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A review by winecellarlibrary
Split-Level by Sande Boritz Berger
2.0
First, I would like to thank She Writes Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free Kindle ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Reading the synopsis, I imagined that this book would be edgy and push the limits of matrimonial morality. I imagined overwhelming lust and emotion, edge-of-your-seat passion and discord, and controversial sexual freedom pushing back against the patriarchal and traditional nuclear family. Instead, I was dealt immeasurable boredom and exhaustive accounts of Alex’s passive aggression. Her inability to handle confrontations in an adult manner was off-putting. Despite the fact that she indulges in the foursquare tryst, for example, Alex spitefully buries her husband’s adored swingers’ manifesto in the neighbor’s garbage can. Alex is completely incapable of accepting responsibility for ANYTHING and blames Donny for EVERYTHING, even though she is equally culpable for the events that occur. She is also entirely indecisive. She pushes away anyone who would show her attention and although she recognizes the impact of her behavior on her children, she fails to act in a constructive manner to repair what she has damaged. The plot was predictable, and the characters were devoid of depth, so the only thing redeeming this book is its beautiful writing style. If you read this book for no other reason, read it for the writing style. I felt as though there was no true climax, no real conflict, no finite resolution. The ending leaves you questioning what Alex decides and there is nothing worse than a vague conclusion.
#netgalley #split-level
Reading the synopsis, I imagined that this book would be edgy and push the limits of matrimonial morality. I imagined overwhelming lust and emotion, edge-of-your-seat passion and discord, and controversial sexual freedom pushing back against the patriarchal and traditional nuclear family. Instead, I was dealt immeasurable boredom and exhaustive accounts of Alex’s passive aggression. Her inability to handle confrontations in an adult manner was off-putting. Despite the fact that she indulges in the foursquare tryst, for example, Alex spitefully buries her husband’s adored swingers’ manifesto in the neighbor’s garbage can. Alex is completely incapable of accepting responsibility for ANYTHING and blames Donny for EVERYTHING, even though she is equally culpable for the events that occur. She is also entirely indecisive. She pushes away anyone who would show her attention and although she recognizes the impact of her behavior on her children, she fails to act in a constructive manner to repair what she has damaged. The plot was predictable, and the characters were devoid of depth, so the only thing redeeming this book is its beautiful writing style. If you read this book for no other reason, read it for the writing style. I felt as though there was no true climax, no real conflict, no finite resolution. The ending leaves you questioning what Alex decides and there is nothing worse than a vague conclusion.
#netgalley #split-level