Lauren
As I get older, I really have started to like reading authors notes and acknowledgments that discuss the author’s thought process. I think this section of the book helped it. Olivie said some important things there that I encourage everyone to read. That being said, let me actually review this book.
Girl Dinner is exactly what it promises to be. It’s a duel POV story that seems to have no cross over, but slowly does, though rarely (if ever) do the two POVs directly interact. The first POV we follow is Sloane. At the start of the book she is a new-ish mother returning to work in an adjunct position for sociology. Her marriage is imperfect (and becomes more painful to read about) and while her devotion to her daughter is ever present, she shares how hard and all consuming that can weigh on a person (particularly on women). Then there is Nina, a sophomore in college trying to rush a sorority, seemingly looking for belonging, power, and protection that can be offered within a group. She quickly becomes devoted to the sorority, for better or worse.
Firstly, this book isn’t subtle. Personally, I wanted more. Blake does make it clear she wasn’t really trying to do an in-depth look at feminism and its intersectionalities, but that is kind of what the whole book is about. It’s not bad, but if you’re a woman, you know most of what she is saying already.
The characters, however, are interesting. Everyone lives in a very morally ambiguous space for most of the book. No one person seems totally good or totally bad for a long time. Then, of course, we get to the crux of the question being asked: how far is too far when fighting for power, equality, and rights? (Even side characters end up toeing and often crossing the line).
The book did start to drag in the middle, which no one wants to say about a horror novel. They’re usually fast moving. I’d almost argue this book it more lit fic than horror. If you’re curious when this is, it’s during Part 3 Initiation. It picked up at the end of that part, but particularly Nina’s chapters were kind of boring for a stretch.
I’m going to tread into slight spoiler territory, but if you’ve read the synopsis and understand this book is in the horror genre, anything I will mention is pretty obvious before even opening the book or within the first 2-3 chapters.
The book clearly promises cannibalism, and while even the thought of it gives me a bad feeling, I wanted more? I know that sounds wild, but that was the horror element (okay, the society we live in was, too). It didn’t happen until later in the book and when it did it was almost not a big deal. I don’t know. For all the build up I wanted more.
I will say, without giving spoilers, I didn’t quite expect that ending. They’re all pretty messed up, but I didn’t expect to think Solane was the largest villain of them all until that last page.
As I get older, I really have started to like reading authors notes and acknowledgments that discuss the author’s thought process. I think this section of the book helped it. Olivie said some important things there that I encourage everyone to read. That being said, let me actually review this book.
Girl Dinner is exactly what it promises to be. It’s a duel POV story that seems to have no cross over, but slowly does, though rarely (if ever) do the two POVs directly interact. The first POV we follow is Sloane. At the start of the book she is a new-ish mother returning to work in an adjunct position for sociology. Her marriage is imperfect (and becomes more painful to read about) and while her devotion to her daughter is ever present, she shares how hard and all consuming that can weigh on a person (particularly on women). Then there is Nina, a sophomore in college trying to rush a sorority, seemingly looking for belonging, power, and protection that can be offered within a group. She quickly becomes devoted to the sorority, for better or worse.
Firstly, this book isn’t subtle. Personally, I wanted more. Blake does make it clear she wasn’t really trying to do an in-depth look at feminism and its intersectionalities, but that is kind of what the whole book is about. It’s not bad, but if you’re a woman, you know most of what she is saying already.
The characters, however, are interesting. Everyone lives in a very morally ambiguous space for most of the book. No one person seems totally good or totally bad for a long time. Then, of course, we get to the crux of the question being asked: how far is too far when fighting for power, equality, and rights? (Even side characters end up toeing and often crossing the line).
The book did start to drag in the middle, which no one wants to say about a horror novel. They’re usually fast moving. I’d almost argue this book it more lit fic than horror. If you’re curious when this is, it’s during Part 3 Initiation. It picked up at the end of that part, but particularly Nina’s chapters were kind of boring for a stretch.
I’m going to tread into slight spoiler territory, but if you’ve read the synopsis and understand this book is in the horror genre, anything I will mention is pretty obvious before even opening the book or within the first 2-3 chapters.
The book clearly promises cannibalism, and while even the thought of it gives me a bad feeling, I wanted more? I know that sounds wild, but that was the horror element (okay, the society we live in was, too). It didn’t happen until later in the book and when it did it was almost not a big deal. I don’t know. For all the build up I wanted more.
I will say, without giving spoilers, I didn’t quite expect that ending. They’re all pretty messed up, but I didn’t expect to think Solane was the largest villain of them all until that last page.