Four years after I read the first book in this series, I have finally read the second book. Reading that book during the lead up to the 2016 election was extremely difficult, because the sexism and misogyny both the narrator and Lila have to deal with is so pervasive and extreme. I wouldn't say it feels easier to deal with now, exactly, but the world feels like it's falling apart in a slightly different way than it did in October 2016, and it definitely changes my reading of the story.
In part I think it makes it a bit harder for me to engage fully with the narrative and the characters. I watched both The Godfather and The Godfather II for the first time in the last couple of months, and these books are very much a depiction of traditional Italian culture but from the reverse angle of those stories: told from a woman's point of view. I find some it frankly unbearable; the violence, both physical and sexual, that is just described as a matter of course, is upsetting precisely because of how mundane and expected it is, and Lila's marriage at 16 is hard to take. I keep wanting both of them to have the space and opportunity to explore themselves and each other, both intellectually and emotionally, and that's just not possible within this setting.
I got about three quarters of the way through the book and I wasn't sure if this was going to be one of those novels where my judgment is that it's a good book but not one I like, and then the entire final quarter manages to surprise me and swing me back into full investment again. The final page or two has a narrative cliffhanger in a similar way as the first book, and it's so effectively done and interesting that I'm already very glad that the sequel is next on my reading list. I don't expect that the next two books will be any easier for me to read in terms of themes, but I'm looking forward to them regardless.
Grade: B
In part I think it makes it a bit harder for me to engage fully with the narrative and the characters. I watched both The Godfather and The Godfather II for the first time in the last couple of months, and these books are very much a depiction of traditional Italian culture but from the reverse angle of those stories: told from a woman's point of view. I find some it frankly unbearable; the violence, both physical and sexual, that is just described as a matter of course, is upsetting precisely because of how mundane and expected it is, and Lila's marriage at 16 is hard to take. I keep wanting both of them to have the space and opportunity to explore themselves and each other, both intellectually and emotionally, and that's just not possible within this setting.
I got about three quarters of the way through the book and I wasn't sure if this was going to be one of those novels where my judgment is that it's a good book but not one I like, and then the entire final quarter manages to surprise me and swing me back into full investment again. The final page or two has a narrative cliffhanger in a similar way as the first book, and it's so effectively done and interesting that I'm already very glad that the sequel is next on my reading list. I don't expect that the next two books will be any easier for me to read in terms of themes, but I'm looking forward to them regardless.
Grade: B
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