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A review by sarah984
Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was a strange little novella and I'm not sure how I feel about it.
It's 1900 and Louise's husband is dying of a syphilis-like illness. He was a surgeon and she had worked in the same hospital so they approach his dissolution with a sort of clinical detachment that can sometimes be more horrifying than if they were shocked about it. They (especially Louise) are also dealing with the judgement from others based on the nature of the (both assumed and actual) illness, which I thought was well done.
I liked the end point and what came from that, but I could not understand why Louise made the decisions that she did. She came across as a bit of a cypher in a way that made her ultimate decision seem a bit far fetched. I also wish we had gotten a bit more from the instigator, because I wasn't really clear on what her goal was.
It's 1900 and Louise's husband is dying of a syphilis-like illness. He was a surgeon and she had worked in the same hospital so they approach his dissolution with a sort of clinical detachment that can sometimes be more horrifying than if they were shocked about it. They (especially Louise) are also dealing with the judgement from others based on the nature of the (both assumed and actual) illness, which I thought was well done.
I liked the end point and what came from that, but I could not understand why Louise made the decisions that she did. She came across as a bit of a cypher in a way that made her ultimate decision seem a bit far fetched. I also wish we had gotten a bit more from the instigator, because I wasn't really clear on what her goal was.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury