For this month, I chose Harriet Lane’s ‘Her’. The tag line goes “You don't remember her--but she remembers you.” It kind of excited me. Women are such complex creatures, capable of taking every emotion to the extreme. We can be fiercely protective or fatally dangerous depending on which buttons are pushed. As the saying goes “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”, I expected this book to be eerie and filled with suspense. Almost on the lines of ‘Hand that rocked the cradle’.
And suspense I got. I finished almost 50 pages of the 227 pages long book and yet the story hadn’t taken off :( The book presents the lives of the two protagonists. Emma, mother of a toddler, due for another, struggles to meet the challenges posed by family life and motherhood. Nina, an elegant social climber, is financially independent and secure but craves companionship. The two characters are similar in a way that they are filled with loneliness despite having a busy life. Nina happens to see Emma by chance and is immediately reminded of a tragic incident in the past. Nina carefully slithers in to Emma’s life, pretending to help through self-created opportunities, gaining her confidence in the process. Meanwhile, Emma lost in her own troubles appreciates Nina’s life and her sympathies and fails to see her real intentions. Using her new found closeness, Nina manages to create small disturbances in Emma’s life. She finally goes in for the big kill, which is left as an open ending for the viewer’s interpretation.
I found the book rather disappointing as the plot had so much more to offer. The author unnecessarily elaborates on the mundane lives of the two women along with heavy descriptions of the surroundings, which adds nothing to the plot. When I read the index, I was intrigued to see the alternating chapters dedicated to each character. I love dual perception stories. Contrary to my expectations, the situations are so unimaginative that reading them twice through each character becomes monotonous. The characters do not develop any depth that could have led to such strong intentions. The author fails to describe any character in detail. Nina’s ex-husband Arnold is mentioned quite often and is told to have shaped Nina’s life. His importance in her life and the reason she left him is unexplained. Similarly Emma’s in-laws are expendable.
There are many subtle moments in the book. Nina’s obsession with Emma as she goes through the latter’s personal stuff. Her casual flirting with Ben. Her attempts to befriend the kids and to create trouble for Emma. There is something sinister about Nina, as if she is closing in on her prey. I could feel the tempo building towards the end which made me expect a dramatic climax. And when it did not happen, I got a bit confused. Is this a new way of story telling where the readers are just given a glimpse into the lives of the characters? With no details about what happened to the characters or what will happen to them? I don't know. Where I feel tremendously let down is the lack of character description. If readers cannot identify with the character and relate to its emotions, then they cannot be a part of the character’s journey. The author does not explain the childhood trauma that could have made Nina the way she is now. Her interactions with Emma as a kid is too minimal to have left such a lasting impression. As I poured over the pages, I found myself willing for a definite motive. Surely there had to be something more than just childhood spite that would make a woman want to destroy another woman’s life. I think I would have enjoyed the book much better if it was described to be Emma’s chronicles about her motherhood rather than a revenge story.
And suspense I got. I finished almost 50 pages of the 227 pages long book and yet the story hadn’t taken off :( The book presents the lives of the two protagonists. Emma, mother of a toddler, due for another, struggles to meet the challenges posed by family life and motherhood. Nina, an elegant social climber, is financially independent and secure but craves companionship. The two characters are similar in a way that they are filled with loneliness despite having a busy life. Nina happens to see Emma by chance and is immediately reminded of a tragic incident in the past. Nina carefully slithers in to Emma’s life, pretending to help through self-created opportunities, gaining her confidence in the process. Meanwhile, Emma lost in her own troubles appreciates Nina’s life and her sympathies and fails to see her real intentions. Using her new found closeness, Nina manages to create small disturbances in Emma’s life. She finally goes in for the big kill, which is left as an open ending for the viewer’s interpretation.
I found the book rather disappointing as the plot had so much more to offer. The author unnecessarily elaborates on the mundane lives of the two women along with heavy descriptions of the surroundings, which adds nothing to the plot. When I read the index, I was intrigued to see the alternating chapters dedicated to each character. I love dual perception stories. Contrary to my expectations, the situations are so unimaginative that reading them twice through each character becomes monotonous. The characters do not develop any depth that could have led to such strong intentions. The author fails to describe any character in detail. Nina’s ex-husband Arnold is mentioned quite often and is told to have shaped Nina’s life. His importance in her life and the reason she left him is unexplained. Similarly Emma’s in-laws are expendable.
There are many subtle moments in the book. Nina’s obsession with Emma as she goes through the latter’s personal stuff. Her casual flirting with Ben. Her attempts to befriend the kids and to create trouble for Emma. There is something sinister about Nina, as if she is closing in on her prey. I could feel the tempo building towards the end which made me expect a dramatic climax. And when it did not happen, I got a bit confused. Is this a new way of story telling where the readers are just given a glimpse into the lives of the characters? With no details about what happened to the characters or what will happen to them? I don't know. Where I feel tremendously let down is the lack of character description. If readers cannot identify with the character and relate to its emotions, then they cannot be a part of the character’s journey. The author does not explain the childhood trauma that could have made Nina the way she is now. Her interactions with Emma as a kid is too minimal to have left such a lasting impression. As I poured over the pages, I found myself willing for a definite motive. Surely there had to be something more than just childhood spite that would make a woman want to destroy another woman’s life. I think I would have enjoyed the book much better if it was described to be Emma’s chronicles about her motherhood rather than a revenge story.
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