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A review by caitlin_89
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
2.0
I was really excited to read this book, and it just fell flat for me. It's perhaps not fair to Stone Blind that I went in with expectations for something akin to Circe. The premise is so promising. The story itself is fascinating, but I felt like it was undermined by the storytelling. (I hope the author doesn't read this. I feel bad for being so critical - just sharing my experience and opinions). I wanted to read about Medusa, and the multi POV aspect undermined her prominence and importance as the central character, in my view. Characters whose inner lives were not a draw got tons of screen time, and character who didn't add anything at all to the narrative and impact were woven in in a way that detracted rather than added, albeit I see the "poetic" point that was trying to be made (I'm looking at you, snakes, islands, and olive groves).
And, perhaps my biggest gripe of all was the gorgoneion voice (Medusa's head, severed from Medusa the person). I get that it would be detached (haha) and bitter (who wouldn't) but it had no depth of feeling to it, and came across petulant and strangely modern-voiced. This voice, the voice at the crux of the whole story, the voice upon which the whole story hinged, the voice I wanted to champion as the multi-faceted protagonist finally getting its time to speak out, fell SO flat for me. And maybe that was an artistic choice. Maybe the poetry was supposed to die. Maybe it was suppose to sound modern to make a point. But it didn't work for me.
The best part for me were the chapters on the lives of the gorgon sisters. Some of the "is it monstrous or is it just different?" dialogue was a little on-the-nose for my tastes, but seeing the Gorgons come to life as the sisters of Medusa was lovely.
And, perhaps my biggest gripe of all was the gorgoneion voice (Medusa's head, severed from Medusa the person). I get that it would be detached (haha) and bitter (who wouldn't) but it had no depth of feeling to it, and came across petulant and strangely modern-voiced. This voice, the voice at the crux of the whole story, the voice upon which the whole story hinged, the voice I wanted to champion as the multi-faceted protagonist finally getting its time to speak out, fell SO flat for me. And maybe that was an artistic choice. Maybe the poetry was supposed to die. Maybe it was suppose to sound modern to make a point. But it didn't work for me.
The best part for me were the chapters on the lives of the gorgon sisters. Some of the "is it monstrous or is it just different?" dialogue was a little on-the-nose for my tastes, but seeing the Gorgons come to life as the sisters of Medusa was lovely.