Enjoyed a lot of the themes in this novel: difficult mother/daughter dynamics, the struggle to recognize and satisfy our desires (e.g., for food, for Enjoyed a lot of the themes in this novel: difficult mother/daughter dynamics, the struggle to recognize and satisfy our desires (e.g., for food, for connection), the invisibility and repression of queerness. Melissa Broder’s prose was as per usual sharp and engaging. The main character struggles with disordered eating and is obsessed with monitoring her food intake. At the same time, I liked reading about her hard-won path toward growth, through setting boundaries, working through her mother-based transference, and doing things that feed her spirit even when they feel hard. One scene in particular that pushed me toward a four-star rating over a three-star one is when Rachel speaks up about (view spoiler)[Zionism at the dinner table with Miriam’s family, fighting against anti-Palestine ideology (hide spoiler)], a gusty move and a topic I don’t see featured in fiction too much. I would also highly recommend Post-Traumatic by Chantal Johnson to those who resonate with Milk Fed!...more
I liked this book’s empowering approach to discussing nursing, both its history and its present day. Sarah DiGregorio does a great job of hig3.5 stars
I liked this book’s empowering approach to discussing nursing, both its history and its present day. Sarah DiGregorio does a great job of highlighting the role of nurses throughout history, how despite the devaluing of the profession due to its perceived femininity, nurses have provided care and fought unjust forces for a long time. I appreciated her attention to issues of race and racism within the field of nursing and her calling attention to who’s often represented or left out when recalling the history of the profession. The present-day information about nurses going on strike felt compelling to read. While I thought the writing style was a bit dry and at times came across like a bunch of facts stacked on top of one another, I’d still recommend this book to those who are interested in nursing and want a comprehensive, more equity-focused view on the field....more
An amazing book that details an intensive longitudinal research study exploring health outcomes among women who received an abortion compared to womenAn amazing book that details an intensive longitudinal research study exploring health outcomes among women who received an abortion compared to women who were denied an abortion. Diane Green Foster details so many important results from this study, such as how women who receive abortions fare better economically compared to those denied abortions, that the overwhelming majority of women do not regret their abortion, and that there are more health repercussions for women who are forced to carry a child to term compared to women who receive abortions. The research is rigorous, and at the same time Foster writes in an accessible and compelling way. I think the Turnaway study is an excellent example of conducting meaningful science and communicating that science to a general audience. It’s wonderful too that they included several qualitative interviews in this book so that we can hear from women themselves and develop greater empathy and awareness in addition to the quantitative evidence provided.
Thinking about the overturning of Roe v. Wade two years after this book came out… yikes. Not gonna go into it though it’s tremendously sad, angering, and patriarchal, the disdain for and control people want to exert over birthing people.
(I use the term “women” in the first paragraph of this study because it seems like the study’s participants were all cisgender women.)...more
I don’t watch much TV or film so I didn’t know a lot about Viola Davis before reading this memoir, however I still enjoyed Finding Me a lot. I loved DI don’t watch much TV or film so I didn’t know a lot about Viola Davis before reading this memoir, however I still enjoyed Finding Me a lot. I loved Davis’s honesty about her childhood growing up in poverty and in an abusive household. She doesn’t hold back any details and reading about all the rats she lived with and the abuse she witnessed and experienced felt heartbreaking. I enjoyed too her journey of growing up and getting out of that household, to develop into the talented and amazing actress she is today. Throughout the memoir, she recounts specific scenes, conversations, and events so the book felt immersive rather than boring. I liked her realness about so many elements of her life, including the awful colorism she faced as a dark-skinned Black woman, the difficulty of making a living as an actress, and what it felt like for her to witness her abusive father change into a genuinely kind person over time. Also, always appreciate when someone writes about what they learned from therapy.
