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A review by xzainaby
Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Céspedes
5.0
Such a stunning read!
The book dives into identity, gender roles, patriarchy, relationships, societal expectations, and many more concepts. They all unite cohesively, resulting in a unique story. While the story has several elements, the one that grabbed my attention the most is the presentation of motherhood within society. A mother is seen solely as a mother, nothing more.
Valerie struggles to find time to write in her secret notebook. She has to hide it away from everyone, including her husband, and can’t even admit that she has a notebook of her own where she writes her thoughts and beliefs.
“I always have to pretend to be thinking about practical things, and this fiction wears me out. If I said I’m thinking about a moral or religious or political problem. Maybe they would start laughing at me, affectionately mocking me, as they did the night I insisted on my right to keep a diary.”
Valerie, like any human being, aspires to have her thoughts to express them, and to critically think about them.
However, being a mother, Valerie is expected to overlook her individuality and personal aspirations to prioritize her children.
Even her daughter, Mirella does not think that Valerie deserves to have a diary. It could be a sign of internalized societal bias, because Mirella resists conforming to societal expectations, and desire independence. Yet she thinks about her mother this way.
Also, let us not forget the depiction of patriarchal norms within the society. Michelle, being the husband, is always the one who knows the best, and Valerie, being the wife, has always to obey no matter what she thinks. In the end, it’s Michelle’s call and she will have to act as he orders. Valerie “had only to trust, to obey.” In the end, you can never forget that “in a marriage, there has to be one that commands, and one who obeys.”
*** SPOILER ***
Finally, I'm happy with the ending, it's a realistic ending, not a fairytale ending. With the contradiction of Valerie's thoughts and the process to discover herself, it would not be logical to end the story otherwise.
The book dives into identity, gender roles, patriarchy, relationships, societal expectations, and many more concepts. They all unite cohesively, resulting in a unique story. While the story has several elements, the one that grabbed my attention the most is the presentation of motherhood within society. A mother is seen solely as a mother, nothing more.
Valerie struggles to find time to write in her secret notebook. She has to hide it away from everyone, including her husband, and can’t even admit that she has a notebook of her own where she writes her thoughts and beliefs.
“I always have to pretend to be thinking about practical things, and this fiction wears me out. If I said I’m thinking about a moral or religious or political problem. Maybe they would start laughing at me, affectionately mocking me, as they did the night I insisted on my right to keep a diary.”
Valerie, like any human being, aspires to have her thoughts to express them, and to critically think about them.
However, being a mother, Valerie is expected to overlook her individuality and personal aspirations to prioritize her children.
Even her daughter, Mirella does not think that Valerie deserves to have a diary. It could be a sign of internalized societal bias, because Mirella resists conforming to societal expectations, and desire independence. Yet she thinks about her mother this way.
Also, let us not forget the depiction of patriarchal norms within the society. Michelle, being the husband, is always the one who knows the best, and Valerie, being the wife, has always to obey no matter what she thinks. In the end, it’s Michelle’s call and she will have to act as he orders. Valerie “had only to trust, to obey.” In the end, you can never forget that “in a marriage, there has to be one that commands, and one who obeys.”
*** SPOILER ***
Finally, I'm happy with the ending, it's a realistic ending, not a fairytale ending. With the contradiction of Valerie's thoughts and the process to discover herself, it would not be logical to end the story otherwise.