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A review by ofbooksandhooks
The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot
4.0
I received this book from NetGalley in return for honest feedback.
Upon opening this book, I was skeptical. I often am with books that are structured in a poetic format as many authors have applied this technique to their novels with no other purpose than to be edgy. But I actually ended up really enjoying the poetic/artistic structuring.
Onto the actual story... I really loved the honesty with which our protagonist Lottie grappled with grief and loss. The exploration of death and normality was really thought-provoking and I found myself pausing several times to explore the different characters' understanding of what healthy grieving entails.
The only reason I didn't adore this book wholeheartedly was that there was a hidden WWII plotline that kind of cheapened the experience for me. It made it a bit unrelatable and I was craving for this book to deal with death as a very run-of-the-mill thing.
I read this book in one sitting and it was a quick one to go through, but the thoughts you are left with will last for some time. Death isn't pretty and we don't really like talking about it culturally, but it's refreshing to have an opportunity to explore death in a private way (like reading).
Upon opening this book, I was skeptical. I often am with books that are structured in a poetic format as many authors have applied this technique to their novels with no other purpose than to be edgy. But I actually ended up really enjoying the poetic/artistic structuring.
Onto the actual story... I really loved the honesty with which our protagonist Lottie grappled with grief and loss. The exploration of death and normality was really thought-provoking and I found myself pausing several times to explore the different characters' understanding of what healthy grieving entails.
The only reason I didn't adore this book wholeheartedly was that there was a hidden WWII plotline that kind of cheapened the experience for me. It made it a bit unrelatable and I was craving for this book to deal with death as a very run-of-the-mill thing.
I read this book in one sitting and it was a quick one to go through, but the thoughts you are left with will last for some time. Death isn't pretty and we don't really like talking about it culturally, but it's refreshing to have an opportunity to explore death in a private way (like reading).