I really enjoy your critiques, and to be honest your reflection on desire, consent, and violation in the novel is the only thing that makes me want to read it. As someone who, as a young girl, encountered primarily non-consensual representations of desire in film, I find this terrain very complicated and important to unpack. But your point is that such scenes seem discordant with the characterization of the protagonist, which is another matter. Thank you for sharing your reflections. From the reviews I’ve read so far, I’m more excited for the film adaptation than the book!
I think if desire and consent had been the (or even a) unifying theme, the book would have been a lot stronger—she wants many things, works to accomplish them, and is still thwarted (by men and god). That would have been so powerful if Burke really focused on "women are to submit" and how that falls apart when that woman tries to use her human mind and agency; I wish those rules were more clearly spelled out so that we could see their failure.
The movie has to simplify, so I think it will be stronger. We should compare notes when it comes out :)
I really enjoy your critiques, and to be honest your reflection on desire, consent, and violation in the novel is the only thing that makes me want to read it. As someone who, as a young girl, encountered primarily non-consensual representations of desire in film, I find this terrain very complicated and important to unpack. But your point is that such scenes seem discordant with the characterization of the protagonist, which is another matter. Thank you for sharing your reflections. From the reviews I’ve read so far, I’m more excited for the film adaptation than the book!
I think if desire and consent had been the (or even a) unifying theme, the book would have been a lot stronger—she wants many things, works to accomplish them, and is still thwarted (by men and god). That would have been so powerful if Burke really focused on "women are to submit" and how that falls apart when that woman tries to use her human mind and agency; I wish those rules were more clearly spelled out so that we could see their failure.
The movie has to simplify, so I think it will be stronger. We should compare notes when it comes out :)
Yes I agree, the potential of the book seems richer than what’s on the page. I can’t wait to discuss the film with you!