GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER by Bernardine Evaristo
★★★★☆
2019, Grove Atlantic
Girl, Woman, Other is effectively a collection of interconnected short stories, divided into groups of three: each trio of stories is about a group of characters (mostly black women) directly related to one another, though in the end you start to see a fuller picture of how everything is linked. It’s easy to see why this one won the Booker: it’s stylistically innovative, topical, skillfully structured. And indeed it’s a very impressive book, but I did have a few more nagging issues with it than I had expected to.
I thought a few too many of the stories followed a similar trajectory to really justify including all of them: the Shirley/Winsome/Penelope trio of stories I found especially weak, and while the narrative relevance of this section becomes apparent later on, it still dragged the middle of this book down. This book also had one of those situations that I consider a pro and a con simultaneously; Evaristo’s writing is sharp, perceptive, articulate, to the point where at times characters spoke on history’s various iterations of feminism with such an eloquence that they felt like mouthpieces for the author rather than convincing characters in their own right.
That said, these were mostly minor issues in the grand scheme of things. I did find Evaristo’s writing to be mesmerizing, and this book’s main strength I think is her ability to convincingly draw characters from different generations and give equal weight to their unique struggles. This book has nuance in abundance; it has so much to say about what it means to be a black woman living in the UK, and none of that could be distilled down for this review without losing a lot of its heft. Absolutely worth reading and a very worthy Booker winner.
Women’s Prize 2020 reviews: Dominicana | Fleishman is in Trouble | Girl | Girl, Woman, Other | How We Disappeared | Red at the Bone | Weather
You can pick up a copy of Girl, Woman, Other here on Book Depository.
[…] Prize 2020 reviews: Dominicana | Fleishman is in Trouble | Girl | Girl, Woman, Other | How We Disappeared | Red at the Bone […]
LikeLike
[…] Prize 2020 reviews: Dominicana | Fleishman is in Trouble | Girl | Girl, Woman, Other | How We Disappeared | Red at the Bone […]
LikeLike
[…] Prize 2020 reviews: Dominicana | Fleishman is in Trouble | Girl | Girl, Woman, Other | How We Disappeared | Red at the Bone […]
LikeLike
[…] Prize 2020 reviews: Dominicana | Fleishman is in Trouble | Girl | Girl, Woman, Other | How We Disappeared | Red at the Bone | […]
LikeLike
[…] Prize 2020 reviews: Dominicana | Fleishman is in Trouble | Girl | Girl, Woman, Other | How We Disappeared | Red at the Bone | […]
LikeLike
[…] Prize 2020 reviews: Dominicana | Fleishman is in Trouble | Girl | Girl, Woman, Other | How We Disappeared | Red at the Bone | […]
LikeLike
Great review! I loved this book and Evaristo’s voice as well. I agree with you that the Winsome/Shirley/Penelope stories weren’t as compelling as the rest, but I loved Penelope’s ending!
LikeLike
I NEED to read this!!! Wonderful review as always.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!!! I think you’ll love it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
YES! I completely agree, and am glad you enjoyed this one. 🙂 Great review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
YES enjoyed it very much! Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review! I felt very similarly about this one. It feels like a given for the shortlist but I can’t say I’d be mad 💁🏻♂️
LikeLiked by 1 person
It DEFINITELY feels like a given, especially considering how damn weak the rest of the longlist is 💁🏻♀️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great review, I also loved how nuanced this novel is and her exploration of a vast range of experience. Very much agree that her writing is mesmerising – once I got used to the style I found it so lyrical and well executed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Yes definitely – the style took some warming up to but once I was into it I couldn’t put it down!
LikeLike
Shirley was one of my least favourite narrators, I found her cliched and stereotypical. But otherwise loved it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, agreed! Shirley and Winsome were probably tied for my least favorite… there was a really disappointing lack of nuance to either of their narratives.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad you enjoyed this! I actually liked the Shirley/Winsome/Penelope narrations, they were all rather insufferable, but I thought it brought perspective and subtlety to the narration – like, of course it’s easy to cheer for the clear main characters (is she called Ama? I forget names), but I like seeing the perspective of the antagonists, even when all they do is be contrary and petty and judgmental. I enjoyed far less the story of Ama’s (is that her name???) kid.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL close – Amma! I actually didn’t like Amma’s daughter’s story either, but I thought it was bookended by two stories that were so strong I minded it less. I think what bothered me about Shirley/Winsome/Penelope was that it was three weak stories back to back to back – I just didn’t feel that there was much nuance to any of them. But I definitely see your point about it being necessary to balance the book with their perspectives. I think it could have worked better if they were more compelling antagonists (at least in my opinion of what constitutes compelling).
LikeLike
[…] Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo | read […]
LikeLike
[…] Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo ★★★★☆ | review […]
LikeLike
[…] Prize 2020 reviews: Dominicana | Fleishman is in Trouble | Girl | Girl, Woman, Other | How We Disappeared | Red at the Bone | The Most Fun We Ever Had […]
LikeLike