GG reviewed My absolute darling by Gabriel Tallent
Review of 'My absolute darling' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
4.5 stars. For people who appreciate skillful writing, this is a beautifully-written book. It's extraordinarily emotionally difficult to read, as the central characters are a teenage girl and her abusive father, but ultimately it's a spectacular character study that really gets you inside the mind of the protagonist. Slow and steady wins the race, which I have to assume is the point of the name Turtle (a turtle also has a shell, into which it can retreat). The author does an incredible job of elucidating her conflicting feelings and helping us to understand why she acts and, in other situations, fails to take action. I can’t emphasize enough, however, that this is not a book for sensitive readers, and not a great choice for bedtime reading — I found it stressful, but ultimately rewarding.
Although it may seem trivial to some people, given the level of human cruelty in the …
4.5 stars. For people who appreciate skillful writing, this is a beautifully-written book. It's extraordinarily emotionally difficult to read, as the central characters are a teenage girl and her abusive father, but ultimately it's a spectacular character study that really gets you inside the mind of the protagonist. Slow and steady wins the race, which I have to assume is the point of the name Turtle (a turtle also has a shell, into which it can retreat). The author does an incredible job of elucidating her conflicting feelings and helping us to understand why she acts and, in other situations, fails to take action. I can’t emphasize enough, however, that this is not a book for sensitive readers, and not a great choice for bedtime reading — I found it stressful, but ultimately rewarding.
Although it may seem trivial to some people, given the level of human cruelty in the story, I need a DoesTheDogDie.com for books because I have a very hard time with animal cruelty, and I spent a good part of the first part of this book holding my breath for Rosy. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that the dog dies of natural causes, so hopefully that will make it easier to read for people like me. You can skip pages 193-195, where the dog's death is described.
