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nikkis_reads 's review for:
My Absolute Darling
by Gabriel Tallent
I am going to start by saying this book is not for everyone. I remember the anticipation for this, the hype, everyone's desire to read it and then people being disappointed, calling this overrated. I bought it because Stephen King called it "a masterpiece". It's even written on the cover of this edition. For me, My Absolute Darling is a masterpiece.
It's a tough one and I'm talking about the book and about Turtle. Turtle is fourteen, but at the age when most of us spent our days learning, running along river beds and making friends, she knows how to shoot a gun and survive. She knows how to gut a deer and how to make fire from nothing. At the same time, she is nothing but a scared girl who lives in the shadow of her abusive father.
Martin is the perfect example of psychopath, abusive manipulator who knows exactly how to put little girls in their place. He asserts dominance in ways that even terrified me as a reader. I wanted to kill him, but at the same time I was afraid of what he might do if I even tried. This is how strong of a character Martin is. He seems innocent, intelligent, strong and loving, but at the same time he is a monster, a rapist, a sadistic prick.
Gabriel Tallent, my dear, I take my hat off to you for this narration. The book might feel slow at the beginning, hard to get into, but 50 pages in and I could not put it down. There is no time to breathe, no moment of peace. What seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel is just another truck ready to hit you straight on. There are no ups and downs, it just goes straight into a pit of despair.
Another thing that I love about this is that it shows the victory and defeat of survival. Recovery is a long journey, it takes years, sometimes it feels like you will never be able to go out there, meet your friends again, go back living the way you had and that is the truth. You are never the same, but what else you have left but to try? And this is what makes Turtle such a well rounded and beautiful character.
I loved this! I truly did. But once again, this is not for everyone. This deals with serious topics and with serious, realistic result and end games. It's not a happy ending, it's a realistic one.
It's a tough one and I'm talking about the book and about Turtle. Turtle is fourteen, but at the age when most of us spent our days learning, running along river beds and making friends, she knows how to shoot a gun and survive. She knows how to gut a deer and how to make fire from nothing. At the same time, she is nothing but a scared girl who lives in the shadow of her abusive father.
Martin is the perfect example of psychopath, abusive manipulator who knows exactly how to put little girls in their place. He asserts dominance in ways that even terrified me as a reader. I wanted to kill him, but at the same time I was afraid of what he might do if I even tried. This is how strong of a character Martin is. He seems innocent, intelligent, strong and loving, but at the same time he is a monster, a rapist, a sadistic prick.
Gabriel Tallent, my dear, I take my hat off to you for this narration. The book might feel slow at the beginning, hard to get into, but 50 pages in and I could not put it down. There is no time to breathe, no moment of peace. What seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel is just another truck ready to hit you straight on. There are no ups and downs, it just goes straight into a pit of despair.
Another thing that I love about this is that it shows the victory and defeat of survival. Recovery is a long journey, it takes years, sometimes it feels like you will never be able to go out there, meet your friends again, go back living the way you had and that is the truth. You are never the same, but what else you have left but to try? And this is what makes Turtle such a well rounded and beautiful character.
Spoiler
She is so deep in shit, you as a reader think there is no way she will get out in one piece and you are right. She does not, but she can rebuild herself to be the girl she hopes to be and escape the shadow of abuse. Martin can no longer get to her and, although it scares her that she can no longer go back to him, Turtle is also relieved that he can no longer get to her.I loved this! I truly did. But once again, this is not for everyone. This deals with serious topics and with serious, realistic result and end games. It's not a happy ending, it's a realistic one.