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A review by alexandrahope91
The Wall by Marlen Haushofer (6-Jun-2013) Paperback by Marlen Haushofer, Marlen Haushofer
2.5
Ugh I’m sick. I’ll be honest, I don’t know if this was for me. I get it, but I also don’t. I think what I wish more than anything is that there would have been less day-to-day milking, hay cutting, and wood sawing, and more reflection on humanity. Those were the best parts, and I just found it…lacking? I kind of understand why it was written this way, but at the same…it’s a little monotonous, no??
That’s my overview, but if you wanna get into the weeds:
If you want to write a survivalist novel, great! But tell me HOW you’re doing your tasks. How do you know how to hunt? How are you making butter? How do you know how to plant potatoes and hunt deer? For a person described as a lazy, city-dwelling lady, I find it hard to believe that all those things came with relative ease. If they didn’t, I feel like you should tell me about it? Why didn’t you try calling someone on the phone? Are we really not going to check the radio more than once? If you don’t have electricity, can you tell me when it went off? Did you have water in the house, and if yes, how long did it stay on?? Where do you go to the bathroom??? Do any of these things create problems????
If you want to write a reflective, feminist novel on the nature of humanity and the resilience and strength of women, great! But can you spend more than ONE SENTENCE talking about YOUR CHILDREN? Can you reflect AT ALL in ANY DETAIL about your 40+ years of life before this stint in the woods? Can you tell me about one singular, and *specific* memory of your past that relates to something you’re doing in the woods? I felt like this woman was a robot. Does that PARTLY make sense? Sure. But COME ON, it was a stretch.
And OMG this is maybe nitpicking, but something definitely got lost in translation because I spent a SIGNIFICANT portion of this book trying to figure out what hut/cabin/lodge/byre/stable/barn/garage we were at. Maddening!!!!!
~SPOILER~
Also CAN WE STOP WITH THE DESCRIPTIONS OF ANIMALS DYING? I’m SICK. I’m pretty sure we didn’t need to kill off NINE kittens, but what do I know? As if the dog and the calf weren’t enough.
That’s my overview, but if you wanna get into the weeds:
If you want to write a survivalist novel, great! But tell me HOW you’re doing your tasks. How do you know how to hunt? How are you making butter? How do you know how to plant potatoes and hunt deer? For a person described as a lazy, city-dwelling lady, I find it hard to believe that all those things came with relative ease. If they didn’t, I feel like you should tell me about it? Why didn’t you try calling someone on the phone? Are we really not going to check the radio more than once? If you don’t have electricity, can you tell me when it went off? Did you have water in the house, and if yes, how long did it stay on?? Where do you go to the bathroom??? Do any of these things create problems????
If you want to write a reflective, feminist novel on the nature of humanity and the resilience and strength of women, great! But can you spend more than ONE SENTENCE talking about YOUR CHILDREN? Can you reflect AT ALL in ANY DETAIL about your 40+ years of life before this stint in the woods? Can you tell me about one singular, and *specific* memory of your past that relates to something you’re doing in the woods? I felt like this woman was a robot. Does that PARTLY make sense? Sure. But COME ON, it was a stretch.
And OMG this is maybe nitpicking, but something definitely got lost in translation because I spent a SIGNIFICANT portion of this book trying to figure out what hut/cabin/lodge/byre/stable/barn/garage we were at. Maddening!!!!!
~SPOILER~
Also CAN WE STOP WITH THE DESCRIPTIONS OF ANIMALS DYING? I’m SICK. I’m pretty sure we didn’t need to kill off NINE kittens, but what do I know? As if the dog and the calf weren’t enough.