Scan barcode
A review by casskrug
Liars by Sarah Manguso
dark
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
thanks to hogarth for sending me a digital galley of this!
i really had to sit and think about how to talk about this one. it deals with marriage and motherhood - mainly trying to parent and maintain domestic life despite a failing marriage and the gaslighting and emotional abuse that came with it. this was a difficult read at times, not because it was poorly written, but because of the content - once we get past the rocky beginning of jane and john's relationship, we are faced with an account of john's wrongdoings throughout their marriage. it's a messy, fraught dynamic and the straightforward prose style really allows you to feel the pure emotion that manguso is evoking - i had a visceral reaction to this book. jane is dragged from city to city, unable to put down roots and establish a support system, because of john's constant job hopping. he shows active contempt for jane's successful writing career. he doesn't pull his weight in caring for their child and their home. it's heavy stuff, but you're propelled through the work by manguso's sparse, cutting prose. there are brief moments of happiness or laughter that cause jane to say that she's so glad that john is her husband, and i think it's a great example of her being a liar - lying to herself in order to cope with the situation.
amy main issue was the pacing: it wasn't always clear how much time was passing until a wedding anniversary or the child's birthday was mentioned. often i found that way more time had passed in the story than i had perceived, and that was a bit disorienting.
i saw someone else on goodreads compare this to a frozen woman by annie ernaux, and i would agree with that. i would say this is also for fans of my work by olga ravn, a life's work by rachel cusk, the dry heart by natalia ginzburg, first love by gwendoline riley, and drifts by kate zambreno.
i really had to sit and think about how to talk about this one. it deals with marriage and motherhood - mainly trying to parent and maintain domestic life despite a failing marriage and the gaslighting and emotional abuse that came with it. this was a difficult read at times, not because it was poorly written, but because of the content - once we get past the rocky beginning of jane and john's relationship, we are faced with an account of john's wrongdoings throughout their marriage. it's a messy, fraught dynamic and the straightforward prose style really allows you to feel the pure emotion that manguso is evoking - i had a visceral reaction to this book. jane is dragged from city to city, unable to put down roots and establish a support system, because of john's constant job hopping. he shows active contempt for jane's successful writing career. he doesn't pull his weight in caring for their child and their home. it's heavy stuff, but you're propelled through the work by manguso's sparse, cutting prose. there are brief moments of happiness or laughter that cause jane to say that she's so glad that john is her husband, and i think it's a great example of her being a liar - lying to herself in order to cope with the situation.
amy main issue was the pacing: it wasn't always clear how much time was passing until a wedding anniversary or the child's birthday was mentioned. often i found that way more time had passed in the story than i had perceived, and that was a bit disorienting.
i saw someone else on goodreads compare this to a frozen woman by annie ernaux, and i would agree with that. i would say this is also for fans of my work by olga ravn, a life's work by rachel cusk, the dry heart by natalia ginzburg, first love by gwendoline riley, and drifts by kate zambreno.