2treads's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
'All will be revealed on Judgement, as every good churchgoer knows.' -Gertrude
As with her short fiction and poetry, Senior's atmosphere, characters, dialogue, and interplay are filled with poignancy and makes the reader empathize with her main character while also deeply examining the vivid societal standards and prejudices that are so ingrained withun a generation and clearly depicted on page.
Gertrude comes to the realization that she has endured abuse and a lack of nurturing through almost all her life and has visited the same detached treatment on her children.
Through her recollections and memories observations, we experience the life of neglect and lack of love and compassion that she endured as a child and a woman; especially as one that did not suit the aesthetic of her paternal family.
Senior does a fantastic job of building the world and societal structures with all its racism (classism, elitism) through Gertrude's experiences. But she also depicts the strength that can be found in community and kindness. The characters at the Lodge are just brilliantly written and I love the independence, attitude, and glamour that Senior has given them.
And as she accepts the roles she played in her own trials and acknowledges the hurt caused by those who should have loved and protected her, she blossoms under the release of her trauma and is ready to face how she passed it on to her children, who all expressed their own in different ways.
I did want more of a deep dive into the reckoning of hurt that would have initiated healing. The ending definitely points in that direction...I hope. But genuinely reflects what a hard path to reconciliation one has to walk when the trauma is so personal.
As with her short fiction and poetry, Senior's atmosphere, characters, dialogue, and interplay are filled with poignancy and makes the reader empathize with her main character while also deeply examining the vivid societal standards and prejudices that are so ingrained withun a generation and clearly depicted on page.
Gertrude comes to the realization that she has endured abuse and a lack of nurturing through almost all her life and has visited the same detached treatment on her children.
Through her recollections and memories observations, we experience the life of neglect and lack of love and compassion that she endured as a child and a woman; especially as one that did not suit the aesthetic of her paternal family.
Senior does a fantastic job of building the world and societal structures with all its racism (classism, elitism) through Gertrude's experiences. But she also depicts the strength that can be found in community and kindness. The characters at the Lodge are just brilliantly written and I love the independence, attitude, and glamour that Senior has given them.
And as she accepts the roles she played in her own trials and acknowledges the hurt caused by those who should have loved and protected her, she blossoms under the release of her trauma and is ready to face how she passed it on to her children, who all expressed their own in different ways.
I did want more of a deep dive into the reckoning of hurt that would have initiated healing. The ending definitely points in that direction...I hope. But genuinely reflects what a hard path to reconciliation one has to walk when the trauma is so personal.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, and Sexual assault
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