Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Mister Sandman by Barbara Gowdy

1 review

seawarrior's review

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

3.0

This is definitely one of the weirder books I've read, and I'm not sure I fully understood the themes it was trying to represent. While it does have merit as an exploration of sexuality, shame, internalized homophobia, secrets and family, I often found myself repulsed by the causal ableism and racism exhibited by the leading characters. Though these bigoted thoughts and comments may be accurate for the time the book is set in, I felt them off-putting and extreme. Yet for what it's worth, this was an extremely engaging read and I enjoyed the darkly humorous tone and relentless honesty of Gowdy's writing. Much of this book revolves around the sexual exploits of the four oldest members of the Canary family, starting in adolescence. While many of these affairs are shameful and humiliating to the characters involved, Gowdy still manages to describe even their lowest moments with enough sensitivity so that the book does not feel mean-spirited or exploitative. Yet the final glaring flaw of this book is in the treatment of Joan, who is not a well depicted disabled character and was likely never intended to be. Instead, Joan is a personified representation of the Canary family's need for truth. She absorbs their secrets her entire lifetime, listening intently until she discovers a way to communicate through others' words. She is less of a person than a symbol to inspire the abled characters, which disabled people are too often reduced to, even when given starring roles. I remain torn on this book because I do feel it has worth, depth and meaning, yet there are issues with it too prominent and offensive to ignore. 
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