A review by silverliningsandpages
Another Man by Leslie Croxford

informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

2.0

I was initially fascinated by this atmospheric mystery about an English academic researching a prominent Nazi in southern Spain.  However, I found the misogyny distracting. Most, if not all the female characters are objectified by the male protagonist.  We have his frequent commentary on women’s voluptuousness (or lack of), how low cut their dresses are, his detailed assessment whether or not they are wearing anything underneath and a crude evaluation of whether he is attracted to them.  One of the sexy characters has “thick peasant calves”, but her bright, academic daughter looks dull and uncurvy and he finds her unattractive (to put it politely). I’m trying to paraphrase and describe this in a way that doesn’t make me cringe, but really, the male gaze in this book bothered me.  Most women can say we’ve been sexually harassed and objectified (many times) and it’s disappointing to read such attitudes in a new publication😔 I widely read and enjoy many great books by male authors with male protagonists, and I’m not prudish about love scenes but please, male writers: don’t reduce women to objects!