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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
Mary Gaitskill you stare into my soul... TFW you finally meet someone who you think understands you and the only thing worse than realizing that they don't is realizing that they do, but not completely. Also love the Nabokov epigraph (and Justine's surname being Shade is presumably a Pale Fire shoutout) which also reminds me that Gaitskill has the correct Nabokov take: trying to imitate his prose makes you look stupid but he's still thrilling to read and can perhaps influence you in less obvious ways
"What he said bore no relation to what she felt, but she was seduced by the idea of herself prancing through his imagination as a tiny porn queen while the truth of what had happened lay safely hidden in a pocket of misunderstanding. At the same time, she felt a compulsion to make him understand her, and she was disconcerted to realize that the more he refused to do so, the more desperate the compulsion would become. 'Really,' she said, smiling. 'It wasn’t like that.' And she told the story again."
"What he said bore no relation to what she felt, but she was seduced by the idea of herself prancing through his imagination as a tiny porn queen while the truth of what had happened lay safely hidden in a pocket of misunderstanding. At the same time, she felt a compulsion to make him understand her, and she was disconcerted to realize that the more he refused to do so, the more desperate the compulsion would become. 'Really,' she said, smiling. 'It wasn’t like that.' And she told the story again."
Kind of clunky at the beginning, but really starts to take shape about a third of the way in. Interesting use of perspective (one 1st person narrator and one limited 3rd person). Interesting story about two women who figure out how to have a "real" relationship -- with each other. Great sex scenes and handling of sexual abuse issues.
Once this got going I found it very engaging. I particularly enjoyed her use of imagery. At times she reminded me of Henry James in this respect, though she is somewhat easier to follow ;)
This book was a bit too much of everything. Sometimes I really wanted to chuck it down (1 star), and I ended up skimming, and sometimes I was in awe of the writing, or at least how Gaitskill is able to get inside the heads of these women (not girls) (5 stars). It is her debut and a little flawed, but still worth reading and I would like to try more of her work but I probably need a little rest. Justine Shade (thin) interviews Dorothy Never (fat) for an article she's writing about novelist, cult-leader and philosopher, Anna Granite (a barely disguised Ayn Rand). They connect on some basic level and swap information about how they were abused in childhood. Gaitskill then takes us back in minute detail to the girls' earlier lives, and although I loved these sections, their lives began to blend with each other for me, so that I had to keep reminding myself who was who. I also just wasn't that interested in Granite / Rand. So, hmm, what should I try next by Gaitskill?
for those who appreciate Ayn Rand shitposting, chewy metaphor, and the 1974 children’s novel Blubber by Judy Blume
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence
A novel that is thinly veiled story about Ayn Rand.
she is so amazing. when i read her books i feel very appreciative that good writers exist and reminded of why reading will always be my number one hobby/interest/passion.
Very ahead-of-its-time in her treatment of Ayn Rand and her influence on US body politic, and in parts great writing, but the long, long backstory detracts from the story.