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A review by wilycheese
Women Talking by Miriam Toews
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I'll be honest, I felt weird reading this book. Fictionlizing the brutality against women who are still alive without any note regarding if/how their consent to make this was secured made me feel like this "work of female imagination" left out the women it's about.
I read some of the original reporting on the topic and feel no less weird about it, mostly because the journalist who reported extensively from Bolivia says she has no idea if this kind of deliberate conversation ever actually happened. She hopes so, but not even she knows.
I'm not saying "don't read this book." Clearly I read it. But taking a step back after I finished and feeling weird about how mass rape and multiple generations of women brutalized by their own family can become Oscar bait in less than 10 years... that was a much bigger experince for me.
I read some of the original reporting on the topic and feel no less weird about it, mostly because the journalist who reported extensively from Bolivia says she has no idea if this kind of deliberate conversation ever actually happened. She hopes so, but not even she knows.
I'm not saying "don't read this book." Clearly I read it. But taking a step back after I finished and feeling weird about how mass rape and multiple generations of women brutalized by their own family can become Oscar bait in less than 10 years... that was a much bigger experince for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence