Scan barcode
A review by polyreader
Monogamy by Sue Miller
3.0
My second bookclub read of 2021!
This is the story of Annie, a photographer (relatable) and Graham, a bookseller, who fall in love and grow old together, embodying the ideal relationship to all who surround them. But how much of this picturesque image of love is rooted in reality? With Graham’s unexpected death, we begin to unravel the intricate histories of these two lives and the many others surrounding them.
Miller examines the long haul of relationships, complex family dynamics, parenthood, sex and Monogamy. I think this is an example of a wonderfully examined portrait of a relationship from both sides, but also from the additional perspectives and projections of their children and friends. I love an adult family drama.
I was utterly absorbed for the first two-thirds, and then gradually felt less enthused towards the end. It kept my interest the whole way through, but I think some of it felt a bit superfluous to me personally. Miller’s writing IS truly engaging and insightful, I think this was a matter of the story overall needing some culling. Apparently this took her 6 years to write?! So that may be why I felt the flow becoming a bit stagnant in the latter half.
Overall I’m sitting between 3-3.5
This is the story of Annie, a photographer (relatable) and Graham, a bookseller, who fall in love and grow old together, embodying the ideal relationship to all who surround them. But how much of this picturesque image of love is rooted in reality? With Graham’s unexpected death, we begin to unravel the intricate histories of these two lives and the many others surrounding them.
Miller examines the long haul of relationships, complex family dynamics, parenthood, sex and Monogamy. I think this is an example of a wonderfully examined portrait of a relationship from both sides, but also from the additional perspectives and projections of their children and friends. I love an adult family drama.
I was utterly absorbed for the first two-thirds, and then gradually felt less enthused towards the end. It kept my interest the whole way through, but I think some of it felt a bit superfluous to me personally. Miller’s writing IS truly engaging and insightful, I think this was a matter of the story overall needing some culling. Apparently this took her 6 years to write?! So that may be why I felt the flow becoming a bit stagnant in the latter half.
Overall I’m sitting between 3-3.5