Toward the end of the book, the intersection of her writing about her career and her writing about the evolution of her family dynamic sometimes merged in a way that didn’t always work for me. However, I imagine it’s hard to put together a memoir where your fans are curious about both of these elements of your life. Overall, recommended to those who are interested in memoirs about difficult families, the lives of those who work in the arts, or Viola Davis fans!...more
Another great stand-alone fantasy novel by M.L. Wang! Though I didn’t love this one as much as Sword of Kaigen, I still feel that Blood Over BrighAnother great stand-alone fantasy novel by M.L. Wang! Though I didn’t love this one as much as Sword of Kaigen, I still feel that Blood Over Bright Haven has a lot to offer: a compelling dark academia setup, an interesting and well-written magic system, and on-point, well-integrated commentary about sexism and gender. Though the book is somewhat long, I finished it in two days because the prose was so readable and I wanted to know what would happen next.
The main reason I give this book four stars instead of five is because the first half or so of the story felt a tad predictable to me. It came across as almost didactic, and the parallels between a privileged person learning about their privilege from a marginalized person (e.g., I was thinking of a white person learning about their white privilege from a person of color) almost felt too obvious to me. This element of the novel slightly redeemed itself toward the second half when Sciona started to recognize her own problematic behavior and self-correct.
I will say though, the last 20% of Blood Over Bright Haven had me *shaken*. It really saved the novel for me. Things happened that I did not expect though felt so satisfying from a plot and character development perspective. I felt genuinely moved by the characters and their growth. To avoid spoilers, all I’ll say is *that* is how you put your money where your mouth is in terms of allyship, standing with people with less privilege than you, etc. All in all, a solid four-star read....more
A great memoir that interrogates Asian Americans’ racial positionality in the United States, by a Korean American woman born in Los Angeles, who laterA great memoir that interrogates Asian Americans’ racial positionality in the United States, by a Korean American woman born in Los Angeles, who later attends Princeton for undergrad and Harvard for her PhD. Julia Lee writes about the racism she faced both in these educational spaces and outside the walls of academia. She shares with riveting honesty the tremendous anger she felt due to her tumultuous household as well as from the numerous instances of microaggressions, racial exclusion, and internalized racism she herself experienced and/or witnessed. One of the aspects of this memoir I appreciated the most is Lee’s commitment to calling in/out fellow Asian Americans on how we can either fight to dismantle white supremacy alongside Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities in the United States or we can align ourselves with white supremacy and reap its (heinous) benefits. While I have Asian American close friends, colleagues, and acquaintances who act to combat white supremacy, I also know many other Asian Americans who try to align themselves with whiteness (e.g., pursuing upward class/educational mobility while perpetuating anti-Blackness, exhibiting anti-Black and colorist dating preferences, and more). I hope this book can help stir some dialogue and change from within the Asian American community broadly.
I also enjoyed reading her raw recounting of her relationship with her parents. I resonated with how she acknowledged the traumas they faced and how those traumas influenced their parenting, while at the same time not condoning child abuse or cruelty toward children. Love this ability to hold nuance and I feel like Lee’s self-awareness shines through when she writes about her parents, amidst many other aspects of her life she writes intelligently about. Though the narrative diffuses a bit toward the end of the book – the first half feels more linear in terms of following her childhood, then high school, then time at Princeton – I think Biting the Hand is a welcome, powerful addition to the growing canon of Asian American memoirs....more
Serene, tender, and powerful. In this essay collection, Mimi Zhu reflects on their healing journey as a survivor of intimate partner violence. I likedSerene, tender, and powerful. In this essay collection, Mimi Zhu reflects on their healing journey as a survivor of intimate partner violence. I liked their honesty about the pain of their abusive relationship and the wide range of emotions they experienced after it. They share many avenues and resources they used for healing, including individual therapy, group therapy, living in a rad group home, attuning themselves toward their body, and connecting with their ancestry and the wisdom of their elders. Their path toward healing wasn’t linear and it took work. They reference several feminist and social justice-oriented texts in this collection, including writings by bell hooks, Audre Lorde, Ling Ma, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Mia Mingus. I cherished and resonated with a few of their insights in particular, such as not conflating the presence of passion in a relationship with actual healthy communication and behavior, learning to prioritize friendship and alternative forms of community over heteronormative monogamous romance, and engaging in mindfulness and appreciation of simple beautiful things throughout one’s day.
