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A review by whatsheread
An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
AN EDUCATION IN MALICE by S. T. Gibson is one of those novels that other people adore, but I did not. In fact, while many of the pre-release reviews are very favorable, I have several issues with the story. While one or two issues does not preclude me from enjoying the novel, when combined they do.
My biggest beef with AN EDUCATION IN MALICE is that I never felt like it was a sweeping romance. Obsession, yes. Lust, most definitely. A romance for all time, most definitely not. If anything, I liken Laura's fascination with Carmilla to nothing more than her first taste of the forbidden fruit. She comes from a small Southern town; she's sheltered and pious. She never used the word lesbian to describe herself, and she is only beginning to understand her sexual proclivities through exposure to erotica in the school library. Laura has a crush. It is not love everlasting.
For Carmilla, I believe her attraction to the pure and pious Laura has less to do with lust and everything to do with Laura's infatuation. Carmilla is a young woman who was essentially abandoned by her parents. Her flight to St. Perpetua is, if anything, more a desire to prove that she doesn't need her parents anymore. In Laura, she finds a level of unwavering adoration she never received from either her parents or De Lafontaine. Laura is safety, nourishment, and love.
As for De Lafontaine, I would be remiss if I did not discuss the mental and emotional abuse she heaps on Carmilla and, to a lesser extent, Laura. De Lafontaine may be teaching her students to become better poets, but that does not excuse her cruelty or the mind games she plays with them. It is nothing more than someone with power subjugating the powerless to her whims. With Carmilla, this even extends to a physical relationship. I find nothing about De Lafontaine and her relationships with the two girls to be sexy or romantic.
At one point in time in AN EDUCATION IN MALICE, one of the characters discusses LOLITA, a novel released thirteen years before the happenings of this story. The character goes on to discuss how much she enjoys LOLITA and does not understand why people vilify Humbert Humbert. This scene, even though I can't remember if it was Laura or Carmilla who was narrating at the time, should be a red flag that she has a skewed perception of adult-child relationships. I also think it is a red flag as to the type of relationship De Lafontaine has with either girl.
A minor issue I have with AN EDUCATION IN MALICE is the fact that while narrated by Laura and Carmilla, their voices are too similar. I would lose track in the middle of a chapter and have to flip back to the chapter beginning to remind myself who the narrator was. There is nothing to separate either girl from the other. Both have obsessive personalities, albeit fueled by different desires. Even though Carmilla is almost five years Laura's senior, she is every bit as childish and naive as Laura. The two should not be interchangeable, and yet they are.
All this to say that I did not enjoy AN EDUCATION IN MALICE. I could not stomach the relationships between De Lafontaine and the girls. Neither could I believe in the grandiose love story that others describe it to be. I see it as more of Laura's coming-of-age story than a romance, and that's if I am generous. If asked, I would say AN EDUCATION IN MALICE is about two naive and lonely girls who choose to be in an abusive relationship with an adult before they find solace in each other. Neither girl matures or shows growth at the story's close. It is a Lolita-type novel with a paranormal element, which only serves to muddle the story and the relationships even further.
Why others are giving AN EDUCATION IN MALICE is beyond my understanding. Perhaps I read it when I was in the wrong frame of mind. I might be reading too much between the lines. I could even be interpreting the story in a way the author never intended. I only know why I didn't like it, and I hope your reading experience is much more enjoyable than mine.
My biggest beef with AN EDUCATION IN MALICE is that I never felt like it was a sweeping romance. Obsession, yes. Lust, most definitely. A romance for all time, most definitely not. If anything, I liken Laura's fascination with Carmilla to nothing more than her first taste of the forbidden fruit. She comes from a small Southern town; she's sheltered and pious. She never used the word lesbian to describe herself, and she is only beginning to understand her sexual proclivities through exposure to erotica in the school library. Laura has a crush. It is not love everlasting.
For Carmilla, I believe her attraction to the pure and pious Laura has less to do with lust and everything to do with Laura's infatuation. Carmilla is a young woman who was essentially abandoned by her parents. Her flight to St. Perpetua is, if anything, more a desire to prove that she doesn't need her parents anymore. In Laura, she finds a level of unwavering adoration she never received from either her parents or De Lafontaine. Laura is safety, nourishment, and love.
As for De Lafontaine, I would be remiss if I did not discuss the mental and emotional abuse she heaps on Carmilla and, to a lesser extent, Laura. De Lafontaine may be teaching her students to become better poets, but that does not excuse her cruelty or the mind games she plays with them. It is nothing more than someone with power subjugating the powerless to her whims. With Carmilla, this even extends to a physical relationship. I find nothing about De Lafontaine and her relationships with the two girls to be sexy or romantic.
At one point in time in AN EDUCATION IN MALICE, one of the characters discusses LOLITA, a novel released thirteen years before the happenings of this story. The character goes on to discuss how much she enjoys LOLITA and does not understand why people vilify Humbert Humbert. This scene, even though I can't remember if it was Laura or Carmilla who was narrating at the time, should be a red flag that she has a skewed perception of adult-child relationships. I also think it is a red flag as to the type of relationship De Lafontaine has with either girl.
A minor issue I have with AN EDUCATION IN MALICE is the fact that while narrated by Laura and Carmilla, their voices are too similar. I would lose track in the middle of a chapter and have to flip back to the chapter beginning to remind myself who the narrator was. There is nothing to separate either girl from the other. Both have obsessive personalities, albeit fueled by different desires. Even though Carmilla is almost five years Laura's senior, she is every bit as childish and naive as Laura. The two should not be interchangeable, and yet they are.
All this to say that I did not enjoy AN EDUCATION IN MALICE. I could not stomach the relationships between De Lafontaine and the girls. Neither could I believe in the grandiose love story that others describe it to be. I see it as more of Laura's coming-of-age story than a romance, and that's if I am generous. If asked, I would say AN EDUCATION IN MALICE is about two naive and lonely girls who choose to be in an abusive relationship with an adult before they find solace in each other. Neither girl matures or shows growth at the story's close. It is a Lolita-type novel with a paranormal element, which only serves to muddle the story and the relationships even further.
Why others are giving AN EDUCATION IN MALICE is beyond my understanding. Perhaps I read it when I was in the wrong frame of mind. I might be reading too much between the lines. I could even be interpreting the story in a way the author never intended. I only know why I didn't like it, and I hope your reading experience is much more enjoyable than mine.