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A review by bitinglime
All My Darling Daughters by Fumi Yoshinaga
4.0
Many spoilers ahead. I wanted to do some research on a new theme I'm thinking of using for a temporary book club like I did last year. The theme is women writing graphic novels. I had heard good things about this, and after reading it I think it would make for a good discussion.
Trigger warning for non-consentual sexual assault from both a male and female perspective. I will talk a little bit about it in this review.
First off, I thought it was odd that the synopsis on the back of the cover to this book only barely brushes a topic in one of the chapters. This is more a book of vignettes about different women and their relationships - friendships, family, and romantic endeavors. Some of these relationships are precious and I did tear up a couple of times throughout.
I have very complicated feelings about one of the chapters. In it, a male teacher is asking his friends for advice about how to deal with a student who is performing sexual favors. At first it is against his will, she says she will tell if he doesn't allow her to do it. During these acts, he starts to get to know her and realizes that her previous partners required her to do these things for them. They would basically use her as a sex object, and would otherwise either verbally abuse her or neglect her entirely. As he is getting to know her, he realizes he likes her, feels bad about her previous relationships, and asks her out on a date without a sexual requirement. After the date she breaks things off, saying she prefers men like those she previously dated. There are many things I see wrong with this - her assaulting him, him falling for her, her very unfortunate ideas of how a relationship should be - but I do think it would be a great chapter to break down. It does make me feel sorry for her, because she believes sexual and verbal abuse is part of a normal relationship. I don't want to ignore that the teacher was assaulted either, but he is soon gladly accepting her advances because it feels good to him. It's harmful storytelling, and especially silences male victims of sexual assault. Men do not ask to be raped and I think this chapter could have been written better with this in mind.
I think there is a lot to think about in every chapter. Some other topics include body positivity, age, disability, and career choice. There might have been too much about romantic relationships for my taste, but they do not overshadow the women themselves. The women were written well. Each one is complex, even the student mentioned earlier. I can see why many people like this book. This standalone was nicely written and I'm looking forward to reading more of Fumi Yoshinaga's work.
Trigger warning for non-consentual sexual assault from both a male and female perspective. I will talk a little bit about it in this review.
First off, I thought it was odd that the synopsis on the back of the cover to this book only barely brushes a topic in one of the chapters. This is more a book of vignettes about different women and their relationships - friendships, family, and romantic endeavors. Some of these relationships are precious and I did tear up a couple of times throughout.
I have very complicated feelings about one of the chapters. In it, a male teacher is asking his friends for advice about how to deal with a student who is performing sexual favors. At first it is against his will, she says she will tell if he doesn't allow her to do it. During these acts, he starts to get to know her and realizes that her previous partners required her to do these things for them. They would basically use her as a sex object, and would otherwise either verbally abuse her or neglect her entirely. As he is getting to know her, he realizes he likes her, feels bad about her previous relationships, and asks her out on a date without a sexual requirement. After the date she breaks things off, saying she prefers men like those she previously dated. There are many things I see wrong with this - her assaulting him, him falling for her, her very unfortunate ideas of how a relationship should be - but I do think it would be a great chapter to break down. It does make me feel sorry for her, because she believes sexual and verbal abuse is part of a normal relationship. I don't want to ignore that the teacher was assaulted either, but he is soon gladly accepting her advances because it feels good to him. It's harmful storytelling, and especially silences male victims of sexual assault. Men do not ask to be raped and I think this chapter could have been written better with this in mind.
I think there is a lot to think about in every chapter. Some other topics include body positivity, age, disability, and career choice. There might have been too much about romantic relationships for my taste, but they do not overshadow the women themselves. The women were written well. Each one is complex, even the student mentioned earlier. I can see why many people like this book. This standalone was nicely written and I'm looking forward to reading more of Fumi Yoshinaga's work.