A review by sofiamarielg
Irma Voth by Miriam Toews

3.0

Overall, I liked [b:Irma Voth|10238952|Irma Voth|Miriam Toews|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327953268s/10238952.jpg|15138964], but I did find my interest dipping significantly as I reached the halfway point of the novel. I had read [b:All My Puny Sorrows|18339630|All My Puny Sorrows|Miriam Toews|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1416181263s/18339630.jpg|25892986] some years ago, which was brilliant and soul-wrenching. So, I eagerly picked this one up at the library, albeit I had been in search of [b:A Complicated Kindness|13374|A Complicated Kindness|Miriam Toews|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434887050s/13374.jpg|970518] (which I later discovered had a waitlist in the high double digits). I liked Towes's characters, but most of the dialogue was semi-philosophical inanities. In addition, the big reveal/twist was easily guessed much earlier, which actually made me wonder if it was supposed to be a surprise at all? Something to ponder. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the juxtaposition of Mexican and Mennonite cultures, made all the more complex by Irma's underlying Canadian identity. It made for some very interesting observations.