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A review by eculatta
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage
4.0
Dark. Ugly. Poignant. Heartbreaking.
Like The Dinner, this book definitely takes a dark view on humanity and leaves you with a creepy unsettled feeling. Probably because in both books a central character is a sociopath and one who just keeps getting away with it. I hated George so much. Fake false bold horrible man. So many crimes from rape (told from his perspective- he steps in behind her at the bathroom, grabs her and pushes her against the sink and "fills her up before she realizes he's even there." Horrifying), murder (I think his count is up to 3 if we assume the painter cousin?), attempted murder (/road rage), and general controlling abusive shitiness to everyone in his life. Oh and the lying to advance his career! Gross! He was all around the worst.
Catherine, however, was sweet though I wish she could have gotten away when she tried. Talk about trapped by circumstance, by gender roles, by snow. I liked the small town and the people who lived there - the Hale brothers most of all. Sadness everywhere. Trapped women everywhere. Parts of it reminded me a lot of Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer - though I recommend that one a lot more. But the sadness. The division between college folk and country folk. Haunting.
The ending is actually pretty satisfying because we zoom forward twenty years. Definitely get to wrap up everybody's stories - was not expecting that. That he gets so much control over his end when everyone else in his life had so little control over theirs is terrible. Unfair. Horrible. But I'm glad Franny turned out pretty much ok. And that she gets with Cole - they probably get to talk and resolve the her Father issue without leaving her totally family-less. Or giving them orphan status in common. Would have actually been nice for Catherine to have the second kid so the kids would have each other. But goodness knows I don't fault her for her decision. Especially because she thought maybe she could get away.
Was strange reading this book when everything was going so well in my life - my sweet caring kind husband who shares everything with me from hopes and dreams to childcare responsibilities, my darling laughing precious baby, my wonderful supportive helpful not crazy family, my full rich fulfilling life. Definitely brought me down and gave me troubling dreams more than one night. But also when I was feeling weird it was a good fit. Because sometimes dark moods take over and this book definitely embodied that.
Like The Dinner, this book definitely takes a dark view on humanity and leaves you with a creepy unsettled feeling. Probably because in both books a central character is a sociopath and one who just keeps getting away with it. I hated George so much. Fake false bold horrible man. So many crimes from rape (told from his perspective- he steps in behind her at the bathroom, grabs her and pushes her against the sink and "fills her up before she realizes he's even there." Horrifying), murder (I think his count is up to 3 if we assume the painter cousin?), attempted murder (/road rage), and general controlling abusive shitiness to everyone in his life. Oh and the lying to advance his career! Gross! He was all around the worst.
Catherine, however, was sweet though I wish she could have gotten away when she tried. Talk about trapped by circumstance, by gender roles, by snow. I liked the small town and the people who lived there - the Hale brothers most of all. Sadness everywhere. Trapped women everywhere. Parts of it reminded me a lot of Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer - though I recommend that one a lot more. But the sadness. The division between college folk and country folk. Haunting.
The ending is actually pretty satisfying because we zoom forward twenty years. Definitely get to wrap up everybody's stories - was not expecting that. That he gets so much control over his end when everyone else in his life had so little control over theirs is terrible. Unfair. Horrible. But I'm glad Franny turned out pretty much ok. And that she gets with Cole - they probably get to talk and resolve the her Father issue without leaving her totally family-less. Or giving them orphan status in common. Would have actually been nice for Catherine to have the second kid so the kids would have each other. But goodness knows I don't fault her for her decision. Especially because she thought maybe she could get away.
Was strange reading this book when everything was going so well in my life - my sweet caring kind husband who shares everything with me from hopes and dreams to childcare responsibilities, my darling laughing precious baby, my wonderful supportive helpful not crazy family, my full rich fulfilling life. Definitely brought me down and gave me troubling dreams more than one night. But also when I was feeling weird it was a good fit. Because sometimes dark moods take over and this book definitely embodied that.