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A review by maryquigley
Orchid & the Wasp by Caoilinn Hughes
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Caoilinn Hughes' prose is so divine and her characters are so unlikeable at times. There's a discomfort in reading this book not unlike listening to an interesting piece of music that feels discordant and fascinating at once.
Gael Foess is one of the coldest characters I've come across in a long time. It's like she's trying to love but trying to understand it from an alien perspective, an alien with a steel heart. It's unsurprising since she was raised by a mother who happily admits that having children was her husband's idea, that it would look good if he decided to run for office! Gael's heart is only outfrozen by her father's. Jarlath represents what it takes to get to the top on the backs of others, callousness that holds your gaze shamelessly as it crushes you underfoot. Gael learned her craft from the best.
If Gael and Jarlath represent the cold, business side of things then I suppose Guthrie and Sive represent those left in the wake of the quest for power. Even if Gael tries to bring them along with her, she really is using their talents as stepping stones for her own ends.
I found the Occupy movement chapters sort of shoehorned in to be honest, and I'm not sure the Gael we are presented with would really feel the need to spend so much time there, or risk so much. I'm not sure what her motivations were supposed to be there, but it didn't fit with the rest of the story for me in a narrative sense, only a symbolic one.
In general, even though Gael as a character isn't enjoyable in herself, and the feeling as you read is discomfort rather than enjoyment, the writing is so stellar that the whole experience of the book is very enjoyable, if that makes sense. It also sent me down a Deleuze and Guattari rabbit hole for which I'm eternally grateful. (Guattari - Guthrie, coincidence? Probably not)
Gael Foess is one of the coldest characters I've come across in a long time. It's like she's trying to love but trying to understand it from an alien perspective, an alien with a steel heart. It's unsurprising since she was raised by a mother who happily admits that having children was her husband's idea, that it would look good if he decided to run for office! Gael's heart is only outfrozen by her father's. Jarlath represents what it takes to get to the top on the backs of others, callousness that holds your gaze shamelessly as it crushes you underfoot. Gael learned her craft from the best.
If Gael and Jarlath represent the cold, business side of things then I suppose Guthrie and Sive represent those left in the wake of the quest for power. Even if Gael tries to bring them along with her, she really is using their talents as stepping stones for her own ends.
I found the Occupy movement chapters sort of shoehorned in to be honest, and I'm not sure the Gael we are presented with would really feel the need to spend so much time there, or risk so much. I'm not sure what her motivations were supposed to be there, but it didn't fit with the rest of the story for me in a narrative sense, only a symbolic one.
In general, even though Gael as a character isn't enjoyable in herself, and the feeling as you read is discomfort rather than enjoyment, the writing is so stellar that the whole experience of the book is very enjoyable, if that makes sense. It also sent me down a Deleuze and Guattari rabbit hole for which I'm eternally grateful. (Guattari - Guthrie, coincidence? Probably not)