I think Zhu flips between “showing” us snippets of their past relationship and their healing with “telling” us things about the emotional and political insights they’ve acquired. I think the telling can feel less immersive than the showing, however, I did agree with pretty much everything they told. This book will maybe feel more novel for folks who haven’t read some of the writers in the first paragraph, otherwise it’s still a pleasant read....more
A heartbreaking memoir. While Amani Haydar was five months pregnant, her father killed her mother in a horrifying act of domestic violence. Haydar wriA heartbreaking memoir. While Amani Haydar was five months pregnant, her father killed her mother in a horrifying act of domestic violence. Haydar writes with great honesty and clarity about the court case that followed, as well as the support she received and the vitriol aimed at her from those who supported her father. I deeply appreciated how Haydar honors the nuances of the legal system, about how men of color are overrepresented in Australia’s jails and at the same time her father perpetuated murder. She addresses the topic of patriarchy with a similar eye toward complexity, calling out/in men to stop their misogyny against women while highlighting examples of men who are effective allies/advocates, such as her husband. I liked, too, how Haydar writes about her healing process from her trauma, such as going to counseling and becoming an advocate to prevent violence against women.
Furthermore, while this was by no means a focus of the memoir, I am appreciative that Haydar wrote about how her grandmother was brutally killed by an Israeli airstrike against Lebanon in 2006. I also was grateful when she included an anecdote of when she was talking about violence against women at an event, she mentioned her grandmother’s death at the hands of Israel, and a woman told her that it was “triggering” that she mentioned Israel and asked Haydar to not talk about Israel?? What the heck?? Again, her grandmother’s death, while an important part of Haydar’s story, is not the center of this memoir, though I’m glad she spoke out against violence given Israel’s genocide of Palestine occurring right now.
I think there were a few sections of this memoir that I felt could have been condensed or more concisely written, however, I enjoyed reading about Haydar’s process, both her vulnerability and her strength....more
I liked the overall message of this novel about the scrutiny and sexist expectations mothers face in contemporary society. Aside from that though, I fI liked the overall message of this novel about the scrutiny and sexist expectations mothers face in contemporary society. Aside from that though, I found The School for Good Mothers a chore to read. First, the plot seemed like such a mess to me. The novel’s synopsis notes that it focuses on upper-middle-class parenting, which is fine, but women of different class backgrounds were lumped in together in this dystopian school system as if their “crimes” or mistakes were the same?? As Samantha writes about cogently in her review, child separation and revoking parental rights does occur especially for Black and brown mothers so it felt odd and underdeveloped for this to serve as the premise of this novel. The plot didn’t make sense; I get that dystopia requires some suspension of disbelief, though so many random things happened that I found myself flipping pages just to get through to the end.
Jessamine Chan’s writing also felt dry and repetitive. The characters came across as one-dimensional. I think Chan made an honest attempt at portraying some of the racial injustices Black and Latinx mothers face as well as the specific microaggressions experienced by Asian American women, though the racial element of the book didn’t feel richly explored and stayed on the surface level. Our main character, Frida, is angry at white people at times (totally understandable) yet predominantly dates white men, and this tension isn’t interrogated in any deep way. Overall, ugh, a lot of promise, and I can see why this book is popular, but it didn’t impress me....more
I give this book four stars because I think Sophie Lewis writes about a fascinating idea here: what if we abolished the family? What if we replaced thI give this book four stars because I think Sophie Lewis writes about a fascinating idea here: what if we abolished the family? What if we replaced the nuclear family with more communal and collectivistic forms of care? Lewis references queer activism, Indigenous feminism, and more to build her argument against many of the trappings of the family. This book spoke to a lot of feelings and critiques I have of the nuclear family, such as how a lot of abuse, mistreatment, and even societal loneliness and isolation could be prevented with more collective models of care. Lewis makes some intriguing points, such as how oftentimes people will justify careers that hurt other people by saying things like “well I have to provide for my family” – what if we deconstructed relational networks and reimagined them so that isn’t the case?
