I’m going to start by stating, upfront, that this won’t be for everyone. Some readers will, reaching certain points, cringe and toss the book to the ground never to be picked up again. Others will read with such urgency they can’t possibly put it down and so the book becomes a kind of appendage until its over. Some might think “I have no idea how I feel about it.”
Synopsis: “Joan has spent a lifetime enduring the cruel acts of men. But when one of them commits a shocking act of violence in front of her, she flees New York City in search of Alice, the only person alive who can help her make sense of her past. In Los Angeles, Joan unravels the horrific event she witnessed as a child—that has haunted her every waking moment—while forging the power to finally strike back.”
This book is visceral, which I think was the intention of Taddeo’s writing. It is graphic, it is sexual, it is violent. What Taddeo does well is cultivate a protagonist who is at once deeply sad and righteously angry. But anger, unchecked, gives way to depravity. This is Joan’s origin story – how she came to be depraved and how she tries to regain some semblance of power, a power she’s either never had or was stripped of. There is no subtlety here. Taddeo lays bare the darkest, most horrific life events you can think of and dares you to look away. Joan’s story feels improbable, with the reader questioning if the story is becoming gratuitous or exploitative.
What Taddeo does well, consistently, is explore dynamics between men and women. What both parties want from the other, the ways we alter ourselves to appeal to the other, the ways we harm each other, and the ways we manipulate each other. The dynamic is rarely, if at all, considered positive. Taddeo also writes beautiful prose and her observations about trauma are heartbreakingly tender.
I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Emma Roberts, and I couldn’t stop listening. Her voice is captivating, convincing, and alluring in its honesty.
TWs abound: graphic depictions of suicide, murder, abortion, miscarriage, rape, etc.
Have you this one? 💛
Read It Like Rory 