Book of the Week:Reproduction is the Flaw of Love by: Lauren Grodstein
I came across this book browsing at my library's "new books" shelf. At first I thought I'd like this book but was incredibly disappointed. This is the author's debut novel, her style is great but, I was not pleased with the story.
The book takes place in a Brooklyn apartment one rainy Saturday afternoon. The main character, Joel Miller, whose perspective is leading the reader through his thoughts and mostly fears of potential parenthood. He waiting outside the bathroom door of the apartment he shares with his girlfriend as she takes a pregnancy test to determine their fate as parents. To occupy his time we are taken through the memories of his life. At 28 years he is still finding his way in the world torn between what he can't have and what is facing him now. His life has been dominated by his father's departure and his mother's mental illness filling his mind with fear, fear of being responsible for a child. Fear that he may be a horrible parent. Afraid that he may inflict emotional damage on his child similar to what he experienced.
He dwells on the memory of a wealthy girl that stole his heart but has since left him. I suspect that by interpreting the male perspective on grief, love and heartbreak was a difficult task for a female writer. I suppose I didn't like the book as well as I had hoped because of the disappointment. The character was grateful for all the good things about his girlfriend but he finds it troubling that, taken as a whole, they are no comparison to the girl who came before her. I was disappointed that considering the relationship with his girlfriend ws going well until the pregnancy scare that he wimped out and pretty much made an effort to give up on them. I became very disappointed because this made me realize that many men all over the US are experiencing this daily and are too wiling to run away.
What a depressing book, certainly does not boost the trust in men. It would and should make women feel more self conscious and wry of themselves and men.
The book takes place in a Brooklyn apartment one rainy Saturday afternoon. The main character, Joel Miller, whose perspective is leading the reader through his thoughts and mostly fears of potential parenthood. He waiting outside the bathroom door of the apartment he shares with his girlfriend as she takes a pregnancy test to determine their fate as parents. To occupy his time we are taken through the memories of his life. At 28 years he is still finding his way in the world torn between what he can't have and what is facing him now. His life has been dominated by his father's departure and his mother's mental illness filling his mind with fear, fear of being responsible for a child. Fear that he may be a horrible parent. Afraid that he may inflict emotional damage on his child similar to what he experienced.
He dwells on the memory of a wealthy girl that stole his heart but has since left him. I suspect that by interpreting the male perspective on grief, love and heartbreak was a difficult task for a female writer. I suppose I didn't like the book as well as I had hoped because of the disappointment. The character was grateful for all the good things about his girlfriend but he finds it troubling that, taken as a whole, they are no comparison to the girl who came before her. I was disappointed that considering the relationship with his girlfriend ws going well until the pregnancy scare that he wimped out and pretty much made an effort to give up on them. I became very disappointed because this made me realize that many men all over the US are experiencing this daily and are too wiling to run away.
What a depressing book, certainly does not boost the trust in men. It would and should make women feel more self conscious and wry of themselves and men.
posted by Wild Librarian | 1:30 AM
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