A review by tragicromancer
Is Mother Dead by Vigdis Hjorth

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I’ve always thought that there is a certain narcissism to victimhood.  That people who feel they have been wronged (and in many cases have been wronged) can sometimes lose their ability to truly think outside themselves and their pain, especially if justice is absent or deferred.  I’ve also long agreed with the adage that one should never attribute to malice what can easily be chalked up to ignorance or stupidity.  This book highlights both of these concepts for me, through a narrator who managed to escape her oppressive family (father, specifically) only to assume that they’ve villainized her and therefore allow herself to villainize them, to render them as ideas set out specifically to hurt her rather than as fallible human beings.