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A review by abij
The Fetishist by Katherine Min
Pleased to say that I enjoyed this offbeat novel and found it compulsively readable.
Min has written a confronting and unique story about a young woman trying to get revenge on the man that she believes drove her mother to commit suicide. The writing delves into the lives of several characters, and explores themes of fetishism (obviously) and chronic illness.
I appreciated the way the author kept the momentum of the story line by jumping between different characters and places in time, but would have appreciated more time spent with some of the characters that were explored less than others.
Initially I was confused by the route that the story took, and then was pleasantly surprised when I remembered the Author's Note that is included at the beginning. Min’s introduction (alongside those last two excellent chapters of the novel) changes the entire narrative and meaning of the events, as she warns that the story is a fairytale of sorts, and that every story has a happy ending depending on where you put the ending. I won't say anything else - in order to avoid the risk of spoilers - but the author's sometimes scathing wit, as well as her excellent framing of the narrative, really made for a unique novel that kept me thinking about it long after reading it.
Min has written a confronting and unique story about a young woman trying to get revenge on the man that she believes drove her mother to commit suicide. The writing delves into the lives of several characters, and explores themes of fetishism (obviously) and chronic illness.
I appreciated the way the author kept the momentum of the story line by jumping between different characters and places in time, but would have appreciated more time spent with some of the characters that were explored less than others.
Initially I was confused by the route that the story took, and then was pleasantly surprised when I remembered the Author's Note that is included at the beginning. Min’s introduction (alongside those last two excellent chapters of the novel) changes the entire narrative and meaning of the events, as she warns that the story is a fairytale of sorts, and that every story has a happy ending depending on where you put the ending. I won't say anything else - in order to avoid the risk of spoilers - but the author's sometimes scathing wit, as well as her excellent framing of the narrative, really made for a unique novel that kept me thinking about it long after reading it.