A review by mcrespo
Normal Women by Ainslie Hogarth

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

after reading and five star-ing Motherthing, i was so eager to jump into Hogarth's body of work. this one was a little bit of a let down for me unfortunately. i'm still such a lover of Hogarth's writing style, but the plot of this novel is what lost me. the plot seemed like everything and nothing all at once. while Hogarth does bring up some really compelling points -that of which call into question how we value "a woman's work" which Hogarth emphasizes includes both sex work and motherhood- the ending just kind of obscured the message that Hogarth is trying to make. it seemed unclear what Hogarth's overall messaging on gentrification, sex work, and "woman's work" was. in all, this book seemed like a worse version of Ari Aster's Midsommar, and i couldn't help but feel disappointed after coming off the heels of Motherthing, which i very much so recommend. this one is a pass, but i haven't counted Hogarth out just yet. 
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