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A review by literarycrushes
Acts of Desperation by Megan Nolan
4.0
Acts of Desperation by Maggie Nolan is a darkly intimate account of a toxic relationship told from the perspective of an unnamed 20-something in Dublin. She meets the beautiful but cold Ciaran at a gallery opening, and their relationship quickly takes shape. As we learn more about our narrator pre-Ciaran, we observe her tendencies toward self-destruction (tw: ED, self-harm, sexual abuse). As their relationship becomes all-consuming, the reader watches her increasingly desperate need to please him at any cost.
The novel was a harrowing account of what it’s like to be in a toxic relationship. The reader is often left wondering WHY she would subject herself to the whims of such an obviously hateful man, but I think Nolan excels at getting us into her mindset and explaining the psychology behind her decisions. Nolan’s descriptions of the narrator’s addictions, her constant and relentless desire for MORE, were especially well-done.
One word that popped up throughout the book was ‘endure.’ There was the idea that if only she could endure just a bit more, she would achieve the thing she craves more than anything else: LOVE. Of course, this goal is unachievable because the love she craves is a placeholder for what she really craves, which is to be seen. Seen for who she is, even as she is still discovering herself. Brilliant.
The novel was a harrowing account of what it’s like to be in a toxic relationship. The reader is often left wondering WHY she would subject herself to the whims of such an obviously hateful man, but I think Nolan excels at getting us into her mindset and explaining the psychology behind her decisions. Nolan’s descriptions of the narrator’s addictions, her constant and relentless desire for MORE, were especially well-done.
One word that popped up throughout the book was ‘endure.’ There was the idea that if only she could endure just a bit more, she would achieve the thing she craves more than anything else: LOVE. Of course, this goal is unachievable because the love she craves is a placeholder for what she really craves, which is to be seen. Seen for who she is, even as she is still discovering herself. Brilliant.