A review by readlentless
The Lover by Marguerite Duras

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

the book reminded me of that fleabag quote, "women are born with pain built-in, it's our physical destiny..." i am destroyed, literally and figuratively. the writing and the flow ugh chef's kiss. the atmosphere was just so haunting. the author's relationship with her family especially with her mother was utterly afflicting. there's some madness and beauty within the complicated and toxic daughter-mother rs that just always gets me. it's just so gloomy, so personal— almost like a diary you don't want to be read aloud but you're secretly hoping to be found. what tickled my mind was the complication of their identities and how it played with societal expectations (femininity, race, age, social standing). i wondered what would happen if roles were reversed... anw, the story was more a vibe than a solid plot. it also jumps from one timeline to another so it might be confusing.