Reviews with content warning for Drug use - I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness

I don't usually like woe-is-me everyone-sucks no-relationship-is-a-good-relationship literary fiction about disaffected authors, but I tore through this. The descriptions of California are beautiful, the emotions are real and messy, and even though I hated everyone, so did the narrator.

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generalalarm's review

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adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

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

4.75

This novel is auto-fiction, reading a lot like a memoir. It's a first-person narration of a depressed, self-destructive woman's flight from her husband and newborn daughter. The novel explores her family history through letters her mother wrote and a chapter on her father's time in the Manson family cult. The book contrasts the poverty, addiction, and tragedy with which she grew up, with her own discomfort and unhappiness in her privileged life. The prose is somehow both pared back and straight to the point while making gorgeous use of lush words and highly specific descriptions.

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gm3116's review

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dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Great if you're in the mood to immerse yourself in a desert setting. It offers a possible answer to the question a parent may ask themselves "What if I made the completely selfish decision and abruptly left everything behind with absolutely no plan?"

The story is also accompanied by her parents' stories which come together to offer a look into a bygone time with bygone hopes and aspirations.

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