A review by m_sotos
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan

  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I have recently been in a reading slump and have been doing something I hate to do, which is starting and stopping books, as I have felt initially disinterested and unable to fully invest in any plots or characters. Until this book! From the very first scene, the distinct and honest voice of the unnamed protagonist/narrator immediately captured me. In chronicling her relationship with Ciaran in all its blunt complexities, ‘Acts of Desperation’ explores the intricacies of attachment and desire. It questions how and why we love, how our relationships with others reflect back on ourselves, and the capacity that love - or even the idea of love - has to warp and change who we ourselves are. I very much appreciated the narrator’s un-sanitized account of desire’s capacity to create/augment ugliness and externalise previously internalised violence. It focuses on the individuals’ experiences while also speaking to more general experiences of womanhood/girlhood. Loved it! Will definitely be looking out for more from this author!
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