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A review by afi_whatafireads
The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Daunting and beautiful.
So many layers to a seemingly simple story of friendship.
It broke my heart in a way that tugs at my heartstrings.
RTC.
Edited Review : 12th March 2023
It took me almost two weeks to finally pan out my thoughts for this book. What seemingly looks like a simple story on the surface, lies a deeply woven tale of two souls that are almost one.
In a world where people just takes. Takes. And takes; what is left behind , but only sorrow and heartache?
This is my first full novel from Yiyun Li and I've read one of her short stories from the collection The Story: 100 Great Short Stories Written by Women and I have to say, Madam Li excels in the way she write seemingly quite stories that are so very loud. This tale of two friends, set during the 1950's in a rural area in France, of their toxic dependency to one another, the societal expectations and the divide of class and the negligence and abuse on children in which had led them turned out as what they are. I don't think my thoughts will give justice to how Li managed to tug my heart with this story but she did it.
Agnes and Fabienne are two characters that you might hate or love, especially Fabienne. At first, I don't think I can relate much to a character like Fabienne, but the more I know about her, the more I took pity on her. She reminded me a lot of the character in Earthlings in Sayaka Murata, where there is a sense of distorted reality to the stories that they wrote in the book; in which it became an escapism for Fabienne written through Agnes to actually tell the horrors that happens in her life.
So many layers to a seemingly simple story of friendship.
It broke my heart in a way that tugs at my heartstrings.
RTC.
Edited Review : 12th March 2023
It took me almost two weeks to finally pan out my thoughts for this book. What seemingly looks like a simple story on the surface, lies a deeply woven tale of two souls that are almost one.
In a world where people just takes. Takes. And takes; what is left behind , but only sorrow and heartache?
This is my first full novel from Yiyun Li and I've read one of her short stories from the collection The Story: 100 Great Short Stories Written by Women and I have to say, Madam Li excels in the way she write seemingly quite stories that are so very loud. This tale of two friends, set during the 1950's in a rural area in France, of their toxic dependency to one another, the societal expectations and the divide of class and the negligence and abuse on children in which had led them turned out as what they are. I don't think my thoughts will give justice to how Li managed to tug my heart with this story but she did it.
Agnes and Fabienne are two characters that you might hate or love, especially Fabienne. At first, I don't think I can relate much to a character like Fabienne, but the more I know about her, the more I took pity on her. She reminded me a lot of the character in Earthlings in Sayaka Murata, where there is a sense of distorted reality to the stories that they wrote in the book; in which it became an escapism for Fabienne written through Agnes to actually tell the horrors that happens in her life.
"What we wrote was about many things, but not about us. When the books were read by others, we were nowhere to be found."
The story is more than a tale of friendship. Its on the devastation and fascination of the people on the upper social class in their feelings with the people on the lower class. Its on the scrutinising eyes of the society, whom judges each individual on their backgrounds and on their father's sins. Its on the obsession with women to be seen and fitted into a mould that society deemed to be 'perfect' in order to be treated as a successful young lady. Its on the harshness of poverty that leads to the desperation of the innocence and naive to be hard and harsh to live through the hardness of the world.
"The real story was beyond our ability to tell: our girlhood, our friendship, our love-all monumental, all inconsequential."
Each part of the story, from the very start to the end, carries a message that is not only daunting but leaves a burden in your heart. Imagine if these two girls were brought up in a more encouraging environment, where they have no need to worry about food or what people expect them to become. Whats interesting is how Madam Li actually puts out a sort of criticism in the obsession of the literary world. From the way women authors were being discarded when there is a male introducer for the part of the book to the obsession of the children's lives that was interpreted to be written through the voice of the book written by Agnes and Fabienne. Li also showed how other people are quick to judge and carries a form of "saviour complex" like what Mrs Townsend had to Agnes. Its a take on society in seemingly trying to force their beliefs that they feel 'right' for children where its only beneficial to them.
"The world has no place for two girls like us, though I was slow then, not knowing Fabienne, slighted, thwarted, even fatally wounded, tried to make a fool of that world, on her and on my behalf. Revenge is a story that often begins with more promises than the ending can offer."
An unsettling and gut-wrenching tale that may not be for everyone, but is one that I will remember for a long time. It leaves you haunted by the two lives that can be more, two girls that can take the whole world, only and if only, they were given that chance.
Highly recommended. 5🌟 to this gem
Thank you to Times Reads for this copy.