Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Reeling by Lola Lafon

1 review

woundsdrawflies's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Fully competent novel with a very intelligent and empathetic portrayal organized sexual exploitation of young girls.
Held back by the — to me — utterly baffling decision to have the main character marry an incredibly bland man who apparently mainly belittles her, and be fixed through this + having his baby. You could make the argument that she is deliberately recloseting herself and choosing the apparent stability of heteronormativity in exchange for an unfulfilling relationship and inauthentic life, but I'm not so sure that this was the intention — it would make for a very bleak ending in which Cleo never escapes the pressures that led to her abuse, and finds herself in quite a similar situation to where she was back then. Think of her husband telling her she should consider quitting her career so she can relax during the birth of their child, directly calling back to what her abusers told her while assaulting her.


I read the English translation by Hildegarde Serle, which I've heard does to a degree lose the fine touches of the original, possibly influencing my opinion. It is still perfectly serviceable, but I would recommend reading the original French over the translation, if possible.
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