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A review by jessicaesquire
His Right Hand by Mette Ivie Harrison
2.0
Update: More thoughts (and some spoilers) on Book Riot.
I wanted really badly to enjoy this book. I'm a former Mormon and looking at the Church's issues on gender and LGBT issues is a really intriguing place to take Harrison's series. I enjoyed The Bishop's Wife without loving it, but the things I wasn't crazy about seemed to be amplified in this second book.
I try not to leave a lot of negative reviews, but I've noted Harrison's first book as an example of writing Mormons well so I felt like I needed to see this one through. Harrison seems to be writing to both a Mormon and non-Mormon audience, so she explains the Church and she explains a lot of gender/transgender elements to her audience. It can feel like a lot of explaining. And while Harrison obviously cares about these issues, the subplots feel clunky and like an attempt to do too much to make a statement.
While a big part of Linda's history is revealed and was really interesting, I still felt detached from her as a character. And I definitely felt more detached and confused about her marriage, which feels very stilted. I just didn't connect with this book the way I hoped I would.
I wanted really badly to enjoy this book. I'm a former Mormon and looking at the Church's issues on gender and LGBT issues is a really intriguing place to take Harrison's series. I enjoyed The Bishop's Wife without loving it, but the things I wasn't crazy about seemed to be amplified in this second book.
I try not to leave a lot of negative reviews, but I've noted Harrison's first book as an example of writing Mormons well so I felt like I needed to see this one through. Harrison seems to be writing to both a Mormon and non-Mormon audience, so she explains the Church and she explains a lot of gender/transgender elements to her audience. It can feel like a lot of explaining. And while Harrison obviously cares about these issues, the subplots feel clunky and like an attempt to do too much to make a statement.
While a big part of Linda's history is revealed and was really interesting, I still felt detached from her as a character. And I definitely felt more detached and confused about her marriage, which feels very stilted. I just didn't connect with this book the way I hoped I would.