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A review by carojust
Parade by Rachel Cusk
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Rachel Cusk's writing inspires a unique feeling in me. "Second Place" felt like I was floating. "Parade" feels shapeless, a cycle of trying to find itself.
This book is a series of philosophical studies on the demands of art, children and marriage, their overlapping conflicts, and the greater conflict of sacrificing self. The overlap creates many selves, and Cusk says this literally while also illustrating it through different artists all named G, and a general "we" in some narratives. As I read this book, it felt like I was watching the author justify herself as a writer, and her decision to become a mother, though ending in a kind of fatalistic mourning.
As some have said, this book vacillates between clarity and obscurity, and you're left fighting for meaning. You need to be in the mood for something experimental and challenging, with an open mind for interpretation. With that said, I want to read this again in a better mindset.
TW:The one gay character is associated with pedophilia -- what is the point of this? There's also another mention of a father being investigated for photos of his daughter being shared. This disturbed me in its incongruity to the rest of the book, and I don't see how it was necessary.
This book is a series of philosophical studies on the demands of art, children and marriage, their overlapping conflicts, and the greater conflict of sacrificing self. The overlap creates many selves, and Cusk says this literally while also illustrating it through different artists all named G, and a general "we" in some narratives. As I read this book, it felt like I was watching the author justify herself as a writer, and her decision to become a mother, though ending in a kind of fatalistic mourning.
As some have said, this book vacillates between clarity and obscurity, and you're left fighting for meaning. You need to be in the mood for something experimental and challenging, with an open mind for interpretation. With that said, I want to read this again in a better mindset.
TW:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Death of parent