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annemaries_shelves's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 stars
I have to say that I when I started this novel, I wasn't expecting the theme of motherhood and all its complexities to be the story's driving force (it's not mentioned in the blurb). While it's not my favourite theme/topic to read about personally, Piñeiro's writing was just as lovely as Elena Knows.
Our main character, Mary/Marilé/Maria Elena, was oftentimes irritating to me - partly because she (both the author and character) intentionally maintains this distance due to her grief and it made it hard to sympathize with her (prior to knowing for sure what caused said grief).
All this said, I appreciated how Piñeiro explored motherhood in the context of Argentinian society, the judgemental and difficult social relationships between upper-class mothers, power-imbalanced marriages, and how grief can drive a person to extremes. The focus on grief was the strongest part of the novel, and it really shone when Maria let herself process those emotions properly. That said, all the crying and blurred contacts annoyed me (the blurred contacts have to be the most annoying metaphor to me now). The discussions around how traumatic events (no matter how responsible we may be) can affect us forever, causing chronic emotional pain and grief, and how we can allow healing or prevent ourselves from healing was impactful. Sometimes it's a little too direct/overt, but Piñeiro leaves a lot of food for thought in her novel.
Overall, I'm glad I read this. I'm still looking forward to reading more of Piñeiro's works, though this one didn't land as much for me personally.
I noted a lot of good quotes in this book, but here's two that stood out to me during my final reading session:
"'Yes, I do: a woman damaged,' Robert answered. 'Not a woman destroyed, like in Simone de Beauvoir's book, just a woman damaged.' 'And is that better or worse?' I asked. 'It's much better,' said Robert. 'Why?' 'Because damage can be repaired, wounds sewn up, scars healed. Something that's broken is harder to repair, it's often better to just replace it. But something that's simply damaged can be fixed. There's hope that it can be restored, I'm not saying always back to it's original state, but good enough to keep going. Maybe slower, weaker, but still going. ... What happened, the events in themselves, can't be fixed. They've already happened, there's not changing them. They will always be there. In your past. But today, tomorrow, next year, all depend on how you live and what you do as you move on. The damage is done, the pain is there, but the paths you choose will determine what's to come. You can't erase the pain, but you can it into something you're able to tolerate a little more every day, that's always with you but that allows you to carry on.'" Page 164-165
"Maybe some people simply aren't wired for happiness. Some of us, when we feel joy circling close, fly into a state of panic. And we'll do whatever it takes to avoid it, to push it out of our path before it descends on us. Because we'd have no idea what to do with that happiness, how to make it fit inside our bodies so that we can continue moving forward. For some of us, unease, not happiness is the only habitat in which we feel we can survive." Page 172
I have to say that I when I started this novel, I wasn't expecting the theme of motherhood and all its complexities to be the story's driving force (it's not mentioned in the blurb). While it's not my favourite theme/topic to read about personally, Piñeiro's writing was just as lovely as Elena Knows.
Our main character, Mary/Marilé/Maria Elena, was oftentimes irritating to me - partly because she (both the author and character) intentionally maintains this distance due to her grief and it made it hard to sympathize with her (prior to knowing for sure what caused said grief).
All this said, I appreciated how Piñeiro explored motherhood in the context of Argentinian society, the judgemental and difficult social relationships between upper-class mothers, power-imbalanced marriages, and how grief can drive a person to extremes. The focus on grief was the strongest part of the novel, and it really shone when Maria let herself process those emotions properly. That said, all the crying and blurred contacts annoyed me (the blurred contacts have to be the most annoying metaphor to me now). The discussions around how traumatic events (no matter how responsible we may be) can affect us forever, causing chronic emotional pain and grief, and how we can allow healing or prevent ourselves from healing was impactful. Sometimes it's a little too direct/overt, but Piñeiro leaves a lot of food for thought in her novel.
Overall, I'm glad I read this. I'm still looking forward to reading more of Piñeiro's works, though this one didn't land as much for me personally.
I noted a lot of good quotes in this book, but here's two that stood out to me during my final reading session:
"'Yes, I do: a woman damaged,' Robert answered. 'Not a woman destroyed, like in Simone de Beauvoir's book, just a woman damaged.' 'And is that better or worse?' I asked. 'It's much better,' said Robert. 'Why?' 'Because damage can be repaired, wounds sewn up, scars healed. Something that's broken is harder to repair, it's often better to just replace it. But something that's simply damaged can be fixed. There's hope that it can be restored, I'm not saying always back to it's original state, but good enough to keep going. Maybe slower, weaker, but still going. ... What happened, the events in themselves, can't be fixed. They've already happened, there's not changing them. They will always be there. In your past. But today, tomorrow, next year, all depend on how you live and what you do as you move on. The damage is done, the pain is there, but the paths you choose will determine what's to come. You can't erase the pain, but you can it into something you're able to tolerate a little more every day, that's always with you but that allows you to carry on.'" Page 164-165
"Maybe some people simply aren't wired for happiness. Some of us, when we feel joy circling close, fly into a state of panic. And we'll do whatever it takes to avoid it, to push it out of our path before it descends on us. Because we'd have no idea what to do with that happiness, how to make it fit inside our bodies so that we can continue moving forward. For some of us, unease, not happiness is the only habitat in which we feel we can survive." Page 172
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Car accident
Minor: Emotional abuse and Cancer
molly_readss's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Misogyny, Blood, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Abortion, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Chronic illness, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, and Toxic relationship
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