Because of You, Dawn French
Because of You follows two pregnant women, one of whom gives birth to a healthy baby and the other who has a stillbirth, and the decision of the second to simply take the first’s baby on her way out of the hospital and call it her own. From the very beginning of this book I was wary of French, as I am of all white authors who decide to write from the perspectives of Black and brown characters, mainly because they do not do a good job most of the time. Combine that with the silly use of words in all capital letters throughout the book and the simplistic ending that I’m sure was meant to be both ‘tragic’ and a way to tie up all the loose ends neatly but ended up just being tacky and trite, and one is left with the question of how on Earth was this book longlisted for the Women’s Prize. I am guessing (hoping?) it was a dry year, but I would have to investigate further to be sure.
The Robber Bride, Margaret Atwood
Atwood’s novel follows the lives of three very different women who become connected because of the actions of a fourth, and the repercussions that forever color their lives because of her. Tony is a university professor, Charis a hippie, and Roz a businesswoman, and they all met at university and became friends after each had interactions with Zenia. After attending Zenia’s funeral, they breathe a sigh of relief thinking that they can finally rest in peace, but at one of their monthly lunches, they suddenly see her at the restaurant and have to decide how to move forward. Told from each of the three women’s perspectives chapter by chapter, Atwood is able to tell the story of each individual woman, creating each of their worlds and personalities, except for Zenia, who has told the truth about herself to no one, and thus is three different women according to who is telling the story. With each novel I read by Atwood, I discover more of her range and more of her abilities to tell a good story.