This book was definitely not what I thought it would be. Of course by now I don't really remember what I thought was going to happen anyway. It's very...stream of consciousness, and most of that conscious thought is being put toward sex. It's a very unhealthy attitude I think.
It follows this woman who loses her mother. Blanca never really learned how to be an adult. Her father died when she was young, and her mother sounded like she was a bit flighty. Okay, a lot flighty. Not exactly the best mother material here, but to each their own. She came from an era where people were a lot more...free with their child rearing.
Blanca falls into a spiraling depression when her mother passes, from some illness that isn't clarified at first but appears to have dementia as part of it. They never fully say what it was that took her mother from the world, as the book seems to be Blanca trying to deal with it and how she gets over it.
I don't like the book. I tried. I really really did. How can anyone who treats people the way she did still have friends? I know if I were to treat my family and friends like that, I'd be out on the street faster than I can say my own full name. She is incredibly rude and sometimes just downright condescending to the people who care about her and want to help her. I may just be missing something in what appears to be middle-class Spanish culture. I don't know. It just didn't strike my fancy at all.
I think the biggest problem I had with the book was her reaction to the loss of her mother. The title of the book makes one assume that it's the story of her letting go of her pain and moving on with her life. That she's going to come to terms with it and learn to live the way her mother would have if she had still been alive. No. Not even remotely close. In fact, Blanca tells the reader how long her mother has been gone at one point (34 days) and how she is never going to get over it. There was still no hope at page 145. She was still just obsessed with her mother's death and avoiding all of her mother's possessions.
I rated this book a 2/5 stars, and I would have given it less if I hadn't been intrigued by what was going to happen. I received the book for free from Blogging for Books in return for an honest review. I'm just sorry I didn't actually like it.
It follows this woman who loses her mother. Blanca never really learned how to be an adult. Her father died when she was young, and her mother sounded like she was a bit flighty. Okay, a lot flighty. Not exactly the best mother material here, but to each their own. She came from an era where people were a lot more...free with their child rearing.
Blanca falls into a spiraling depression when her mother passes, from some illness that isn't clarified at first but appears to have dementia as part of it. They never fully say what it was that took her mother from the world, as the book seems to be Blanca trying to deal with it and how she gets over it.
I don't like the book. I tried. I really really did. How can anyone who treats people the way she did still have friends? I know if I were to treat my family and friends like that, I'd be out on the street faster than I can say my own full name. She is incredibly rude and sometimes just downright condescending to the people who care about her and want to help her. I may just be missing something in what appears to be middle-class Spanish culture. I don't know. It just didn't strike my fancy at all.
I think the biggest problem I had with the book was her reaction to the loss of her mother. The title of the book makes one assume that it's the story of her letting go of her pain and moving on with her life. That she's going to come to terms with it and learn to live the way her mother would have if she had still been alive. No. Not even remotely close. In fact, Blanca tells the reader how long her mother has been gone at one point (34 days) and how she is never going to get over it. There was still no hope at page 145. She was still just obsessed with her mother's death and avoiding all of her mother's possessions.
I rated this book a 2/5 stars, and I would have given it less if I hadn't been intrigued by what was going to happen. I received the book for free from Blogging for Books in return for an honest review. I'm just sorry I didn't actually like it.
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