I agree with other reviewers’ on Goodreads that sometimes Lewis’s argumentation didn’t quite make sense to me. For me, I felt like sometimes the language felt a bit too academic jargony/theoretical, and I wondered if more practical, direct examples of family abolition would have bolstered the overall strength of this book. Still, as someone who thinks a fair amount about heteronormativity, amatonormativity, and dismantling the nuclear family, I appreciated this book for its overall message....more
A great read about an Indian American journalist who returns to India to cover a story about a Hindu woman brutalized by her own family for marrying aA great read about an Indian American journalist who returns to India to cover a story about a Hindu woman brutalized by her own family for marrying a Muslim man. Thrity Umrigar captures the devastating effects of gendered and religious violence in Honor. She also adds interesting commentary about how Western forces can exploit stories from India in a paternalistic and orientalizing way; I liked that she noted a few times in the book that this type of brutality occurs in many countries and isn’t an indication of India’s “backwardness.” I appreciated, too, the healthy romance between two people of color, the main character and the man who accompanies her on her quest to uplift the voice of a woman wronged.
As Alycia notes in her review I found the writing a bit dry at times, though I still would recommend the book for those interested in its synopsis....more
A novel with a unique plot. In O Beautiful, we follow forty-something-year-old Elinor Hanson, a biracial Asian American former model who travels to a A novel with a unique plot. In O Beautiful, we follow forty-something-year-old Elinor Hanson, a biracial Asian American former model who travels to a town in North Dakota, close to where she grew up, for a journalism assignment. Elinor learns about the town and its people and their struggles all while reconciling her own past, including a mother who left her, her sister, and her father before Elinor had all grown up.
I liked this book’s incisive portrayal of the racism and sexism Elinor experiences as an Asian American woman. O Beautiful also does a nice job of capturing issues of classism in this booming North Dakota oil town as well as the xenophobia and racism of its white inhabitants. Jung Yun highlights Elinor’s own shortcomings and growth in regard to issues of race and gender which made her realistic as a character. Yun’s writing is superb, too, a quality I remember from her debut Shelter - her prose feels effortless, easy and melodic to read.
My main constructive critique of O Beautiful is that I don’t feel like all the elements of Elinor’s character and relationships came together? Namely, she has a complicated connection with her sister as well as a nuanced, troubled former relationship with one of her writing professors. While I get that not all relationships are resolved in life, I didn’t feel compelled by where Elinor’s relationships left off. I wanted more focus on them and a deeper dive into her own character and feelings.
While writing this review I went back and forth between three and four stars. I’m landing on four because I think the ending of this book ends on a hopeful though not unrealistic note, showing Elinor’s growth through the messiness of her journey in O Beautiful....more
A well-written and heartwarming debut about 25-year-old Maddie Wright, a Black woman living in London who’s got a lot on her plate as she transitions A well-written and heartwarming debut about 25-year-old Maddie Wright, a Black woman living in London who’s got a lot on her plate as she transitions from living with family to living more independently with roommates. On top of that switch up, she’s adjusting to a new job, trying to date for the first time, and contending with her mother who doesn’t respect her boundaries. When a tragedy strikes, Maddie is forced to face some of the deeper and more difficult parts of both her family and her acclimation to adulthood.
I enjoyed how Jessica George wrote about so many different challenges in Maddie’s life and still made Maame flow so well. George addresses nuanced family dynamics, experiencing microaggressions and outright racism at work, deeply satisfying and unsatisfying friendships, mental health, and sexual pleasure. At the same time, this book reads like an unrushed, unbothered slice-of-life telling of Maddie’s day-to-day. The novel feels real, funny, and grounded in an honest 25-year-old’s pursuit of a better way of living amidst multiple stressors.
