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jaclyncrupi's review against another edition
4.0
Watkins’ first novel Gold Fame citrus showed such pure promise (without fully realising said promise) that I knew I would continue reading her work. And here with her third book all that potential has been unleashed. What a thing to behold. The development of a writer unfolding in this way is a glorious and intimate gift for readers. I kept thinking of The Golden State as I read which is super high praise. But this book also has the wildness of Nightbitch, The Need and Afterbirth. Give me a woman running from her life while you explore class and poverty and I am yours. We all know that impulse and it’s satisfying and harrowing to see it realised.
ashsaxreadsstacks's review against another edition
2.5
The only thing I liked about this book was the brutal honesty about postpartum care (more like lack of) and coveting of the other lives you gave up to become a wife and mother.
Aside from that - which is only maaaybe 15% of the book? - I struggled to finish this.
The flash back letters lend to a format I'd usually eat right up. I found myself dreading the sight of larger margins and italicized font.
Obviously the far-fetched aspects of this story are fiction (of course), but the aspects that I feel like Claire Vaye Watkins was hoping to use to ground the story and keep it somewhat realistic totally missed the mark for me. I may be way off on her intentions, but either way I didn't enjoy this read.
Similar novels I think were done better: The Nursery, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, and Dearest (leans more toward horror/thriller though, and not in the way that's usually my taste... but still).
Aside from that - which is only maaaybe 15% of the book? - I struggled to finish this.
The flash back letters lend to a format I'd usually eat right up. I found myself dreading the sight of larger margins and italicized font.
Obviously the far-fetched aspects of this story are fiction (of course), but the aspects that I feel like Claire Vaye Watkins was hoping to use to ground the story and keep it somewhat realistic totally missed the mark for me. I may be way off on her intentions, but either way I didn't enjoy this read.
Similar novels I think were done better: The Nursery, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, and Dearest (leans more toward horror/thriller though, and not in the way that's usually my taste... but still).
bethmara's review against another edition
1.0
Well this was a rocking bad time for me. Our protagonist starts out in deep postpartum depression describing her contempt for other mothers, overly touchy strangers and her newfound status as a white mom.
She travels to Reno without her newborn and confronts her past in ways that are described in the book jacket has 'darkly hilarious' but mostly just dark.
I'm all in for some biting self aware humor (Jenny Lawson and David Sedaris), but this book is just mean. Is there anyone the author actually likes? Not only did the main character not like anyone, I'm at a loss to figure out why she chose motherhood in the first place.
In addition to my strong dislike of this character, the author puts together rambling sentences meant to reflect the near fever dream status of postpartum depression life. The problem is, it was really hard for me to follow.
I went in hoping to have some of my postpartum experiences validated but just found this depressing and perhaps even moderately disturbing. Maybe you'll have more luck?
She travels to Reno without her newborn and confronts her past in ways that are described in the book jacket has 'darkly hilarious' but mostly just dark.
I'm all in for some biting self aware humor (Jenny Lawson and David Sedaris), but this book is just mean. Is there anyone the author actually likes? Not only did the main character not like anyone, I'm at a loss to figure out why she chose motherhood in the first place.
In addition to my strong dislike of this character, the author puts together rambling sentences meant to reflect the near fever dream status of postpartum depression life. The problem is, it was really hard for me to follow.
I went in hoping to have some of my postpartum experiences validated but just found this depressing and perhaps even moderately disturbing. Maybe you'll have more luck?
dani_readz's review against another edition
dark
slow-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
1.0
Very strong start and end to this book but the middle was such a drag.
cploetz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ccuozzo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
allisonrae13's review against another edition
funny
reflective
slow-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
2.0
julianananana's review against another edition
3.5
I usually rate books based on how much I thought about the book in between reading, and how much I looked forward to reading it again. This book made me think a lot, but I never quite looked forward to reading it. In fact, reading it was very uncomfortable. It's an unflinching autofiction memoir-novel based on Watkin's real life growing up in poverty surrounded by addiction, the details of which are uncomfortable to look directly at. But, I think, an important and meaningful discomfort to move through and witness.
The book itself is totally weird (in a good way?) -- one narrative takes place in Watkins present day, fleeing from marriage and motherhood for a variety of reasons that largely seem to come down to unresolved PTSD. Another narrative interspersed between chapters of present day are transcriptions of Watkins' mother's letters written between 1968 and 1976 to her cousin, chronically backwards in time. A third narrative, which did not weave through the novel but rather was a quick 20-page detour, was a quick biography of Watkins' father's time in the Manson Family cult. So -- weird! Quickly shifting in a not always easy to follow way, jumping all over the place and raw with so much feeling and desperation and anger on every page.
I'm also taking with me a quote that I keep thinking about, which I think is a real quote from Watkins' real father, said while in remission from cancer (a few months before his early death):
The book itself is totally weird (in a good way?) -- one narrative takes place in Watkins present day, fleeing from marriage and motherhood for a variety of reasons that largely seem to come down to unresolved PTSD. Another narrative interspersed between chapters of present day are transcriptions of Watkins' mother's letters written between 1968 and 1976 to her cousin, chronically backwards in time. A third narrative, which did not weave through the novel but rather was a quick 20-page detour, was a quick biography of Watkins' father's time in the Manson Family cult. So -- weird! Quickly shifting in a not always easy to follow way, jumping all over the place and raw with so much feeling and desperation and anger on every page.
I'm also taking with me a quote that I keep thinking about, which I think is a real quote from Watkins' real father, said while in remission from cancer (a few months before his early death):
"I think I have a really good chance of having a really good life."
That's how I'm trying to feel, too.
laurenexploresbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault