Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - Pearl

I'm glad that the Booker longlisting of Pearl brought this Ali Smith-like meditation of the longlasting impact of grief. It's not the first book about an absent mother but it is one of the better ones. That being said, I'm not convinced that it is 1 of the 13 best books this year.

Content Warnings

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

When Marianne was eight her mother disappeared and nobody knows what happened to her. Pearl looks at Marianne’s life and the impact that loss had on her. It is told from the perspective of an adult Marianne who is now a mother herself. The changing impact of grief and loss is a key theme. So too the elusive and changing nature of memories. At different stages in her life Marianne focuses on different memories of her mother, remembers different things about her and her disappearance, and processes and understands those memories differently. Mental health issues are covered in some detail including depression, post-partum depression, and disordered eating so proceed with caution if those are triggers for you. While the story has a big focus on mothering - the way Margaret mothered Marianne, the impact of the loss of that mothering, and the way Marianne mothers her own daughter, fathering also features prominently. Edward was quiet, mired in his own grief and the struggle of being a single parent, clearly trying his best, and brought a stable, reliable and loving presence. His patience with Marianne arguably veered too much into laissez-faire territory, yet he really stepped up when she had a post-partum mental health crisis. The blurb emphasises Marianne’s focus on the medieval poem The Pearl and her efforts to represent it through art. This does feature but not to the extent the blurb lead me to expect. The prose somehow managed to be both restrained yet poetic. I found it almost hypnotic at times. Each chapter begins with a section of a nursery rhyme or similar. I liked the way these referenced the atmosphere of Marianne’s childhood, and the way they formed an enduring bond between Marianne and her mother. This is a sensitive, subtle story. I enjoyed my reading experience but I’m not sure it’s a book that will stick with me.

Content Warnings

borumi's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

After reading the hardships and braveness of the main character in Nightcrawling I felt that I couldn’t sympathise so much with so much of the acting out and immaturity of the main character who was so spoiled by both parents even after she was a grown up mother of her own daughter. It’s like she takes up one puppy just to fill up her emptiness and doesn’t really think or plan over the responsibilities that come along with it. Maybe it’s a bit harsh but I think I’ve had enough of her whining and ranting by the middle of the book.

The twist in the end was too abrupt and subtle to have a major impact on the whole.

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