I will say I am *so* thankful for how and with who Maddie’s romantic life ended with by the conclusion of the novel. I also appreciate how George honors complexity in Maddie’s life. Like with Maddie’s family, George highlights the role of boundary-setting while still showing an understanding of Maddie’s mother, both her culture and what she’s experienced as an immigrant woman. While I didn’t feel as electrified and enamored with the writing in this novel as I did by my favorite read of 2023 so far, Post-Traumatic by Chantal Johnson, I still breezed through Maame and would recommend it those whose interest is piqued by its synopsis....more
Overall, a powerful novel about sexual assault in the film industry with themes that apply to so many domains of society. In Complicit, we follow SaraOverall, a powerful novel about sexual assault in the film industry with themes that apply to so many domains of society. In Complicit, we follow Sarah Lai, a film lecturer at an obscure college who once worked as an associate producer for a relatively popular film. One day a journalist reaches out to Sarah and asks her to share about her time working on the film. Through revealing her story, Sarah takes her long-awaited chance to hold to power the injustices she witnessed all those years ago – and to release some of the guilt she holds about her part in them.
I really enjoyed how Complicit details how patriarchy and capitalism intersect to disenfranchise women in the film industry. Winnie Li does a great job of showing through specific scenes and details the ways in which rich men can throw around their money and treat women like objects with no agency. The novel fits in well with the #MeToo movement. Li also effectively captures Sarah’s guilt and the complexity of having both (view spoiler)[experienced a sexual assault (hide spoiler)] while staying quiet in situations that harmed other women. Ideally, people in power will be held accountable for mistreating those with less power than them *and* we will get to the point where people know not to abuse others, so these situations and narratives can be prevented in the first place.
I agree with other reviewers that the beginning of the book feels a little slow. While I found the second half of the novel a fast read, I do wonder if Li could have made slight stylistic changes to get the reader invested sooner, such as substituting details about Sarah’s ascent in her film company with more details about her family or how her cultural background influenced her reactions to the horrific events she experienced and witnessed. Still, a solid novel that held my attention and delivers a solid message....more
Oh wow, what a great book. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows follows Nikki, a young Punjabi woman living in West London who takes a job teach4.5 stars
Oh wow, what a great book. Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows follows Nikki, a young Punjabi woman living in West London who takes a job teaching writing to a group of older Punjabi widows. To Nikki’s surprise, the class takes on a life of its own as the women begin to share stories that center erotic fantasies and desire. While this sequence of events may sound funny and naughty, Balli Kaur Jaswal incorporates rich themes of female solidarity and empowerment throughout this novel as well.
I enjoyed this book so much, both its humor and its powerful messages about sexism and women standing up for themselves! Kaur Jaswal sets this novel up so well with a humorous, attention-grabbing premise: older Punjabi widows sharing salacious, sexual stories with one another. She maintains a lightness to her prose that made this book feel readable and suspenseful in a positive way.
At the same time, Kaur Jaswal tackles heavy topics in Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows. One of the most powerful themes that stood out to me is internalized sexism and how women can turn against one another when they come to believe in patriarchal messages about right and wrong. I loved how Kaur Jaswal shows us the process of unlearning internalized sexism through Kulwinder’s character. There were a couple of scenes of feminist solidarity toward the end of the novel that brought tears to my eyes – the female characters’ growth and their bonds with one another made my heart swell. I also liked reading about Nikki’s romance with Jason – yay for a healthy romantic relationship between people of color – and Kulwinder’s journey of grief after the loss of her daughter, Maya.
Overall, a well-written novel that touches on some heavy topics yet stays light enough for a fun time. I’m in the middle of a super intense job application process now so reading this book definitely helped improve my mood, thank you Balli Kaur Jaswal!...more
An important book about a horrifying topic we need to talk about. In Men Who Hate Women, Laura Bates discusses the roots of misogyny and how they maniAn important book about a horrifying topic we need to talk about. In Men Who Hate Women, Laura Bates discusses the roots of misogyny and how they manifest in online communities such as incels, pickup artists, trolls, and more. She does a great job of describing the online radicalization process of vulnerable young boys and men into these sexist and violent spaces. I’m gonna describe some of my key takeaways:
1) As a society we (people of all genders, though especially men) need to take the threats of incels and similar populations seriously. They’re not just a “fringe group,” rather, their beliefs have permeated and affected women across multiple domains of contemporary life and have literally led to sexual assault, mass shootings, and other forms of terrifying violence.
2) I think Bates writes well about holding two truths at once, a) that a lot, or at least some of these men on these forums and such feel insecure and defeated in life through circumstances not of their own doing (e.g., the man she writes about who was abused as a child and has physical scarring due to his parents’ mistreatment) and b) misogyny and violence are not appropriate ways to cope with those feelings. It’s important that we as a society think of ways to foster healthy vulnerability and emotional processing in boys and men.
3) The internet is a big yikes?? Bates explores how boys view and gain access to sexist, defamatory, anti-feminist content on platforms such as YouTube without much effort from the boys themselves. I think this issue requires a multifaceted approach though if I had a son I’d be talking about this issue with him ASAP – parents of boys watch out because it’s awful out there.
4) Media outlets may consider putting an end to platforming false equivalency arguments, or the notion that just because someone provides a sexist/misogynist idea that that idea deserves any airtime – or at least airtime that doesn’t rebuke that idea thoroughly. Bates names an interesting tension between not wanting to give misogynists airtime and at the same time not wanting to censor them lest they claim the victim card. At this point I think it’s important to at least call out misogyny and sexism when it happens.
Overall a great book. I think the writing style itself can feel a little repetitive though that doesn’t detract from the important takeaways and real-world implications of these topics. I appreciate Bates’s courage in writing this book especially given the rampant sexism she’s experienced due to her outspokenness....more
Oh wow you all, this gusty searing novel has saved 2023 for me. Post-Traumatic follows Vivian, a Black Latinx lawyer who advocates for mentally ill paOh wow you all, this gusty searing novel has saved 2023 for me. Post-Traumatic follows Vivian, a Black Latinx lawyer who advocates for mentally ill patients at a psychiatric hospital in New York City. Even though she seems ambitious and put-together on the outside, in private she struggles with intrusive memories and overwhelming emotions from her dark and difficult childhood. For years Vivian coped with these difficult thoughts and feelings through obsessive infatuations with men, relentless dieting, dark humor, and smoking weed with her best friend Jane. But when Vivian takes a scary, bold step in relation to her family, all the other parts of her life start to crumble, forcing her to decide just how much she wants to try and heal from her past.
This freaking book. So sad, so dark, and yet so funny at the same time. Vivian, our protagonist, makes the wittiest observations. The book’s official blurb accurately describes Chantal Johnson’s prose as “razor-sharp” which makes Vivian’s humor land like that of a lovingly neurotic yet self-aware friend. Vivian is so problematic throughout most of the novel too; she constantly compares herself to other women and critiques other women’s bodies (even while fiercely identifying with feminist politics on an intellectual level) and does everything she can to appeal to the (often white) male gaze. I imagine readers will feel frustrated with her, like with this passage: “Vivian felt rapturous in Matthew’s bed, high on a drug that couldn’t be bought, only earned: oxytocin! His attention gave her permission to exist. She was desperate not to lose it.” And yet, she’s such a compelling character and Johnson’s writing is so precise I couldn’t stop reading. As a reference point, Vivian’s wit is similar to that of the television show character Fleabag.
