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A review by fairyollie
The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I felt like such a fool when I realized there was a second and third book in The Color Purple series, and was so excited to get my grubby little hands onto them. The Temple of my Familiar is very different than The Color Purple, but it is no less beautiful, heart-wrenching, and complicated. it is a true love letter to ancestors, especially mothers, and is full of intimate and fluid relationships between a diverse cast of characters. Celie and Shug serve a pivotal, though smaller, role in this story.
Alice Walker is an ambitious writer, which was made evidently clear here, as this story was told primarily told through monologue and dialogue. in doing so, it almost feels more like an oral history, like these characters she's birthed are real and flesh and have lived all their lives alongside us. due to it being primarily dialogue, there is a slower pace, and it is more difficult to imagine the world being built as our perception relies entirely on the characters' voice - which is also intriguing, and adds to the book's complexity and ingenuity. African mythology and folklore is interweaved throughout the story, showing the dedication and love Alice Walker devoted here.
lastly, despite being written and released in the 80s, Alice Walker writes such modern and complex relationships that are rarely written about even today: interracial couples, lesbians, polyamory, people (specifically women) single by choice, and asexuality / aromanticism. these relationships were written and depicted so tenderly and honestly, never as a joke or intended shock factor, which is much appreciated as a very queer lesbian.
very good, very complicated, fascinating book
Alice Walker is an ambitious writer, which was made evidently clear here, as this story was told primarily told through monologue and dialogue. in doing so, it almost feels more like an oral history, like these characters she's birthed are real and flesh and have lived all their lives alongside us. due to it being primarily dialogue, there is a slower pace, and it is more difficult to imagine the world being built as our perception relies entirely on the characters' voice - which is also intriguing, and adds to the book's complexity and ingenuity. African mythology and folklore is interweaved throughout the story, showing the dedication and love Alice Walker devoted here.
lastly, despite being written and released in the 80s, Alice Walker writes such modern and complex relationships that are rarely written about even today: interracial couples, lesbians, polyamory, people (specifically women) single by choice, and asexuality / aromanticism. these relationships were written and depicted so tenderly and honestly, never as a joke or intended shock factor, which is much appreciated as a very queer lesbian.
very good, very complicated, fascinating book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Grief, Sexual harassment, Colonisation
Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol