A review by jayisreading
Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson

emotional reflective slow-paced

3.75

I have some familiarity with Carson’s other works, but this is the first time I sat down to read Autobiography of Red, and… I have to admit that I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. It felt like something was missing… I couldn’t tell you what, though. And maybe that’s why it’s so hard to write a proper review for this book, because I’m trying to find the words to properly describe how I felt while reading this. I certainly felt the melancholy and yearning that softly came and went. I also appreciated the particular tenderness of most lines. Sometimes, it was what was being described that was tender, but oftentimes, I felt it was the word choice that created a dreamlike space; mythical, even, which makes sense, considering the way Carson reimagined one of many ancient Greek myths. I also say dreamlike in the sense that it doesn’t feel as though this is happening in real life— Occasionally, there are nightmarish elements that appear as Geryon acknowledges his trauma that Carson explores with grace. It also helps that Carson has a particular lyricism that’s alluring and tugs at your heartstrings.

I think one minor(ish) gripe that I have about this book is that I have really mixed feelings about coming-of-age narratives where trauma/abuse shapes the protagonist, which doesn’t happen quite explicitly in Autobiography of Red, but there are elements of it that appear here and there that remind me of this “trope,” if you will.

Ultimately, I feel that this is one of those novels that needs to be read more than once to have a better grasp and understanding of what Carson is presenting. I think then I’ll find whatever that piece is that made this seem somewhat incomplete.
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