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A review by gorgeousgirl
Acts of Service by Lillian Fishman
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
reads as an extremely MFA production. it thinks it is very revolutionary and cutting by virtue of having q*eer women in the story but it's not.
none of the women are solid, they each represent a misogynistic stereotype. Romi is nurturing, Olivia is obsessive and yielding + both are selfless in this. is Eve transgressive bcz she is selfish? nope! bcz the narrative reduces her to be at her core, only vain. and Fatima, presumably a woman of colour, with Muslim? implications, is a spiritual guide/ sounding board for the more "interesting" + "complex" white woman best friend that Eve is. bcz Fatima is simple, right? there was a line early on about her attracting loyal, uncomplicated men, as the racialized woman wants and does, with her simple, "essential" (re: bioessentialist) desires.
i don't understand what important questions this book believes it is asking. can q*eer women's existence NOT revolve around a manipulative, self-absorbed cishet white man? apparently the answer is fuck no! like Ottessa Moshfegh's work, i think this is a book that claims to be fresh, with its trappings of "wokeness"🤮, but ultimately represents only the ideas of the old guard. bcz a bisexual woman will be confused, disloyal, and want only base pleasures. the things her father tells her are "easy." her concerns about contradictions of identity/privilege are shown to be foolish, and the status quo (Nathan) is proven right and rewarded continually. so "acts of service" are understood to be the dangerous manipulations of a powerful man. which as a young gay woman, it's best for you to submit to him. very disappointed
none of the women are solid, they each represent a misogynistic stereotype. Romi is nurturing, Olivia is obsessive and yielding + both are selfless in this. is Eve transgressive bcz she is selfish? nope! bcz the narrative reduces her to be at her core, only vain. and Fatima, presumably a woman of colour, with Muslim? implications, is a spiritual guide/ sounding board for the more "interesting" + "complex" white woman best friend that Eve is. bcz Fatima is simple, right? there was a line early on about her attracting loyal, uncomplicated men, as the racialized woman wants and does, with her simple, "essential" (re: bioessentialist) desires.
i don't understand what important questions this book believes it is asking. can q*eer women's existence NOT revolve around a manipulative, self-absorbed cishet white man? apparently the answer is fuck no! like Ottessa Moshfegh's work, i think this is a book that claims to be fresh, with its trappings of "wokeness"🤮, but ultimately represents only the ideas of the old guard. bcz a bisexual woman will be confused, disloyal, and want only base pleasures. the things her father tells her are "easy." her concerns about contradictions of identity/privilege are shown to be foolish, and the status quo (Nathan) is proven right and rewarded continually. so "acts of service" are understood to be the dangerous manipulations of a powerful man. which as a young gay woman, it's best for you to submit to him. very disappointed
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Gaslighting