A review by lyrareadsbooks
Say Her Name by Francisco Goldman

3.0

I had such high hopes for this book and this is less a review than an expression of my impressions. After the wonderful reviews I'd read, it was like a carrot I dangled in front of me, my reward for getting through some difficulties. Instead, it mostly reminded me of everything I dislike about academia. I admire how Francisco Goldman wrote what is essentially a memoir as a piece of fiction. Structurally, this makes perfect sense because of the speculative nature of many chapters. He writes in and around and through the massive hole in his life that is his deceased wife. There is a lot to unpack about memory and forgetting, which would likely be done in exactly the sort of academic program that produced, confounded and angered Aura. There is much to like and admire, but somehow this story lacked the personal connection I had hoped to find.