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A review by floralfox
The Hunters: Two Short Novels by Claire Messud, Claire Messud
4.0
truly a 3.5 rating but rounded up. the stories are good, but can be convoluted by the long winded comma-ridden sentences (several times I had to reread sentences--more than once!--because I would forget the subject) and unnecessary word choices that distract from the stories.
in the first, maria, a housekeeper, reflects on "the end" as she realizes her longtime employer-slash-friend is nearing death and can no longer care for herself. this prompts a reflection of her life as a frivolous ukrainian girl in labor camps in wwii to her status as displaced person in canada, and the quiet love story that blossoms with lev. their son, effortlessly canadian, falls in love with a woman who maria thinks is "not a nice girl" and the chasm between first and second generation immigrant parent and child widens. all of maria's hurts: the loss of lev, the widening gap in her relationship with her son, being the least favorite grandmother, the way her daughter in law refers to her as a DP, the obsessive way she cleans and preserves her house (thunk plastic coverings on everything she uses, making her home a place her own family can't feel comfortable in when they visit)--all of these hurts are discussed but not over examined and that's where they resonate with me, the way people silently carry on. the story ends when maria can realize that she has been, in other ways, holding herself back from carrying on and buys herself a painting. a simple story, but somehow still captivating.
the hunters is too complicated to type out a review for one my phone... must be done later.
in the first, maria, a housekeeper, reflects on "the end" as she realizes her longtime employer-slash-friend is nearing death and can no longer care for herself. this prompts a reflection of her life as a frivolous ukrainian girl in labor camps in wwii to her status as displaced person in canada, and the quiet love story that blossoms with lev. their son, effortlessly canadian, falls in love with a woman who maria thinks is "not a nice girl" and the chasm between first and second generation immigrant parent and child widens. all of maria's hurts: the loss of lev, the widening gap in her relationship with her son, being the least favorite grandmother, the way her daughter in law refers to her as a DP, the obsessive way she cleans and preserves her house (thunk plastic coverings on everything she uses, making her home a place her own family can't feel comfortable in when they visit)--all of these hurts are discussed but not over examined and that's where they resonate with me, the way people silently carry on. the story ends when maria can realize that she has been, in other ways, holding herself back from carrying on and buys herself a painting. a simple story, but somehow still captivating.
the hunters is too complicated to type out a review for one my phone... must be done later.