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A review by lesleymac18
The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald
5.0
*There aren't REALLY spoilers in here but for some context, some parts of the plot are mentioned* This read of The Way the Crow Flies was my second or third read-through, and I'm glad that I read it again because I'm at a very different place in life as an adult than I was when I read previously, and my perspective on it changed a lot, and I also definitely blocked some things entirely out, which makes sense given the content. But oddly - despite forgetting a lot of the story - I've told many people throughout the years that this was one of my favourite books. So obviously it brought out really strong feelings in me that perhaps I couldn't identify entirely on the first read. If you can believe it, I first read this book as a 14-year-old, possibly 13! Yikes. (I was reading well above my grade level and my parents were very bad at censoring what I chose, LOL). Now for the actual content: I love the Canadiana landscape that MacDonald paints throughout the novel, and as someone who was born well after the Cold War (but had parents who lived through the
The 60s, '70s, '80s, etc.) her descriptions of their home lives, their friends, their inner monologues, and even their clothing, created a time capsule in my mind's eye of an era and place I'll never be able to experience as a Canadian, yet I felt like I was there. The way the book delves into father-daughter relationships and the subtle hints of her lesbianism (you can catch it really early if you can relate to some of Madaline's inner thoughts yourself...lol) are what make this book such a strong emotional read to me. Molestation and murder of a child are hard topics to cover, and there are some detailed sexual assault scenes in the book that are uncomfortable, so be sure you're prepared to read that element before you pick it up. I agree with many other reviews (though some are quite dramatic about it and I do not think it was THAT bad) that the book slows towards the end when we are seeing life in the '80s with Madaline as a 30+-year-old, but I would argue that the way in which she depicts her processing her grief and trauma is quite accurate, it takes time. That, and I get the vibe from some reviews that there's a bit of internal bias happening in regards to being disinterested in reading about the adult life of a lesbian...ahem. I personally really enjoyed reading about her life, career, and relationships. So, the slower pace of the tail end of the book was not bad enough to take away my stellar 5-star rating. There is also quite a major twist at the end and while you may feel confident in your ability to play "whodunnit" and win, the reveal may surprise (and sicken) you.
The 60s, '70s, '80s, etc.) her descriptions of their home lives, their friends, their inner monologues, and even their clothing, created a time capsule in my mind's eye of an era and place I'll never be able to experience as a Canadian, yet I felt like I was there. The way the book delves into father-daughter relationships and the subtle hints of her lesbianism (you can catch it really early if you can relate to some of Madaline's inner thoughts yourself...lol) are what make this book such a strong emotional read to me. Molestation and murder of a child are hard topics to cover, and there are some detailed sexual assault scenes in the book that are uncomfortable, so be sure you're prepared to read that element before you pick it up. I agree with many other reviews (though some are quite dramatic about it and I do not think it was THAT bad) that the book slows towards the end when we are seeing life in the '80s with Madaline as a 30+-year-old, but I would argue that the way in which she depicts her processing her grief and trauma is quite accurate, it takes time. That, and I get the vibe from some reviews that there's a bit of internal bias happening in regards to being disinterested in reading about the adult life of a lesbian...ahem. I personally really enjoyed reading about her life, career, and relationships. So, the slower pace of the tail end of the book was not bad enough to take away my stellar 5-star rating. There is also quite a major twist at the end and while you may feel confident in your ability to play "whodunnit" and win, the reveal may surprise (and sicken) you.