Nguyet Tran
Very interesting premise. Both the writing and the audiobook narration were engaging. I was very hooked at first, but ultimately left disappointed.
The book seemed to lack sympathy for women, which feels contradictory because the book was meant for women. Natalie was undeniably misogynistic and abusive. However, she was also born into a traditional family, married into a misogynistic and dysfunctional household, suffered from PPD with no real support system, and was clearly mentally unstable in the final third of her life. Despite all of this, the book treated her with very little sympathy.
It was also unclear why her sister escaped that fate while Natalie did not. Of course, different people have different personalities, and one could argue that Natalie was too prideful to admit her marriage was failing. Still, what fundamentally made her so different from her sister, who was able to accept reality and leave? For a book seemingly aimed at exploring women’s experiences, I wish the author had examined more deeply how systems and societal expectations shaped each woman’s choices and behavior, instead of leaving it so vague and attributing everything to personality.
Additionally, when Natalie was clearly losing her mind, Caleb did almost nothing to help her. She went to jail for child neglect, but shouldn’t Caleb, the fully functional adult in the situation, also have been held severely accountable? Instead, the ending seemed laser-focused on Natalie’s downfall, portraying it in the most pathetic and humiliating way possible.
Overall, it felt like the author simply wanted the worst possible outcome for Natalie and forced the story in that direction.
That said, I still think it’s a very engrossing book. If you’re mainly looking for entertainment and plot twists, it definitely works.
Very interesting premise. Both the writing and the audiobook narration were engaging. I was very hooked at first, but ultimately left disappointed.
The book seemed to lack sympathy for women, which feels contradictory because the book was meant for women. Natalie was undeniably misogynistic and abusive. However, she was also born into a traditional family, married into a misogynistic and dysfunctional household, suffered from PPD with no real support system, and was clearly mentally unstable in the final third of her life. Despite all of this, the book treated her with very little sympathy.
It was also unclear why her sister escaped that fate while Natalie did not. Of course, different people have different personalities, and one could argue that Natalie was too prideful to admit her marriage was failing. Still, what fundamentally made her so different from her sister, who was able to accept reality and leave? For a book seemingly aimed at exploring women’s experiences, I wish the author had examined more deeply how systems and societal expectations shaped each woman’s choices and behavior, instead of leaving it so vague and attributing everything to personality.
Additionally, when Natalie was clearly losing her mind, Caleb did almost nothing to help her. She went to jail for child neglect, but shouldn’t Caleb, the fully functional adult in the situation, also have been held severely accountable? Instead, the ending seemed laser-focused on Natalie’s downfall, portraying it in the most pathetic and humiliating way possible.
Overall, it felt like the author simply wanted the worst possible outcome for Natalie and forced the story in that direction.
That said, I still think it’s a very engrossing book. If you’re mainly looking for entertainment and plot twists, it definitely works.