A review by mattiedancer
Silenced by Ann Claycomb

challenging dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Writing: 3.25⭐️/5 
The writing conveyed the story well, and yet it lacked a little finesse here and there. A lot of the lines that I really liked truly could have been situated in nearly any story about feminism and still make sense, and I wanted a bit more from the writing to specifically move me in regards to the plot of this novel. 

Characters: 3⭐️/5
While the women’s experiences felt unique, their characters were just different enough. I didn’t really feel like the women had super different personalities, other than two of them. But I also liked reading about them, learning about their experiences, and learning how they attempted to deal with their individual curses. 

Plot: 3 ⭐️/5 
So, the plot concept is really intriguing, but the execution felt wrong. The concept of a man cursing women as part of a sexual assault did make a certain amount of sense, especially given the fairy tale connection Claycomb took as inspiration. However, I think the part that didn’t jive with me is that there are already reasons women don’t speak out about sexual assault, sexual violence, and rape: they often aren’t believed. It felt a bit oversimplistic to say that the only reason these women couldn’t speak out was because of their boss cursing them. I also felt like the final moment of betrayal was unnecessary, and really only served to help the group, rather than hinder them, which is also heavy with implication that made me feel icky. 

Who Should Read This Book? 
  • Someone looking for magical realism meets feminism and who doesn’t mind a bit of a simplification for it.

Content Warnings? 
Sexual assault, sexual violence, rape, misogyny, sexism, violence, gaslighting, emotional abuse, dementia, body horror, vomit

Post-Reading Rating:  3.25⭐️/5
Oh, okay. Fine?

Final Rating: 3⭐️/5
Expand filter menu Content Warnings