bibliophiliac's review
dark
emotional
fast-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
4.0
dogsbooksandpizza's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.25
This book felt particularly suited for me as a divorced woman; I thought Manguso captured the rollercoaster of anger and justification that propels a marriage that is doomed. I really appreciated the stream of consciousness approach that vacillated from overwhelming love to boundless despair. I read it in two days and found it profoundly relatable. That being said, the organization was a bit strange for me, and I wondered why it was divided between such a long opening and a shorter ending. I’m sure it was intended to mirror elements of the plot, but I do think at least a few more chapter breaks would have been beneficial. I also felt like some areas in the middle were overly drawn out and repetitive and some parts in the end were rushed. However, overall it was a great and absorbing read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
jfoster1's review
5.0
I feel so lucky to have stumbled upon this unique, beautiful, highly memorable book. It was a pretty bleak read, but I couldn’t put it down because of Manguso’s lyrical writing style and her gift for arranging thoughts/paragraphs in a way that is downright haunting. This felt as real, detailed, and immersive as a memoir. I highlighted 41 quotes, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
niaamore's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
For all those heartbroken and divorced, you’re doing great, and you’re not alone.
Jane, a doe-eyed newly wed betting on a happy marriage, gets burned and finds herself in the process.
This story highlights the raw messy dark side of marriage. In a way, it brings comfort, and in others, it makes the reader uncomfortable to see pain and grief expressed in action. I highly recommend this book to any and all left heartbroken. If you have been burned, this book is for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for this ARC.
Jane, a doe-eyed newly wed betting on a happy marriage, gets burned and finds herself in the process.
This story highlights the raw messy dark side of marriage. In a way, it brings comfort, and in others, it makes the reader uncomfortable to see pain and grief expressed in action. I highly recommend this book to any and all left heartbroken. If you have been burned, this book is for you.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hogarth for this ARC.
casskrug's review
dark
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
thanks to hogarth for sending me a digital galley of this!
i really had to sit and think about how to talk about this one. it deals with marriage and motherhood - mainly trying to parent and maintain domestic life despite a failing marriage and the gaslighting and emotional abuse that came with it. this was a difficult read at times, not because it was poorly written, but because of the content - once we get past the rocky beginning of jane and john's relationship, we are faced with an account of john's wrongdoings throughout their marriage. it's a messy, fraught dynamic and the straightforward prose style really allows you to feel the pure emotion that manguso is evoking - i had a visceral reaction to this book. jane is dragged from city to city, unable to put down roots and establish a support system, because of john's constant job hopping. he shows active contempt for jane's successful writing career. he doesn't pull his weight in caring for their child and their home. it's heavy stuff, but you're propelled through the work by manguso's sparse, cutting prose. there are brief moments of happiness or laughter that cause jane to say that she's so glad that john is her husband, and i think it's a great example of her being a liar - lying to herself in order to cope with the situation.
amy main issue was the pacing: it wasn't always clear how much time was passing until a wedding anniversary or the child's birthday was mentioned. often i found that way more time had passed in the story than i had perceived, and that was a bit disorienting.
i saw someone else on goodreads compare this to a frozen woman by annie ernaux, and i would agree with that. i would say this is also for fans of my work by olga ravn, a life's work by rachel cusk, the dry heart by natalia ginzburg, first love by gwendoline riley, and drifts by kate zambreno.
i really had to sit and think about how to talk about this one. it deals with marriage and motherhood - mainly trying to parent and maintain domestic life despite a failing marriage and the gaslighting and emotional abuse that came with it. this was a difficult read at times, not because it was poorly written, but because of the content - once we get past the rocky beginning of jane and john's relationship, we are faced with an account of john's wrongdoings throughout their marriage. it's a messy, fraught dynamic and the straightforward prose style really allows you to feel the pure emotion that manguso is evoking - i had a visceral reaction to this book. jane is dragged from city to city, unable to put down roots and establish a support system, because of john's constant job hopping. he shows active contempt for jane's successful writing career. he doesn't pull his weight in caring for their child and their home. it's heavy stuff, but you're propelled through the work by manguso's sparse, cutting prose. there are brief moments of happiness or laughter that cause jane to say that she's so glad that john is her husband, and i think it's a great example of her being a liar - lying to herself in order to cope with the situation.
amy main issue was the pacing: it wasn't always clear how much time was passing until a wedding anniversary or the child's birthday was mentioned. often i found that way more time had passed in the story than i had perceived, and that was a bit disorienting.
i saw someone else on goodreads compare this to a frozen woman by annie ernaux, and i would agree with that. i would say this is also for fans of my work by olga ravn, a life's work by rachel cusk, the dry heart by natalia ginzburg, first love by gwendoline riley, and drifts by kate zambreno.
linipanini's review
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Let me tell you, I read this book in one sitting. This novel perfectly encapsulates the journey of a successful woman who falls in love with a man who won’t love her back, a woman he reduces into a babysitter and maid. I think we all settle at different points in our lives in the hope that our silence will earn us more love, when in reality settling traps us and eventually destroys us in feminine rage. Manguso’s stream-of-consciousness writing is stunning and immerses you in the story from the very beginning. I could not put this book down even if I tried. I’m so grateful to NetGalley and Hogarth for letting me read this ARC, and I can’t wait to purchase a copy for myself once it releases! Well done Sarah.
michbo's review
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Swallowed by motherhood and marriage, Jane juggles life as a wife, mother and writer. The novel focuses on her life with John and their son, and the downfall of her relationship with John, delivered though through almost diary-like entries of reflections of her days. It made for an interesting way to view their relationship, but took a little adjusting to when I first picked up the book.
Overall it was a tough but good read - uncomfortable content at times, but artfully written. It was pretty fast paced, mostly powered by Jane's palpable rage. The first half of the book or so had me hating everyone and internally shouting DIVORCE HIM every other paragraph, but that's sometimes how it is when you're painted a such a painful story about the burden of invisible labour and traditional gender roles in the home and hetero relationships in general. The Afterword section was cathartic.
The title of the novel and certain passages left me wondering whether how much the title was directed at John, and how much was shared by Jane, and I'm not sure exactly how to feel about that.
Best read when you're in the mood for something that will fire you up, if you can deal with the pity and sadness you feel at the same time. You for sure won't walk away without feeling something from this.
Overall it was a tough but good read - uncomfortable content at times, but artfully written. It was pretty fast paced, mostly powered by Jane's palpable rage. The first half of the book or so had me hating everyone and internally shouting DIVORCE HIM every other paragraph, but that's sometimes how it is when you're painted a such a painful story about the burden of invisible labour and traditional gender roles in the home and hetero relationships in general. The Afterword section was cathartic.
The title of the novel and certain passages left me wondering whether how much the title was directed at John, and how much was shared by Jane, and I'm not sure exactly how to feel about that.
Best read when you're in the mood for something that will fire you up, if you can deal with the pity and sadness you feel at the same time. You for sure won't walk away without feeling something from this.
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