A review by lora_h
Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright
4.0
Through journal entries & letters, this book chronicles the early to mid 1930s events in the lives of 2 Canadian sisters.
The author is very skilled at story telling, inventing interesting characters & arcs. This particular book includes casual references to historical events, personages, & works of art that have much greater significance in the 90 odd years since the story takes place - a clever way of taking us back into that time period without showing undue artifice.
I read with trepidation, male authors telling female stories, but Wright does a fair job.
There are some short comings - his telling through a womans journal of her early pregnancy & then the aftermath of its termination show he hasnt a clue what it feels like to be in a womans body. Surely there was some woman Beta reader who could have nudged him back on the right path. And there is the one time he has a heterosexual woman sexually assess another woman more in the voice of a man than the woman who supposedly made the observation.
On the other hand, he writes a rape, again from the womans perspective, with a realism & detachment that convinces, as does the aftermath to the victim herself. All the women characters are fully drawn & show what happens to many women in their interactions with men. Wright is on their side.
About 2 thirds through the book, Clara moved toward being a pathetic rather than strong unconventional western female. I stuck with Wright, however, & he eventually brought Clara back to where she could reclaim herself but then BAM! he ended the book before the reader could see if she did it or not.
The afterword lets us know she did not, but told in a way that was disconnected to the Clara followed for over 400 pages. I had no idea why the things described in the afterword could possibly have come to pass. It felt as if Wright had belittled & degraded Clara with his writing, got bored, & gave it a bad ending because thats what he wanted, not what Clara would have done at all.
Ive asked myself if I would have the same reaction had a woman written this book. I would still feel the book failed Clara, but I wouldnt put it down to the authors gender. So in fairness to Mr Wright, I will say that the book failed Clara, but he is a talented writer.
The author is very skilled at story telling, inventing interesting characters & arcs. This particular book includes casual references to historical events, personages, & works of art that have much greater significance in the 90 odd years since the story takes place - a clever way of taking us back into that time period without showing undue artifice.
I read with trepidation, male authors telling female stories, but Wright does a fair job.
There are some short comings - his telling through a womans journal of her early pregnancy & then the aftermath of its termination show he hasnt a clue what it feels like to be in a womans body. Surely there was some woman Beta reader who could have nudged him back on the right path. And there is the one time he has a heterosexual woman sexually assess another woman more in the voice of a man than the woman who supposedly made the observation.
On the other hand, he writes a rape, again from the womans perspective, with a realism & detachment that convinces, as does the aftermath to the victim herself. All the women characters are fully drawn & show what happens to many women in their interactions with men. Wright is on their side.
About 2 thirds through the book, Clara moved toward being a pathetic rather than strong unconventional western female. I stuck with Wright, however, & he eventually brought Clara back to where she could reclaim herself but then BAM! he ended the book before the reader could see if she did it or not.
The afterword lets us know she did not, but told in a way that was disconnected to the Clara followed for over 400 pages. I had no idea why the things described in the afterword could possibly have come to pass. It felt as if Wright had belittled & degraded Clara with his writing, got bored, & gave it a bad ending because thats what he wanted, not what Clara would have done at all.
Ive asked myself if I would have the same reaction had a woman written this book. I would still feel the book failed Clara, but I wouldnt put it down to the authors gender. So in fairness to Mr Wright, I will say that the book failed Clara, but he is a talented writer.