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A review by mh_doma
Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.
DNF @ 20-25%. This was on me for misreading the blurb at first, but I was taken aback at the fact that the protagonist was 16 given the circumstances that she is forced to confront. I was willing to give it a chance regardless, but this specific issue isn’t written with enough care or nuance for me to feel comfortable continuing, especially since other characters keep drawing attention to her age and subsequent “innocence” as a selling point for her rather than a source of concern. From her first scene at the brothel, there is implied coercion and clear power dynamics that are not addressed, and instead the narrative takes a route of focusing on what happens as an opportunity for financial self-empowerment (a valid route it not for the protagonist’s age and the circumstances that bring her there in the first place). Regardless of the era this takes place in and whether this was acceptable back then, I believe that contemporary writing about issues like these should be handled with a degree of care and self-awareness that aren’t present here.
While I am now appreciating the writing style more and can tell the author did substantial research on the time period and setting, I find that it makes the pacing awkward, which I thought was especially an issue at the beginning. Even now though as it has improved with the inclusion of more dialogue, which I think is strong, I do feel it comes at the expense of exploring the emotional ramifications of the protagonist’s situation and showing us her growth (instead of telling us about it).
Altogether, my discomfort with the handling of the subject matter and the awkward pacing are the main reasons I am going to DNF this. I would love to immerse myself in a Western gunslinging sapphic novel one day, but this one just isn’t for me.
While I am now appreciating the writing style more and can tell the author did substantial research on the time period and setting, I find that it makes the pacing awkward, which I thought was especially an issue at the beginning. Even now though as it has improved with the inclusion of more dialogue, which I think is strong, I do feel it comes at the expense of exploring the emotional ramifications of the protagonist’s situation and showing us her growth (instead of telling us about it).
Altogether, my discomfort with the handling of the subject matter and the awkward pacing are the main reasons I am going to DNF this. I would love to immerse myself in a Western gunslinging sapphic novel one day, but this one just isn’t for me.