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A review by amandagstevens
Women Talking by Miriam Toews
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.
I just don't buy any of this. I think I understand the reason for the character of August Epp serving as narrator ("minutes-taker") despite the title. Using a male narrator in a story like this could have worked as a brilliant piece of irony, an added layer of the women's lack of agency. Trouble is, I don't believe August's voice at all. He doesn't sound like a human being; he sounds like a literary device. In fact every character here sounds like a device, a carefully varied "talking head."
I've gotten so much more critical of litfic over the years. I used to gobble any and all of it in an attempt to make myself literary. These days, if I can sense the author over my shoulder, nudging and murmuring "Did you see what I did there? Do you get it? Do you?" I put the book down. I'm not sure if this sense is something I've developed over the years, or if I've always had it and simply have lost my tolerance for authors who do it. If an author doesn't trust the reader, then I don't trust the author either...and I put the book down.
I've gotten so much more critical of litfic over the years. I used to gobble any and all of it in an attempt to make myself literary. These days, if I can sense the author over my shoulder, nudging and murmuring "Did you see what I did there? Do you get it? Do you?" I put the book down. I'm not sure if this sense is something I've developed over the years, or if I've always had it and simply have lost my tolerance for authors who do it. If an author doesn't trust the reader, then I don't trust the author either...and I put the book down.