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A review by theliteraryteapot
La gitane aux yeux bleus by Mamen Sánchez
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
There were so many things that felt wrong about this book (pub. in 2013): its racism, its homophobia, fatphobia, the patriarchal and heteronomative relationships.
Of course this novel was full of stereotypes on the Roma. I despised the use of the lexical field of witchcraft (educate yourself on harmful antitsiganist stereotypes). Quite frankly, it baffles me that readers/reviewers never point out the antistiganism in books. I'm quite proud of my Romani ancestry and I wish I could've had grown up with positive representation. I wish people would include the Romani community in their diversity discourses. But, even in such books where the negative and harmful antitsiganist clichés and narratives take so much space, I see barely any review talking about it. And this says so much about people's ignorance, hence the even stronger need for positive representation.
Of course this novel was full of stereotypes on the Roma. I despised the use of the lexical field of witchcraft (educate yourself on harmful antitsiganist stereotypes). Quite frankly, it baffles me that readers/reviewers never point out the antistiganism in books. I'm quite proud of my Romani ancestry and I wish I could've had grown up with positive representation. I wish people would include the Romani community in their diversity discourses. But, even in such books where the negative and harmful antitsiganist clichés and narratives take so much space, I see barely any review talking about it. And this says so much about people's ignorance, hence the even stronger need for positive representation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Classism