Scan barcode
A review by bradleyisspiffy
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann
5.0
The cover of Ducks, Newburyport displays a quote from the Booker Prize’s jury citation, “Unstoppable ... like nothing you’ve ever read before.” They’re right. While I think Lucy Ellmann has created a fantastic book, I finished wondering if this was a masterpiece or if I had been conned for 1,000 pages.
Most of the book is devoid of any sort of plot: it’s the inner monologue of an Ohioan housewife. While it’s undoubtedly engaging, I wonder if it needed to be THIS expansive. I read a review that asked if this book could’ve been written in 200, 500, or 800 pages. While they concluded the excess is the point, I’m not so sure.
At times, I wonder if Ellmann is trying to be too experimental. The word association sometimes becomes grating. There’s a 30-page piece of poetry that seems out of place. But in the end, I did enjoy the book quite a lot. It draws you in. It makes you think about motherhood. It makes you think about American society in 2019.
You’ll find when you put Ducks, Newburyport down, you’re left thinking about it — maybe not in an uncontrollable single-sentence monologue like the narrator — but still quite vigorously.
Most of the book is devoid of any sort of plot: it’s the inner monologue of an Ohioan housewife. While it’s undoubtedly engaging, I wonder if it needed to be THIS expansive. I read a review that asked if this book could’ve been written in 200, 500, or 800 pages. While they concluded the excess is the point, I’m not so sure.
At times, I wonder if Ellmann is trying to be too experimental. The word association sometimes becomes grating. There’s a 30-page piece of poetry that seems out of place. But in the end, I did enjoy the book quite a lot. It draws you in. It makes you think about motherhood. It makes you think about American society in 2019.
You’ll find when you put Ducks, Newburyport down, you’re left thinking about it — maybe not in an uncontrollable single-sentence monologue like the narrator — but still quite vigorously.