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A review by claire_luna
The Blindfold by Siri Hustvedt
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
This book clearly came to me at the wrong moment. Had it been a longer book I probably would not have finished it, but as it was only around 200 pages I thought I'd read to the end. And to be fair, it was a beautifully written read, and there were certain themes, such a fragmented identity that I found intriguing. I think if I had read this for a university course I would have been able to grapple with it more meaningfully, but as it was, I felt like I was reading that almost cliched "middle-aged-man-has-affair" type classic, albeit from a female (feminist?) perspective. I found the main character, Iris, compelling, but she also felt like a palimpsest of many other characters I've read before. If I'd read it with the intention of analyzing it, of picking apart the complex imagery and themes then I think it would have been a more engaging experience, but at this moment in time it wasn't what I'm looking for.
Moderate: Body horror, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Drug use, Violence, and Sexual assault