A review by ericarobyn
This is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

4.5

This is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau is a story that is like a slap to the face, but one that hits you over, and over, and over again. 

Content Warning:
Please tread very carefully here if you have a narcissistic parent. 

With a wedding approaching, Miller is convinced that she needs to give her narcissistic mother, Sylvie, one more chance. Sylvie has asked Miller to go with her for the weekend and Miller has agreed. Miller thinks they are going to talk things out to see if they can salvage the relationship, but Sylvie has very different plans.

Right from the start, I wanted to scream at Miller for thinking things would be different this time. If only she had listened to her partner’s warning.

As soon as Miller is about to get into the car, all the red flags start to pop up.

This story just goes from bad to worse. At each new development, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. My heart broke for Miller. The gaslighting was absolutely wild.

My Favorite Passages from This is Where We Talk Things Out

And while Sylvie had a bad habit of extending poison ivy disguised as olive branches, Miller had a worse habit of accepting them.

The snow falls heavier than when Miller and Sylvie first hit the road. It comes down in sheets, which drape the trees and mountainside in a blanket of white. Even the pines lose some of their resilient green as the snow coats the branches and bleaches away their colour. The clouds hang low in the burnt umber sky, the sun almost done tucking itself out of view despite how early in the evening it still is. Miller watches as flakes of snow hit the window. perfect geometric wonders, before melting against glass warmed by the car’s heater.

Outside the cabin, the wind rattles the trees and the glass windowpanes, the snow a heavy spiral of white that covers everything in its path. Miller watches it through the open blinds, lawed by its beauty and annoyed by its inconvenience.

My Final Thoughts on This is Where We Talk Things Out

If you’re looking for a quick and brutal read that will have you gasping at each scene, then this is a great book for you!

This one made me so angry and wildly uncomfortable! I had a pit in my stomach the entire time I was reading. What wonderful work! I cannot wait to read more from this author!

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