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A review by gracer
The Margot Affair by Sanaë Lemoine
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was not as engrossing as I expected, but ultimately I really liked it. The premise is fascinating - there's all kinds of stories about affairs and secret families, but for some reason it seems so rare to actually get the perspective of the children of these affairs. The potential psychological effects of being the child of a "secret family" is... well. It's a lot.
In that regard I thought this was fascinating. It was also refreshing to read about a teenager in a book that isn't YA, because there's more room for such a character to do stupid things and make mistakes, and it seems more realistic. You also feel bad for her because she's just trying to figure things out, and if grownups around her are setting bad examples, or unrealistic expectations, it's not her fault for trying to follow in those footsteps, or to meet those expectations.
This may be leading you to think that there's a lot of that in this book, and there isn't, not too much. The best part about this book is definitely Margot trying to come to terms with her situation with her father. The married couple who come into her life are more interesting as motivating parties and less as what they ultimately become, but I also didn't mind that part. It seemed to make sense with the narrative as it went.
Overall, a really interesting read, about a perspective that truly felt unique.
In that regard I thought this was fascinating. It was also refreshing to read about a teenager in a book that isn't YA, because there's more room for such a character to do stupid things and make mistakes, and it seems more realistic. You also feel bad for her because she's just trying to figure things out, and if grownups around her are setting bad examples, or unrealistic expectations, it's not her fault for trying to follow in those footsteps, or to meet those expectations.
This may be leading you to think that there's a lot of that in this book, and there isn't, not too much. The best part about this book is definitely Margot trying to come to terms with her situation with her father. The married couple who come into her life are more interesting as motivating parties and less as what they ultimately become, but I also didn't mind that part. It seemed to make sense with the narrative as it went.
Overall, a really interesting read, about a perspective that truly felt unique.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent