A review by serendipitysbooks
Perish by LaToya Watkins

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 
Perish is a debut novel that really packs a punch and ripped my heart open. It opens with the Helen Jean, the family matriarch, on her death bed and family members gathering to say their goodbyes. But it immediately becomes clear that there are lots of complicated feelings, this isn’t a close united family, and Helen isn’t exactly beloved by all. The novel then unfolds in different time periods and from varying points of view, slowly revealing, layer by layer, the family history. And much of it is a dark history involving the legacy of abuse, inter-generational trauma and the cyclical nature of abuse. As such it is a difficult and confronting read. If child sexual abuse is a trigger this book may not be for you.

The writing was stellar. My heart broke for what the characters had borne, even as I wanted to rail against them for their own actions. I really appreciated the nuanced way the book explored the issue of children who are abused and then go on to abuse others. Another thing this book did so well was to highlight the harm done by silence and secrets and pretending not to see, harm done to both the victims and perpetrators of abuse. The fact that this story ended with openness and honesty, with talking and sharing, gave it an element of hope for me, a very welcome glimmer given the tough and confronting subject matter. 
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