This isn’t an easy book to review, mainly because it is far more complex than the surface story suggests. But explaining those complexities could spoil the book for you, leaving me with the challenge of sharing my thoughts without diving in too deep.
It was clear that the author did her research. The exploration of the changeling myth in combination with the dark, pressing delusions of one suffering a mental breakdown were woven so carefully and cleverly together. One storyline is based on a frightening fairytale while the other is grounded in a heartbreaking reality and I felt that Golding did an excellent job making the reader question their own reality as the details began to surface.
It continues to sadden me that mental illness has become such a common theme to illustrate the perception of unreliability in books, mainly because it forcibly reminds me that this is such a distinct and painful reality as well. Society has created this heartbreaking plot line that authors creatively work with.
While the author left a lot up to interpretation, I feel she made a clear statement about how we treat those struggling with mental health issues and how quick we are to disregard their reality when it does not match up with what we believe it should be. This is not to say that delusions aren’t a genuine symptom that we must address carefully. But how quickly do we dismiss someone’s concerns and call them delusions? How well are we really listening? Golding gives the reader these things to consider. She never tells us what we should believe. She simply lays out a story that makes the reader wonder if what we’ve concluded about someone else’s perspective is really that black and white.
Lauren was a sympathetic character. I could feel the weight of her toxic combination: Isolation, lack of support, postpartum depression, severe mental exhaustion, and confusion over the definition of maternal love. Her internal struggle was acutely painful and incredibly well-developed.
The chilling story beyond that was intriguing. As the story concluded, I did feel some character aspects were tied up a bit too quickly and I was hungry for more information. Otherwise, I did enjoy the creepy vibe, overall pacing, and the thought-provoking story line. I think it is an excellent discussion piece and I do believe I will be ruminating upon certain details for a long time.
It was clear that the author did her research. The exploration of the changeling myth in combination with the dark, pressing delusions of one suffering a mental breakdown were woven so carefully and cleverly together. One storyline is based on a frightening fairytale while the other is grounded in a heartbreaking reality and I felt that Golding did an excellent job making the reader question their own reality as the details began to surface.
It continues to sadden me that mental illness has become such a common theme to illustrate the perception of unreliability in books, mainly because it forcibly reminds me that this is such a distinct and painful reality as well. Society has created this heartbreaking plot line that authors creatively work with.
While the author left a lot up to interpretation, I feel she made a clear statement about how we treat those struggling with mental health issues and how quick we are to disregard their reality when it does not match up with what we believe it should be. This is not to say that delusions aren’t a genuine symptom that we must address carefully. But how quickly do we dismiss someone’s concerns and call them delusions? How well are we really listening? Golding gives the reader these things to consider. She never tells us what we should believe. She simply lays out a story that makes the reader wonder if what we’ve concluded about someone else’s perspective is really that black and white.
Lauren was a sympathetic character. I could feel the weight of her toxic combination: Isolation, lack of support, postpartum depression, severe mental exhaustion, and confusion over the definition of maternal love. Her internal struggle was acutely painful and incredibly well-developed.
The chilling story beyond that was intriguing. As the story concluded, I did feel some character aspects were tied up a bit too quickly and I was hungry for more information. Otherwise, I did enjoy the creepy vibe, overall pacing, and the thought-provoking story line. I think it is an excellent discussion piece and I do believe I will be ruminating upon certain details for a long time.