A review by kitten_nuisance
Gather The Daughters by Jennie Melamed

challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This was a very heavy book. It was well-written and richly imagined, and that’s great for reading, but also ups the disturbing factor when the subjects and ideas are so dark. I had to keep taking breaks, but actually, I could bring this up to five stars. I think this story needed to be heard.

Lots of content notes for almost all the things. I really appreciated the relative lack of animal suffering. Melamed didn’t use animals to up the stakes; she left their innocent lives alone, and I love her for that.
One content note I felt really needed to be there, but haven’t seen so far in reviews, is disordered eating. If that is something you have a history with, you should know that one character restricts in an extreme way, and it’s part of what gives her any control of her life (not just appearance). 
Actually far from the most upsetting part, though!… I have this weird feeling where I almost want to know more and less at the same time. A lot of topics are talked “around,” and you know what they mean, but it’s so hard to believe that it’s kind of like… maybe you really want someone to sit down and say it straight out. (I don’t mean the main gross thing that we learn is normal in this society. I’m good on that. 👍 But there are a LOT of details about how their society works that I want to know. Really does give me the feelings I had reading The Giver for the first time 25 or so years ago.)
Expand filter menu Content Warnings