I marked over ten passages where I either laughed out loud or smiled and giggled to myself. Here’s one from page 14, when Vivian reflects on not receiving male attention:
“Ambiguity, though central to aesthetic greatness, was horrifying in real life. When a man inflicted it upon you in a romantic context, it highlighted his cowardice and your abjection. They did it casually, like flinging a toddler into a body of water and walking away, insisting calmly that it will swim. Huey Lewis was right, man – if loss of interest is inevitable, just get it over with and leave me, already.”
(The “flinging a toddler into a body of water” literally made me lol. So good, and there are so many other examples!)
At the same time, Chantal Johnson does an excellent job of showing how Vivian’s problematic, women-hating and self-hating tendencies stem from her trauma. Through vivid flashbacks and non-sentimentally heart wrenching conversations with the people in her life, we see how Vivian has suffered through her constantly critical mother and her constantly critical mother’s abusive boyfriends, her sibling who died and her currently-living sibling who faces severe mental illness exacerbated by anti-Black racism, and her attempts to set boundaries and how her family tries to trespass them anyway. All of these personal stressors intersect with Vivian’s identity as a Black Latinx woman residing in the United States. Again, Johnson really shows Vivian’s hypervigilance and the dysfunctional ways she tries to protect herself. I felt right there with her, entertained by her wit while also hoping and hoping for her healing.
And the best part: there is hope at the end of this story, and Vivian does grow as a person. She hits her rock bottom and decides to pursue therapy and make amends with her best friend. Also, can I just say as a former recipient and current provider of therapy, the therapy scenes in this book are so freaking well-written! You may think that an author writing about a character talking to another person about her feelings would be boring, but Johnson’s prose is so impressively taut that she makes those scenes feel so alive and gripping. I’m so grateful that Johnson didn’t just portray Vivian’s suffering and that this book can join the slowly growing set of books that describe therapy both accurately and enthrallingly, like the memoirs What My Bones Know and I’m Glad My Mom Died.
Anyway, wow, 2023 really made me wait for over a month for a five-star read and yet it feels so worth it. As a survivor of trauma and PTSD I resonated with Vivian a lot, not all the specifics of course but the planning, perfectionism, and emotion dysregulation – I’ve been there too! Some of those therapy scenes felt lifted right from when I sat on my first long-term therapist’s couch circa 2015-2017, lol. Johnson disclosed about coming from a violent home in an interview and I’m so grateful to her for writing this book. I wouldn’t be surprised if other PTSD survivors feel the same. Vivian has already secured her place as one of my favorite protagonists ever: her sharp wit, her big heart, and her growth. I get teary-eyed and feel warm and hopeful just thinking about her....more
Okay this book destroyed me and I can’t recommend it enough. The novel follows Tanya and Nessa Bloom, two adult sisters who return to their childhood Okay this book destroyed me and I can’t recommend it enough. The novel follows Tanya and Nessa Bloom, two adult sisters who return to their childhood home for a weekend and realize that their mother, Lorraine, is in a violent relationship. Tanya urges Lorraine to get a restraining order while Nessa struggles to reconcile her fondness for their stepfather with his cruelty toward their mother. Seeing Lorraine’s suffering triggers painful memories for both Nessa and Tanya, related to the abuse they faced in their adolescence. As Lorraine’s situation escalates, Tanya and Nessa are forced to grapple with the legacy of trauma and hurt that follows the women in their family.
First, I found Hanna Halperin’s portrayal of domestic abuse so real and so harrowing. I can see that she worked as a domestic violence counselor because she wrote about the cycle of abuse in so vividly and honestly – the violence, the begging for forgiveness and gifts and false promises of change, the lack of accountability, the violence again, and so on. Halperin writes about the issue without sugarcoating it or glamorizing unhealthy relationships. Her descriptions of how Jesse, the sisters’ stepfather, abuses Lorraine are raw, horrifying, and I think ultimately necessary to shed light on this issue of domestic violence.
