Rating: 3.5 of 5
Synopsis: “Told in a series of innovative flash vignettes, Melissa Reddish’s Girl & Flame is an inventive and thoughtful meditation on the intersection of grief, longing, and the natural world.” (source)
My thoughts: Not at all what I expected, and in this case, that’s a good thing. I was surprised to simultaneously laugh out loud and cringe at the harsh reality of certain passages. Yet it was a book where I’m almost positive I should’ve re-read a textbook on how to read literature before diving into the pages of Girl & Flame in order to fully appreciate (and understand) its story. Having said that, I’m fairly certain I won’t read another book like this anytime soon, which is possibly the biggest compliment I can give a story nowadays.
Favorite passage: “He walks over and tries to touch my face but cannot–his hands are merely a suggestion, a Manager’s oversight. Why are you being so difficult? There are tears at the corner of my eyes but they haven’t been approved yet. The important thing to remember, he says, is that we are all in charge of our own destinies. We get what we deserve in the end. Well, I say, which is it? They all smile and nod. Then he and my father and my brother swirl into the soup I have not touched since their arrival. I pour it back into the pot for some other widow to drown in.”
Author’s website | on Conium Press | Add on LibraryThing | Add on Goodreads
(Review cross-posted on LibraryThing and Goodreads.)
Received ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.