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A review by sashasimine
Cackle by Rachel Harrison
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This is not a good book, and I feel as gaslight by Sophie and Rachel as Annie is throughout. I am so concerned by the apparent moral of the story that it is empowering and a good thing for female independence to a) be fully dependent on a manipulative friend and b) to terrorize the local townspeople who have been kind to you!
Spoilers below:
It appears that we are meant to believe that Sophie is not the villain of the story when she so obviously is. This book has been touted as a feminist and empowering novel as it shows how Annie has become more independent through a montage of her gaining "independent life skills" and eventually confronting Sophie, saying "I can make my own decisions. Even if they're bad decisions, Sophie. They're mine to make. Not yours" (Harrison 262). However, it is damaging to a feminist cause and argument by presenting self-empowerment at the cost of your relationship with others. One of the most confusing aspects of this book is how Rachel managed to write it while believing it is a feminist novel. I cannot comprehend how the reveal at the end that Lynn "has agreed to let [Annie] have the downstairs" apartment so she can start remodeling, can be interpreted as anything other than an unkind, egotistical, power-hungry person taking all she can from innocent folks (Harrison 284). Furthermore, Annie completely follows in Sophie's footsteps including essentially selecting Madison as prey to alienate her from any friends and family she might have had or could potentially have had as she goes through her own breakup. We're expected to believe this is a "good thing" and is Annie taking Madison under her wing to receive the same treatment she did from Sophie, implying that Sophie's treatment is positive.
In no particular order, there is so much more that needs to be discussed: such as the glorification of "wine mom" alcoholism, the conflation of independence and intimidation, Ralph's spying and his extension of Sophie's manipulation, the beauty standards in the book, the avoidance of any discussion of mental health, the way Sophie purposefully isolates Annie, Annie being a terrible teacher, the queerbaiting(!!!), the glorification of capitalism (Sophie is a landlord!!) and just to wrap it all up in a bow, the way that it appears that most people do not see these faults in the book is the actual horror.
The fact that most people are reading this book as Rachel means so many people can't see how problematic everything highlighted above is. In a way, I have never felt more hopeless about the state of the world.
Spoilers below:
It appears that we are meant to believe that Sophie is not the villain of the story when she so obviously is. This book has been touted as a feminist and empowering novel as it shows how Annie has become more independent through a montage of her gaining "independent life skills" and eventually confronting Sophie, saying "I can make my own decisions. Even if they're bad decisions, Sophie. They're mine to make. Not yours" (Harrison 262). However, it is damaging to a feminist cause and argument by presenting self-empowerment at the cost of your relationship with others. One of the most confusing aspects of this book is how Rachel managed to write it while believing it is a feminist novel. I cannot comprehend how the reveal at the end that Lynn "has agreed to let [Annie] have the downstairs" apartment so she can start remodeling, can be interpreted as anything other than an unkind, egotistical, power-hungry person taking all she can from innocent folks (Harrison 284). Furthermore, Annie completely follows in Sophie's footsteps including essentially selecting Madison as prey to alienate her from any friends and family she might have had or could potentially have had as she goes through her own breakup. We're expected to believe this is a "good thing" and is Annie taking Madison under her wing to receive the same treatment she did from Sophie, implying that Sophie's treatment is positive.
In no particular order, there is so much more that needs to be discussed: such as the glorification of "wine mom" alcoholism, the conflation of independence and intimidation, Ralph's spying and his extension of Sophie's manipulation, the beauty standards in the book, the avoidance of any discussion of mental health, the way Sophie purposefully isolates Annie, Annie being a terrible teacher, the queerbaiting(!!!), the glorification of capitalism (Sophie is a landlord!!) and just to wrap it all up in a bow, the way that it appears that most people do not see these faults in the book is the actual horror.
The fact that most people are reading this book as Rachel means so many people can't see how problematic everything highlighted above is. In a way, I have never felt more hopeless about the state of the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism