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A review by stellahadz
Mon mari by Maud Ventura
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"Love makes you crazy" is a cliché that's been done to death in a million books, movies, and songs, but Mon mari tackles it in a unique way.
This book is brilliant - the writing is detailed and clever, just toeing the line of satire, and captures the book's premise and the narrator's interiority perfectly. Ventura paints a vivid picture of the most extreme manifestations of the expectations that society places on romantic love and marriage. The unnamed narrator, although not a great person, is an incredibly well-written and complex character. There are aspects of her neurosis that are deeply relatable and make me feel sad for her (anxious attachment, anyone?), but she also behaves in despicable and downright abusive ways. She's a deeply disturbed person who becomes more and more unhinged as the story progresses, but she embodies what so many of us have been conditioned to believe about what it means to be in love.
Personally, I think the book could have been shorter, and I'm not sure why it's labeled as a thriller, but aside from that it's an excellent read. Highly recommend.
This book is brilliant - the writing is detailed and clever, just toeing the line of satire, and captures the book's premise and the narrator's interiority perfectly. Ventura paints a vivid picture of the most extreme manifestations of the expectations that society places on romantic love and marriage. The unnamed narrator, although not a great person, is an incredibly well-written and complex character. There are aspects of her neurosis that are deeply relatable and make me feel sad for her (anxious attachment, anyone?), but she also behaves in despicable and downright abusive ways. She's a deeply disturbed person who becomes more and more unhinged as the story progresses, but she embodies what so many of us have been conditioned to believe about what it means to be in love.
Personally, I think the book could have been shorter, and I'm not sure why it's labeled as a thriller, but aside from that it's an excellent read. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship