I didn't see the HBO show based on this book, but when I saw how many awards it received at the Golden Globes, I thought it might be worth reading. And it was.
I will say that the book triggered some memories for me of my time as a mother of a grade school child - and not pleasant ones. For example, there was the time our son was not invited to a birthday party of a boy he considered to be a good friend. And the school politics that seemed to be all about the moms who volunteered at the school and those who didn't. And there was even the time when our "perfect" kindergarten student decided to beat up a boy who had stolen his place in the reading circle. That almost caused him to be kicked out of school! I guess I'd suppressed a lot of these memories now that our son is grown and is a charming, kind man who doesn't seem to remember any of these things.
This novel covers so many timely subjects: bullying, domestic abuse, women's self-image issues. From the start, the reader is told there has been a murder, and then the rest of the book is told as a flashback leading up to that event. The characters are fascinating even if they are a bit over-the-top and chicklit like. But I read the entire book in two days, and that says something. I recommend it. Well done. -June
No comments:
Post a Comment