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A review by jstilts
The Permanent Resident by Roanna Gonsalves
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A collection of short stories, but the themes are so tight they mostly read the same - someone new to Australia (mostly from India) is a little disillusioned with life and gets a divorce. There are variations (mostly grim), but it's definitely repetitive - it probably would have worked better if they'd picked one and expanded it into a full novel.
One highlight: there's a two-pager of jumbled words from the government immigration website that acts as a slightly nonsense but politically cutting piece of poetry that would look good on a gallery wall.
One low point - the final story's happy ending is pretty sick, as SPOILERS a mother's neglect leads to her daughters death and her eventual divorce, then she picks up a new ready-made family of a father and daughter at the same pool! A monstrous ending.
One highlight: there's a two-pager of jumbled words from the government immigration website that acts as a slightly nonsense but politically cutting piece of poetry that would look good on a gallery wall.
One low point - the final story's happy ending is pretty sick, as SPOILERS a mother's neglect leads to her daughters death and her eventual divorce, then she picks up a new ready-made family of a father and daughter at the same pool! A monstrous ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Child abuse