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A review by ryankelly
The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton
4.0
Name dropping The Secret History in a book's blurb is a dangerous game to play. I would not say that Tara Isabella Burton's book is entirely comparable-- even if just to avoid all the obnoxious The Secret History devotees who will come out of the woodwork to trash talk anything that isn't literally a copy of The Secret History. Because The World Cannot Give is not some kind of gender swapped The Secret History, and it does not try to be, either.
The World Cannot Give was a really poignant meditation on the red hot grip of teenage obsession and toxic relationship dynamics. Our main character and narrator, Laura Stearns, lives her life propelled by her fixations. At the beginning of the book, her only concern is getting into St. Dunstan's, where her favorite author Sebastian Webster wrote his magnum opus. "Favorite author" doesn't begin to cover it-- Laura worships Webster, and cannot seem to fathom that he might be at all problematic. Laura is sort of annoying, stuck-up, and extremely weak-willed. But this is what makes her endearing to me-- I think most people reading this book were annoying and stuck-up in high school. Not in a bad way, because I was too; I am trying to challenge criticisms of Laura's character as some kind of totally unsympathetic bourgeois brat. Laura, whether we like it or not, is a relatable and very flawed character. She is not some noble heroine who wants to do the right thing at all costs. She does not make the right choices, and she does not attach herself to the right people. That's what propels Burton's book, and I think it was an excellent choice.
Within the world of St. Dunstan's, all other relationships fall by the wayside when one meets Virginia Strauss. Laura meets Virginia early on, and is infatuated from the get-- the sort of psuedo-sapphic (or maybe totally gay), intense interpersonal obsession that teen girls tend to suffer from. Laura does not bother to make any other friends, except some of the boys who also follow Virginia as if the very air she breathes is intoxicating. But at the same time, they don't like her very much. Virginia, too, is unpleasant. She is extraordinarily vain, insecure, emotionally cold, and suffers from a secret yet obvious eating disorder shrouded in religion.
Virginia is something of a holy figure to Laura and, at first, the boys-- until they find a way to publicly strip her of her dignity and, therefore, much of her power. Which, in retrospect, was a huge mistake on their part. After this, a seemingly small convergence of events precipitates the honestly grisly, tragic ending of the book. While part of me wishes there had been more insight into Virginia's inner life, I also think it's powerful that we really do come at it from Laura's point of view. Laura sees what she wants to see (aka nothing) and, in the end, she is just as horrified as the reader.
That said, I still feel it was a bit abrupt, which is one of my few complaints.
Final note: my Catholic upbringing definitely had bearing on my understanding of certain dynamics, traditions, and devotions in Burton's book, which was a little bonus treat for me. Like, oh, the Magnificat?? I was BORN reciting the Magnificat. Me and Mary are besties.
I'll say that The World Cannot Give is about a 4 out of 5 stars. The writing style wasn't fully my jam, I wanted more detail and world building, and the ending felt abrupt. But I did like the book, especially the dynamics it explored and the tinge of religion sans any proselytizing.
The World Cannot Give was a really poignant meditation on the red hot grip of teenage obsession and toxic relationship dynamics. Our main character and narrator, Laura Stearns, lives her life propelled by her fixations. At the beginning of the book, her only concern is getting into St. Dunstan's, where her favorite author Sebastian Webster wrote his magnum opus. "Favorite author" doesn't begin to cover it-- Laura worships Webster, and cannot seem to fathom that he might be at all problematic. Laura is sort of annoying, stuck-up, and extremely weak-willed. But this is what makes her endearing to me-- I think most people reading this book were annoying and stuck-up in high school. Not in a bad way, because I was too; I am trying to challenge criticisms of Laura's character as some kind of totally unsympathetic bourgeois brat. Laura, whether we like it or not, is a relatable and very flawed character. She is not some noble heroine who wants to do the right thing at all costs. She does not make the right choices, and she does not attach herself to the right people. That's what propels Burton's book, and I think it was an excellent choice.
Within the world of St. Dunstan's, all other relationships fall by the wayside when one meets Virginia Strauss. Laura meets Virginia early on, and is infatuated from the get-- the sort of psuedo-sapphic (or maybe totally gay), intense interpersonal obsession that teen girls tend to suffer from. Laura does not bother to make any other friends, except some of the boys who also follow Virginia as if the very air she breathes is intoxicating. But at the same time, they don't like her very much. Virginia, too, is unpleasant. She is extraordinarily vain, insecure, emotionally cold, and suffers from a secret yet obvious eating disorder shrouded in religion.
Virginia is something of a holy figure to Laura and, at first, the boys-- until they find a way to publicly strip her of her dignity and, therefore, much of her power. Which, in retrospect, was a huge mistake on their part. After this, a seemingly small convergence of events precipitates the honestly grisly, tragic ending of the book. While part of me wishes there had been more insight into Virginia's inner life, I also think it's powerful that we really do come at it from Laura's point of view. Laura sees what she wants to see (aka nothing) and, in the end, she is just as horrified as the reader.
That said, I still feel it was a bit abrupt, which is one of my few complaints.
Final note: my Catholic upbringing definitely had bearing on my understanding of certain dynamics, traditions, and devotions in Burton's book, which was a little bonus treat for me. Like, oh, the Magnificat?? I was BORN reciting the Magnificat. Me and Mary are besties.
I'll say that The World Cannot Give is about a 4 out of 5 stars. The writing style wasn't fully my jam, I wanted more detail and world building, and the ending felt abrupt. But I did like the book, especially the dynamics it explored and the tinge of religion sans any proselytizing.