Yup…all the books I read based off reviews are depressing haha…
I didn’t really like this. People who are miserable taking it out on other people. Men using their priviledge to control women. Women having to fight the system and the expections of society. Children being neglected and unloved.
To be honest I got a bit bored (while simultaneously finding it depressing). I suppose Natalie wasn’t likeable enough to care about her fate? Especially since the more we learnt about her life the more horrible she seemed. Even the stuff about her kinda being brainwashed by religion and probably needing a psychologist after giving birth didn’t absolve her of the way she treated people (especially her children, her poor little commodities…)
Maybe also since it didn’t really seem like the book was trying to convey any sort of message. Or maybe it was trying to say the world is shades of grey. And basically if you build a mountain of lies eventually they all come crashing down. Which aren’t exactly novel topics for a book (pun unintended).
Early on in the book I had a thought about how it would be more interesting from Clementine’s view of being brought up by an influencer but then had the depressing thought that there was no need for that since we’ll be getting real autobiographies soon enough…
One thing I do acknowledge about this book is the structure. Definitely one where a reread will show certain events in a new light. The most interesting part was probably the allegations that she was attracted to Shannon. It could have been a fabrication/misinterpretation by Shannon but there were things in Natalie’s thought processes that suggested otherwise. Plus her obsession with Renee. Natalie was just so good at lying to herself and therefore to the reader as well. Hmm also some of her mother’s comments could be read in a different light too…
And the reason behind Natalie’s situation is one the reader could figure out but I’ll admit I didn’t. The sheer absurdity of the situation (I don’t see how doubling down would get Yesteryear out of its predicament) and the fact that it resulted in more and even worse child abuse was mind boggling. That Caleb went along with it so he could continue to live in his little bubble kind of shocked me. Any sympathy I might have had for either of them was completely gone after the final reveal. I was also surprised the first two sons went along with it. The whole Manosphere thing probably meant they were brainwashed by Caleb. And Natalie not realising her age I put down to her being drugged up and also seeing what she wanted to see. And it sounded like the father-in-law kept funding them all the way to the end? There were quite a few unbelievable aspects but I’ll overlook them just because mad respect to Clementine for fighting the long fight.
Categories: Book Reviews
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