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A review by jjacobi
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
4.0
Elf and Yoli are two adult sisters struggle on opposing sides of mortality: Yoli wants live, Elf wants to die. Told from Yoli's point of view, the story is a crushing, real, emotionally rich look into depression and the limits of love.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It took me awhile to adjust to Toews' storytelling style. The whole book reads almost as someone recounting a conversation they had. I found it one-dimensional at first, but it grew on me; the end result is a connection with the narrator (Yoli) that I have not felt with a book in awhile. Additionally, the book has very little plot - Elf tries to kill herself, the family reacts, Elf tries to kill herself, the family reacts, etc. I know, it sounds awful. But, somehow, it's not awful. The pain you feel is not Elf's: the family feels her pain. Through Yoli's telling of it, you feel their pain.
Anyone who loves their family and worries about them constantly will find plenty to identify with in this book. There were so many truly real moments where I found myself cringing with empathy. It's a brutally sad story, but beautifully real.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It took me awhile to adjust to Toews' storytelling style. The whole book reads almost as someone recounting a conversation they had. I found it one-dimensional at first, but it grew on me; the end result is a connection with the narrator (Yoli) that I have not felt with a book in awhile. Additionally, the book has very little plot - Elf tries to kill herself, the family reacts, Elf tries to kill herself, the family reacts, etc. I know, it sounds awful. But, somehow, it's not awful. The pain you feel is not Elf's: the family feels her pain. Through Yoli's telling of it, you feel their pain.
Anyone who loves their family and worries about them constantly will find plenty to identify with in this book. There were so many truly real moments where I found myself cringing with empathy. It's a brutally sad story, but beautifully real.