Michael
Jess, the main character studies suicide in nature, specifically in spiders. She is a Ph.D. level evolutionary psychologist, and seeks to prove that in nature, suicide can be evolutionarily advantageous. Silently, she feels that suicide can be advantageous in humans as well, and there is some good that can come from suicide. She has an entirely logical reason to believe this.
Jess is a lesbian and the book also explores her relationship with Jamie, and while no single relationship can be representative of a group, this does a good job portraying a certain type of relationship (from the back cover “Jessica is coming to terms with her own relationships, and reflecting on what it means to be queer”).
The ending appears to be controversial, with many disliking it as too abrupt a change and too much leaning into tropes and stereotypes. However, I disagree. Again, no relationship, no single person, and especially no book can represent an entire group.
In any case, I am tip-toeing around a lot because I really liked this novel and don't want to reveal too much. It raises interesting points about suicide, children, child-rearing, and relationships, and it gives no absolute answers. I really appreciated this aspect of the novel.
Of course, it discusses suicide and there are several suicides that take place in the course of the novel, so anyone considering reading In Defence of the Act, should keep this in mind. While at 72 I am in a much better place than I was at 16, it was still uncomfortable reading at times.
I know I will be thinking about this for a long time.
4.75
Jess, the main character studies suicide in nature, specifically in spiders. She is a Ph.D. level evolutionary psychologist, and seeks to prove that in nature, suicide can be evolutionarily advantageous. Silently, she feels that suicide can be advantageous in humans as well, and there is some good that can come from suicide. She has an entirely logical reason to believe this.
Jess is a lesbian and the book also explores her relationship with Jamie, and while no single relationship can be representative of a group, this does a good job portraying a certain type of relationship (from the back cover “Jessica is coming to terms with her own relationships, and reflecting on what it means to be queer”).
The ending appears to be controversial, with many disliking it as too abrupt a change and too much leaning into tropes and stereotypes. However, I disagree. Again, no relationship, no single person, and especially no book can represent an entire group.
In any case, I am tip-toeing around a lot because I really liked this novel and don't want to reveal too much. It raises interesting points about suicide, children, child-rearing, and relationships, and it gives no absolute answers. I really appreciated this aspect of the novel.
Of course, it discusses suicide and there are several suicides that take place in the course of the novel, so anyone considering reading In Defence of the Act, should keep this in mind. While at 72 I am in a much better place than I was at 16, it was still uncomfortable reading at times.
I know I will be thinking about this for a long time.
4.75