molly_hn 's review for:

Sexing The Cherry by Jeanette Winterson
4.75
adventurous dark funny inspiring fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
In her unique way Winterson explores sex, feminism, love, violence, environmentalism, politics, history and time through the lens of multiple characters, including those familiar to us in history and fairytale. What unfolds is a naturalistic and dynamic exploration of the meaning of life and of subjectivity. There is a Moulin-Rouge (film) chaos to what is a deeply philosophical offering. At first I found it difficult to get into this wild writing style where the reader is forced to suspend disbelief and tolerate not just the magical and fantastical but the unreliability(?)/creative license/exaggeration of narrators. The positive of this is that the characters develop strong voices and despite their sometimes abhorrent actions (although whether they took place or are fantasies we can never be sure) I came to love them dearly, waiting for the return of their voices. The exploration of time’s fluidity was beautifully done. In some ways I wish that final section could have been incorporated into more of the novel but I also think that it’s scarcity is it’s merit. I have come away with plenty of underlined passages and a lot to think about! 
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