A review by pookiee
Mon mari by Maud Ventura

emotional reflective tense slow-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

4.25

this is a slice-of-life following a week in the perspective of a woman who's seriously obsessed with her husband, constantly overanalyzing every one of his words and actions and taking great pains to act a certain way so as to influence him or punish him. it has a bit of the energy of the domestic thriller but is not really a thriller like storygraph says; it's pretty monotonous.

the narration was super interesting to me, despite it being mostly just her inner thoughts. she's uniquely unhinged without showing it on the outside. i don't know that all her musings are true (are being the giver or the receiver of love really the only options?), but they all made me stop and think. i did not like the epilogue—it felt like a cheap and easy ending—but even it made me really think.

reading it in a foreign/its original language made it better cuz it forced me to slow down a little to absorb and ponder everything. also, writing always looks better in a foreign language cuz i don't know enough to critique it. i'm proud i was able to get thru it w/o much trouble while learning a bunch of new terms!
Expand filter menu Content Warnings