You know those books that once you put them down, you take a step back and think ‘That shit was whack”? This, dear friends, is one of those books. There were some deeply disturbing and disquieting scenes that hinted and suggested deep dysfunction rather than told you everything, and that sometimes is more effective than spelling out the awful truth.
It’s a book that dismantles the notion of fulfilled relationships, and looks under the carpet where people sweep their disappointments and deepest regrets to create a big stinking pile of sad dust. Pippa Lee is a complex woman, married to an older man who has ‘tamed’ her – but is it just an act? Is the whole wife and mother act just pretence? And the bigger question is – do all women feel this way, trapped and dishonest in their roles as wife and mother? Do their real selves cease to exist once you have children? Yep, told you it was whack.
There are some fascinating relationships and characters in Miller’s debut work, and while not all are fully formed (the ending for example is wrapped up in a ridiculously short fashion – a sign of an over zealous editor or an out-of-ideas author?) it’s very commendable for going to some dark and interesting places when it could have quite easily become chick lit twaddle.
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