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A review by memydogandbooks
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Simultaneously stunning and devasting!
What's it about?
Betty Carpenter, born to a Cherokee father and a white mother, grows up in a world of poverty and violence, finding solace in nature and her father’s stories. As she uncovers her family’s dark secrets, she turns to writing as a means of escape and healing
"Inspired by the life of her own mother, Tiffany McDaniel sets out to free the past by telling this heartbreaking yet magical story--a remarkable novel that establishes her as one of the freshest and most important voices in American fiction."
What did I think?
- This book is both beautiful and emotionally devastating.
- Betty's story and that of her parents and siblings are brutal, trauma trauma-filled but also littered with hope.
- It's a hard story to read, as it's unflinching in its dark themes of intergenerational abuse, racism, violence, trauma and more - it's relentless!
- I'd say the raw brutality of this story is on par with stories such as A Little Life, but Betty is based on McDaniel's mother's life!
- Despite the trauma and emotional devastation, there are glimmers of hope and the magical world of Betty and her father Landon. One of Cherokee heritage and culture.
- McDaniel also tells the wonderfully rich, beautiful and tragic story of native Americans in Appalachia, her ancestors and her direct family. I adored reading about the Cherokee culture and heritage of Landon and his family.
- This book packs in so much in every page: family history, historical fiction/fact, Cherokee culture & heritage, generational trauma and abuse, family bonds and hope, racism, classism, family secrets, and a full spectrum of non-stop emotions.
This book is beautiful, brutal and a masterpiece.
What's it about?
Betty Carpenter, born to a Cherokee father and a white mother, grows up in a world of poverty and violence, finding solace in nature and her father’s stories. As she uncovers her family’s dark secrets, she turns to writing as a means of escape and healing
"Inspired by the life of her own mother, Tiffany McDaniel sets out to free the past by telling this heartbreaking yet magical story--a remarkable novel that establishes her as one of the freshest and most important voices in American fiction."
What did I think?
- This book is both beautiful and emotionally devastating.
- Betty's story and that of her parents and siblings are brutal, trauma trauma-filled but also littered with hope.
- It's a hard story to read, as it's unflinching in its dark themes of intergenerational abuse, racism, violence, trauma and more - it's relentless!
- I'd say the raw brutality of this story is on par with stories such as A Little Life, but Betty is based on McDaniel's mother's life!
- Despite the trauma and emotional devastation, there are glimmers of hope and the magical world of Betty and her father Landon. One of Cherokee heritage and culture.
- McDaniel also tells the wonderfully rich, beautiful and tragic story of native Americans in Appalachia, her ancestors and her direct family. I adored reading about the Cherokee culture and heritage of Landon and his family.
- This book packs in so much in every page: family history, historical fiction/fact, Cherokee culture & heritage, generational trauma and abuse, family bonds and hope, racism, classism, family secrets, and a full spectrum of non-stop emotions.
This book is beautiful, brutal and a masterpiece.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Violence, Medical trauma, Cultural appropriation, and Classism