I also loved Nessa and Tanya as characters. They’re both so well-written, with distinct personalities that come alive on the page. Nessa is more insecure, shy, and patient with their mother, whereas Tanya is more confident and quicker to anger. My heart broke for both of them as they navigated seeing Jesse abuse their mother. I thought Halperin wrote about the complexity of their bond so well and captured the messy care and hurt that can occur between sisters. She highlights how both of their lives are shaped by various struggles such as their parents’ divorce, sexual violence, and patriarchy broadly. There’s not a convenient or easy ending for either of these characters, though Halperin leaves us with just the tiniest sliver of hope that made my chest literally loosen in relief as I read the final pages of this powerful novel.
Overall, I am so impressed with this debut. I read Halperin’s second book, I Could Live Here Forever, and I gave it four stars. With this book though, I couldn’t rate it any less than five. It’s dark, with brutal depictions of physical abuse and sexual assault. At the same time, by the end of the book I felt so much care for the characters, and I wanted to be updated about their whereabouts and their (hopefully healing) journeys. As someone who’s experienced and witnessed abuse both in my personal and professional live, and as someone who’s worked with survivors of trauma and abuse, this book moved me deeply. It exposes an important issue we need to talk about and work to prevent....more
A powerful novel set in 1973, Montgomery, Alabama, about a Black nurse, Civil Townsend, who tries to make a difference in the lives of girls and womenA powerful novel set in 1973, Montgomery, Alabama, about a Black nurse, Civil Townsend, who tries to make a difference in the lives of girls and women before stumbling upon a case of two young sisters that changes her career trajectory forever. I thought Dolen Perkins-Valdez did a great job of incorporating poignant themes about how we’re each responsible for fighting injustice and taking accountability for our actions. Without spoiling the plot, she portrays the past and still ongoing reproductive injustices faced by Black and brown, low-income, disabled, and otherwise marginalized girls and women. I found Civil a well-written protagonist with a consistent voice, and the novel is gripping without resorting to shock value for shock value’s sake. This is the United States history we need to learn more about!...more
I felt immersed in this story about a serial killer, Ansel, and the women in his life – a mother, a sister, and a homicide detective. We lear4.5 stars
I felt immersed in this story about a serial killer, Ansel, and the women in his life – a mother, a sister, and a homicide detective. We learn about Lavender, Ansel’s mother who gave birth to him at the age of 17 at the brink of desperation, Hazel, twin sister to Ansel’s wife who bears witness to how her sister’s romantic relationship escalates in dangerous ways, and Saffy, the detective determined to bring Ansel to justice with a troubled past of her own.
I loved Danya Kukafka’s take on gender and trauma in Notes on an Execution. She weaves in several great themes about toxic masculinity, complicated relationships between women, and contemporary society’s morbid and problematic obsession with serial killers through showing instead of telling, so the characters come first and the messages never feel heavy-handed. Her prose felt fluid and rich with detail, while still concise and clipped enough to keep the suspense churning throughout the novel. I liked how she cultivated empathy for all of her characters, even the atrocious male serial killer, while firmly and justly positioning patriarchy and the restriction of women’s autonomy as core issues that negatively impact both the women and the men in this book.
A couple of elements that further stood out to me: Kukafka’s effective and emotionally affecting portrayal of Ansel’s childhood which contributed to his horrendous actions, as well as the complex sister dynamic between Hazel and her sister Jenny (one of the last passages in which Hazel reflects on Jenny made me tear up.) While I found the book a little overwritten on a handful of occasions – like moments when the vibe of darkness throughout the book felt a bit obvious or much as well as an early scene in which Hazel eats one of Jenny’s hairs which felt a bit drastic in regard to characterization – I still enjoyed the speed of the plot and felt connected to the characters. There’s a lot to discuss in Notes on an Execution and I’m grateful to Kukafka for encouraging us to think and feel critically about how we often normalize women’s suffering at the hands of men, when we, especially men, should take action to prevent violence against women from happening at all....more
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