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A review by taylorthiel
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
5.0
Probably a 4.5 but I’m rounding up.
The very first thing I want to address is a review that said that the narrator was condescending. I could not disagree more. Yes, a lot of name dropping of the canon. But I didn’t feel like a came from needing to claim superiority, I feel like it came from a place of genuine insecurity. Aaliya spent the entire book trying to prove she had value. Truly, I felt sorry for her in her self-imposed isolation. Which made the ending all the more satisfying. The motivation rambling also made sense to me in regard to. Aaliya’s age. It makes sense that an old woman would spend time reminiscing on her life, and that she also might get distracted.
But maybe I’m just the target market for a book about an OCD 72 year old Arab woman.
The final sentiments of female friendship and the love of literature and the arts is what made this book for me. It was also comforting as someone who could see herself become Aaliya that there are people who will see my life’s work, and see value in it. And who will encourage me to share that work.
I found the whole thing deeply moving.
The very first thing I want to address is a review that said that the narrator was condescending. I could not disagree more. Yes, a lot of name dropping of the canon. But I didn’t feel like a came from needing to claim superiority, I feel like it came from a place of genuine insecurity. Aaliya spent the entire book trying to prove she had value. Truly, I felt sorry for her in her self-imposed isolation. Which made the ending all the more satisfying. The motivation rambling also made sense to me in regard to. Aaliya’s age. It makes sense that an old woman would spend time reminiscing on her life, and that she also might get distracted.
But maybe I’m just the target market for a book about an OCD 72 year old Arab woman.
The final sentiments of female friendship and the love of literature and the arts is what made this book for me. It was also comforting as someone who could see herself become Aaliya that there are people who will see my life’s work, and see value in it. And who will encourage me to share that work.
I found the whole thing deeply moving.