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A review by sweetbeetle
Last Words from Montmartre by Qiu Miaojin
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
!!! Abuser torments abuse victim with suicide letters after the victim has gone no-contact !!!
70% verbal abuse, 10% immature ideas, 10% poor writing and 10% extremely sincere thoughts.
Normally, I don't write reviews as loaded as this one, but this book was a special case.
Be aware that this book is essentially a suicide note written by the author weeks before her death.
It is hard to say how autobiographical this book is, but from the text the following is clear:
70% verbal abuse, 10% immature ideas, 10% poor writing and 10% extremely sincere thoughts.
Normally, I don't write reviews as loaded as this one, but this book was a special case.
Be aware that this book is essentially a suicide note written by the author weeks before her death.
It is hard to say how autobiographical this book is, but from the text the following is clear:
- The narrator has physically abused her partner in the past.
- The victim has since gone no-contact.
- The abuser does not accept the no-contact and insists the victim still loves her.
- The mental abuse continues through:
- Constant phone calling
- Letters dissecting the victim's 'flaws' which constantly mentions suicide as a solution to the pain the victim has 'caused' the abuser.
5. The abuser is unable to take responsibility for her actions and believe she should have constant
access to her victim.
I think it is important for all future readers to be aware of these facts before reading. (These are not spoilers, they are quickly revealed.)
It is a painful read because the book most likely served the purpose of further abusing the author's past partner. The lack of remorse, the complete lack of self-awareness expressed by the narrator is impressive and most doubtfully not the result of a purposeful unlikeable protagonist. It is most likely the result of the severe mental state the author was in while writing this, and should be read as such.
That being said, after I started thinking about the book in this way, I could enjoy the good parts. As mentioned above, the verbal abuse in these letters is relentless and I could only 'enjoy' them in an anthropological way; How does the mind of abusers operate? How do they justify their actions?
(If you read this review after reading the book and you think this way of talking to another person is normal or excusable, please know it is not and I will personally pray that no one will ever abuse you like this again.)
What is to be said besides the abuse? Well, the narrator is very immature, a lot of people point this out, and certain parts are hard to read. Ideally an editor should have removed these parts.
There is also quite a lot of poor writing. Ideally an editor should also have removed these parts.
But the parts of the book that were not tainted by these things were so sincere that I was very touched. Much more touched than I had anticipated, despite the awful abuse. Maybe because the whole book was so unedited and raw, the parts that did work worked really well. The narrator's voice was so real and clear, and so when it was not entitled and awful, it was very powerful and moving.
I weirdly don't regret reading this book. Somehow the good parts moved me more than most of the books I read recently. Somehow such a small percentage of worthy lines managed to outweigh the awful parts. Impressive. Impressive what literature can do to you.
access to her victim.
I think it is important for all future readers to be aware of these facts before reading. (These are not spoilers, they are quickly revealed.)
It is a painful read because the book most likely served the purpose of further abusing the author's past partner. The lack of remorse, the complete lack of self-awareness expressed by the narrator is impressive and most doubtfully not the result of a purposeful unlikeable protagonist. It is most likely the result of the severe mental state the author was in while writing this, and should be read as such.
That being said, after I started thinking about the book in this way, I could enjoy the good parts. As mentioned above, the verbal abuse in these letters is relentless and I could only 'enjoy' them in an anthropological way; How does the mind of abusers operate? How do they justify their actions?
(If you read this review after reading the book and you think this way of talking to another person is normal or excusable, please know it is not and I will personally pray that no one will ever abuse you like this again.)
What is to be said besides the abuse? Well, the narrator is very immature, a lot of people point this out, and certain parts are hard to read. Ideally an editor should have removed these parts.
There is also quite a lot of poor writing. Ideally an editor should also have removed these parts.
But the parts of the book that were not tainted by these things were so sincere that I was very touched. Much more touched than I had anticipated, despite the awful abuse. Maybe because the whole book was so unedited and raw, the parts that did work worked really well. The narrator's voice was so real and clear, and so when it was not entitled and awful, it was very powerful and moving.
I weirdly don't regret reading this book. Somehow the good parts moved me more than most of the books I read recently. Somehow such a small percentage of worthy lines managed to outweigh the awful parts. Impressive. Impressive what literature can do to you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Suicide, Vomit, and Stalking