Scan barcode
A review by misslin
The Vet's Daughter by Barbara Comyns
Comyns is an idiosyncratic genius of a writer. This is the second book of hers that I have read.
Similar to Our Spoons came from Woolworths, the story unfolds through the naive prattle of the main character. Though in this book, the prattle has a strong component of Learned Helplessness in it.
Alice lives her life at the mercy of her brutal father with no clear way of escape. Her father's kind colleague 'Blinkers' does offer her temporary respite, but she doesn't really want to marry him though she knows it is an option. The handsome sailor that she falls in love with ignores her and is horrified when she demonstrates her special ability to him. It is this ability, the one thing that makes Alice special which is ultimately her downfall.
This is a quirky tale and the end is a surprise. I kept expecting her to leave home and marry Blinkers and make the best of it because that is the sort of person Alice is. But of course, her father had to ruin even this slim chance of happiness because that's the sort of person that he is.
Similar to Our Spoons came from Woolworths, the story unfolds through the naive prattle of the main character. Though in this book, the prattle has a strong component of Learned Helplessness in it.
Alice lives her life at the mercy of her brutal father with no clear way of escape. Her father's kind colleague 'Blinkers' does offer her temporary respite, but she doesn't really want to marry him though she knows it is an option. The handsome sailor that she falls in love with ignores her and is horrified when she demonstrates her special ability to him. It is this ability, the one thing that makes Alice special which is ultimately her downfall.
This is a quirky tale and the end is a surprise. I kept expecting her to leave home and marry Blinkers and make the best of it because that is the sort of person Alice is. But of course, her father had to ruin even this slim chance of happiness because that's the sort of person that he is.