This is a very powerful book that I personally would summarize as an educated
adult woman intent to understand and process the implications of an abusive relationship that took place in her adolescence.
Arezu, an Iranian woman, travels back to Spain with her best friend Ellie, an Israeli pro-Palestine, in what they call recovery journeys, which consists of physically return to the sites of their traumas in an attempt to mitigate the long term effects through language, feminism and a very political interpretation of the patriarchal narrative.
They use their academically acquired knowledge as a resource that they'd "give" to their past selves. But the question remains: Is intellectual awareness enough to alleviate the effects of trauma?
We watch Arezu putting herself in very damaging places, physically and emotionally. Her body is victimized once again. One may think that intellectualization is a form of distancing, but in Arezu's case is the opposite. For her is a safer way to get closer to pain, to connect with her past self through a "contained" form of grief.
The prose is impressive. The book covers a broad spectrum of topics in a reflexive and very critical tone (sometimes over-critical, in a very millennial fashion). I understand that it can be a little pretentious for some readers. That aspect didn't bother me as much as the redundancy. It makes the book feel longer.
adult woman intent to understand and process the implications of an abusive relationship that took place in her adolescence.
Arezu, an Iranian woman, travels back to Spain with her best friend Ellie, an Israeli pro-Palestine, in what they call recovery journeys, which consists of physically return to the sites of their traumas in an attempt to mitigate the long term effects through language, feminism and a very political interpretation of the patriarchal narrative.
They use their academically acquired knowledge as a resource that they'd "give" to their past selves. But the question remains: Is intellectual awareness enough to alleviate the effects of trauma?
We watch Arezu putting herself in very damaging places, physically and emotionally. Her body is victimized once again. One may think that intellectualization is a form of distancing, but in Arezu's case is the opposite. For her is a safer way to get closer to pain, to connect with her past self through a "contained" form of grief.
The prose is impressive. The book covers a broad spectrum of topics in a reflexive and very critical tone (sometimes over-critical, in a very millennial fashion). I understand that it can be a little pretentious for some readers. That aspect didn't bother me as much as the redundancy. It makes the book feel longer.