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A review by nolawords
Liars by Sarah Manguso
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Bluntly honest, painfully dismal.
The premise of this book had me hooked - who doesn’t love a good story of a mother discovering her power and independence? I went into this thinking it would be giving NIGHTBITCH vibes, but this hope quickly fell.
My main issue with the novel was how it was so. freaking. depressing. I usually love some sad and moody reads, but, please throw in a crumb of dark humor or levity! The narrative started off with feelings of uncertainty and devolved into just terrible-ness within this marriage. Even after this clearly incompatible couple divorces, does any real turnaround happen for the protagonist? Maybe there was some, but I felt so ready to power through the end I didn’t savor it.
I did like Manguso’s writing. Her clipped, journal-esque style moved the book along quickly. Sometimes I wished we got more well-roundedness out of the other characters; but, then would we have hated them as much as we were designed to?
The premise of this book had me hooked - who doesn’t love a good story of a mother discovering her power and independence? I went into this thinking it would be giving NIGHTBITCH vibes, but this hope quickly fell.
My main issue with the novel was how it was so. freaking. depressing. I usually love some sad and moody reads, but, please throw in a crumb of dark humor or levity! The narrative started off with feelings of uncertainty and devolved into just terrible-ness within this marriage. Even after this clearly incompatible couple divorces, does any real turnaround happen for the protagonist? Maybe there was some, but I felt so ready to power through the end I didn’t savor it.
I did like Manguso’s writing. Her clipped, journal-esque style moved the book along quickly. Sometimes I wished we got more well-roundedness out of the other characters; but, then would we have hated them as much as we were designed to?