shakespeare could never

from the outset this was much more suited to my taste than awad’s previous work. a darkly comedic blend of shakespeare’s ‘macbeth’ and ‘alls well that ends well’, this book follows theatre director miranda as she attempts to put on a play while dealing with chronic pain

it shines a light on the various stigmas attached to chronic illness and the inauthenticity of chronic illness “awareness” within media. the novel’s portrayal of medical gaslighting was masterfully done. awad comments on an industry that profits off of women's pain and commodifies female suffering. why diagnose women when you can prolong their discomfort and have them continue to access medical resources that fund health care systems. it brings to mind gender biases within medical practises, and the tens of thousands of women who are frequently misdiagnosed within the usa. ‘alls well’ does a fantastic job at conceptualising the common dismissal of chronic pain and physical illness as "female hysteria" - you're not ill, you're just dramatic

no one does the fever dream style better than mona awad. her writing is magnetic. you fall into the story, i love her authorial voice. she blurs the line between reality and fiction perfectly, her work begs to be theorised and dissected. also, this novel felt quite moshfegh-like with the tone and controversial humour, and it really worked for me. i'm not sure if i'd recommend this to everyone, but if you like that dark, illusive, fever dream, “what is real, is any of this actually happening” type of story then definitely give it a go!!

sidenote: i’m anti everyone who dislikes miranda