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thameslink's review against another edition
3.0
An honest no frills story of life and death. Not the right time for me to read- might return one day.
ellaura's review against another edition
3.5
A great study in parental microaggressions, but the ending fell quite flat for me and while the omission of the (lack of a) relationship between Bridget and Michelle seemed deliberate, I craved to get more input.
amberly1997's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book is fine, Both the atmosphere and world building was okay. The writing was fine and The paced of plot was bit slow for my liking. The cover of the book was stunning and I liked the characters but I feel at they needed to flash out also the ending was fine.
madygulon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lambsears's review against another edition
5.0
I bought this book very shortly after my mother died, but (wisely, as it turns out) decided to hold off reading it for some months.
It's an exquisitely written portrait of a completely failed mother/daughter relationship, as told through the eyes of the daughter who, we come to realise, is not without some accountability herself.
Perhaps more of a novella, the prose is carefully, intensely written and relies almost as much on what it doesn't say as on what it does.
A seriously evocative portrayal of a very complex, fractured relationship.
It's an exquisitely written portrait of a completely failed mother/daughter relationship, as told through the eyes of the daughter who, we come to realise, is not without some accountability herself.
Perhaps more of a novella, the prose is carefully, intensely written and relies almost as much on what it doesn't say as on what it does.
A seriously evocative portrayal of a very complex, fractured relationship.
lunaseline's review against another edition
4.0
Jag vet att Covid kan ändra smaksinnet, men börjar fundera på om det gäller även litterär smak...? Bok två i rad (efter The Days of Afrektete) som är en sån där bok jag inte gillar. Som jag gillar.
Mor-dotter-tjafs och frånvarande far all over the place. Osympatiska karaktärer och ytlig navelskådning (oxymoron?).
Men Rileys sätt att skriva fram både mamman och den vuxna dottern griper tag.
Och så är den ju kort. Det kanske hjälper...?
(Hjälp! Vem är jag?) En fyra, helt oreflekterat.
Mor-dotter-tjafs och frånvarande far all over the place. Osympatiska karaktärer och ytlig navelskådning (oxymoron?).
Men Rileys sätt att skriva fram både mamman och den vuxna dottern griper tag.
Och så är den ju kort. Det kanske hjälper...?
(Hjälp! Vem är jag?) En fyra, helt oreflekterat.
dukegregory's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
Kind of perfect except, at least upon initial reflection, it feels like it fails to conclude. A conclusion comes and feels unambiguous, but there's just some added something that I can't place that didn't leave me feeling the ultimate satisfaction I would've liked. But, regardless, this is such a spot-on handling of dysfunction. Riley never allows herself to stray into intergenerational cliché, nor does she allow her narrator to simply be the product of some stereotypically abusive home. This is mother-daughter relationship filled with false expectations on both sides and a million instances of miscommunication. The limited first-person perspective is the essential nuance here. It's brilliant! So much contempt, yet there's always some shadow at the corner of this novel's pages making you think, what is actually happening here that the narrator does not share simply by focusing on describing her mother and their moments together. She never wants to talk about herself. It made me laugh, made me uncomfortable, and left me interested in probably rereading it in the future. Its tone is pitch-perfect.
Riley was robbed of awards attention. This is better than any and all of the novels on the Booker longlist/shortlist.
Kind of perfect except, at least upon initial reflection, it feels like it fails to conclude. A conclusion comes and feels unambiguous, but there's just some added something that I can't place that didn't leave me feeling the ultimate satisfaction I would've liked. But, regardless, this is such a spot-on handling of dysfunction. Riley never allows herself to stray into intergenerational cliché, nor does she allow her narrator to simply be the product of some stereotypically abusive home. This is mother-daughter relationship filled with false expectations on both sides and a million instances of miscommunication. The limited first-person perspective is the essential nuance here. It's brilliant! So much contempt, yet there's always some shadow at the corner of this novel's pages making you think, what is actually happening here that the narrator does not share simply by focusing on describing her mother and their moments together. She never wants to talk about herself. It made me laugh, made me uncomfortable, and left me interested in probably rereading it in the future. Its tone is pitch-perfect.
Riley was robbed of awards attention. This is better than any and all of the novels on the Booker longlist/shortlist.