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A review by thebookishfeminist
It Is Wood, It Is Stone by Gabriella Burnham
5.0
Gabriella Burnham's "It Is Wood, It Is Stone" is a scintillating debut novel. We follow Linda and her husband, Dennis, as they move from the United States to Brazil for Dennis' work as a professor. Linda was feeling restless and unsatisfied with her relationship to Dennis prior to their arrival in Brazil, but she thinks of Brazil as a kind of second chance or clean slate for them. Unsurprisingly, the discontent she'd been feeling does not dissolve when they arrive in Sao Paolo but rather bubble up to the surface. She's left alone in their apartment all day and begins to sink into depression and anxiety. Her relationship with the housekeeper, Marta, is one of the only thing that grounds her during this time.
She meets Celia, by whom she is immediately intrigued and captivated. Celia changes the trajectory of Linda's experience in Brazil as she finds a friend, finds a more adventurous and confident piece of herself, and ultimately has a better understanding of what she wants and needs from her relationship. We also get to know Celia and Marta, and that's something I appreciated very much about "It Is Wood, It Is Stone." Burnham does an incredible job of immersing us in Linda's world, showing us nuanced elements of Brazilian and Sao Paolo culture (Brazil acts at once as a setting and almost a character in and of itself), and employs second person, which is quite unique.
I loved the way she let us delve into not only some of Celia's inner world but also Marta's. There is an entire section of the book dedicated to what Linda learns about Marta during an intimate conversation the two of them have. I thought this was remarkable, because so often in captivating novels, we learn just enough about supporting characters to want to know more but we never actually GET more. In "It Is Wood, It Is Stone," we get the chance to know and understand much more about a full range of characters than many authors are able to share in such a concise book.
The writing is powerful and effective, with the pace never slacking; my interest was pretty consistently maintained throughout the whole book. I also have a great deal of respect for a writer who can convey such a rich story and several sidelines in such few pages while not creating a text that feels haphazard or underdeveloped. Burnham really created a masterpiece with "It Is Wood, It Is Stone," and I'm excited to get a physical copy of it when it's released! There were relatable characters, a vivid setting, just enough challenges and conflicts to make things interesting but not so many or such dramatic ones that they felt contrived, and a fascinating exploration of intersectional identities, power, privilege, sex, status, and self. I'd highly recommend "It Is Wood, It Is Stone"!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance e-copy.
She meets Celia, by whom she is immediately intrigued and captivated. Celia changes the trajectory of Linda's experience in Brazil as she finds a friend, finds a more adventurous and confident piece of herself, and ultimately has a better understanding of what she wants and needs from her relationship. We also get to know Celia and Marta, and that's something I appreciated very much about "It Is Wood, It Is Stone." Burnham does an incredible job of immersing us in Linda's world, showing us nuanced elements of Brazilian and Sao Paolo culture (Brazil acts at once as a setting and almost a character in and of itself), and employs second person, which is quite unique.
I loved the way she let us delve into not only some of Celia's inner world but also Marta's. There is an entire section of the book dedicated to what Linda learns about Marta during an intimate conversation the two of them have. I thought this was remarkable, because so often in captivating novels, we learn just enough about supporting characters to want to know more but we never actually GET more. In "It Is Wood, It Is Stone," we get the chance to know and understand much more about a full range of characters than many authors are able to share in such a concise book.
The writing is powerful and effective, with the pace never slacking; my interest was pretty consistently maintained throughout the whole book. I also have a great deal of respect for a writer who can convey such a rich story and several sidelines in such few pages while not creating a text that feels haphazard or underdeveloped. Burnham really created a masterpiece with "It Is Wood, It Is Stone," and I'm excited to get a physical copy of it when it's released! There were relatable characters, a vivid setting, just enough challenges and conflicts to make things interesting but not so many or such dramatic ones that they felt contrived, and a fascinating exploration of intersectional identities, power, privilege, sex, status, and self. I'd highly recommend "It Is Wood, It Is Stone"!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance e-copy.