Reviews

Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed

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dynamojess's review against another edition

1.0

350 pages about a pedophilic incestuous Christian rape cult without a decent ending.

Thought about giving it 3 stars because the writing is okay and character development is solid. But the ending is severely lacking. A similar story has been told a million times. A nonfiction book about a real cult would have been more interesting.

katiescho741's review against another edition

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4.0

Although this book deals with some dark ideas, the way the story develops is beautifully subtle. There is no "big reveal" moment, as Melamed lets the information unfold in front of us and we are left to figure things out ourselves. Some of the details are never actually said, but we can understand what's being referred to.
To start with, there are so many mysteries...why do the girls all seem to have trouble sleeping? Why do some of the mothers seem to hate their own daughters? What is causing the defectives?
These questions are all answered in understated and implied ways, which I think is a wonderful way to tell a story regardless of the subject matter. The island is some sort of rural refuge from the "wasteland" and sometimes clues are given about the wasteland, and although the girls have no context for it, we the reader add it as another piece of the emerging puzzle.
The four women/girls we follow each have a different place in things - Amanda is married and heavily pregnant, Vanessa is the loving daughter of one of the town leaders, Caitlin is quiet thanks to her drunk father, and Janey is the town rebel.
The joy-filled summer of freedom is such a contrast with the darkness within the island society. Also, the weird "summer of fruition" too. Once we have figured out what is causing the defectives, the whole thing becomes even more gruesome.
This is one of the better books of this type I have read this year. It has an eerie and subtle quality that many other modern feminist dystopia book lack. This explores the events and secrets of the community, but also the relationship between women. The women and girls are divided and we see how this division breaks friendships, and how later things affect the mother-daughter bond.

Spoiler

I thought the ending was a nice tough. I was glad that at least one of the girls would get away and potentially get to live a normal life, but I liked that it was open. If you want to be grim about it, you could imagine her failure to get used to the real world. Or you could go with the hopeful option and be happy for the family. there was no magic wand to save everyone, but at least one got away.

hannahbellz's review against another edition

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4.0

“‘So tell me, Vanessa, what advice would you give to someone who’s just moved here?’

Vanessa stares at her and tries to think of something Mrs. Adam might not have been told. Something every woman knows, but doesn’t usually say. ‘Have sons?’”

Spoiler

This was good but darker than I expected and I was hoping for a happier ending...good nonetheless.

Definitely a memorable one.

martinlibrarian's review against another edition

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4.0

Took me two days to read this truly horrifying story, so safe to say I really had a hard time putting it down! The world constructed on the island is, well, fucking atrocious if you are a girl or a woman. Looking in on this community of misogynistic, holier-than-thou petty excuses for men that are at the top of this patriarchal and hierarchal community made me feel really angry and repelled. The full implications of this society unfurl gradually through out the book - and it's really a downward spiral, almost every inch of the way. Still, I found it a strong, poignant and at parts very impressive debut novel. It's going to be very interesting following Melamed in the future.