Book Reviews and Analysis

MOTHERHOOD - 

Graff gives an interesting insight into the other side of being a mother, the one outside of the picturesque, charming stereotype of  motherhood - perhaps the unpopular/stigmatised side ? The unspoken rule amongst mothers that the maternal instinct is automatic and overwhelmingly powerful is challenged by the depiction of demonstrated in Gloria's.

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Gloria's description and approach to her son is almost brutally harsh at times; mentally and verbally pointing out his flaws on a frequent basis, she acts as the antithesis of the typical mother who worships their child and is almost blind to their shortcomings. Atypically, his crying sets her teeth on edge, as it is a constant sign of his hypersensitivity and seen as an annoyance rather than engendering protectiveness. However, she repeatedly narrates her impulse to feel culpable for such dissonance within their relationship as though, at the first sign of imperfect parenting or a missing bond, mothers in society are entrenched and indoctrinated to feel ashamed or guilty (this could be a contextual reference to the concept of post partum depression). Therefore as a result, she overthinks the flaws within herself and even her son which could possibly have sparked such a dysfunctional or unconventional relationship. 

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Defies all social expectations and is not illusioned typical mothering philosophies of providing empty promises and false hope. Instead, quite candidly, she takes a blunt approach to chastising and teaching her son 

Instead of ‘glorifying the little tyrants who ruled our worlds’, Gloria doesn't have the impulse to maintain this play- acting

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DISCORD - 

There is a definitive schism between Gloria and her son as well as Gloria and her husband, perhaps originating from not only her initial surprise at being a mother but also due to a lack of compatibility and understanding making it hard for her to empathise with either. 

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The societal expectation is that all mothers and their children share an innate bond and compatibility, however, the clear disharmony between this mother and son's personalities, apart from their shared love of literature, sheds light on a stigmatised familial situation, divergent from the publicised norm. 

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Instead she sees her maternal instinct as lazy and dormant, but in all honesty does not appear bothered by this fact which is where she crosses the line into a somewhat dislike-able character as she awaits the day her 'fat' son leaves the house. This transition from honestly incompatible to genuinely unbothered is where she may lose favour with readers. 

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BULLYING - 

The book details relatable repertoires of bullying experiences which add up to childhood learning moments, ranging from the obvious enmity between Kenny and David to an age-old mother/daughter feud. 

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DAVID - 

Quite an unlikeable character - pacifistic, overly sensitive, however due to the unreliable narrator, this portrayal is subjective. Her heightened awareness of his irritating idiosyncrasies therefore have a cumulative effect on his portrayal - resulting in the reader identifying him perhaps as a wimp. 

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SOCIETY/ADULTHOOD -

Gloria appears to think derisively towards the idle small talk of society and the affected airs those within it put on. Maturation, for her was the final realisation that these attempts to impress others are wasted and essentially pointless. She, unlike those around her, identifies the inorganic and limiting nature of supercilious conversation, disparaging the rehearsed multiple choices of answers given to maintain accordance with polite society. Despite apathetically conforming to this societal custom, she clearly acknowledges its tedium. She proclaims to have polished a tone over the years - perhaps this is an allusion to how she smoothly fits into the machine at adulthood - by adopting and practicing the adopted behaviours and archetypal characteristics in order to not go contraflow to society

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THEIR MARRIAGE - 

It is unsurprising in a book defying tropes that Daryl, David's dad seems to have a stronger bond with him - inversion of the usual paradigmatic dynamic surrounding child rearing and the lead parent stereotypically being the mother - alternative perspective. Initially their codependence and her reliance and prevarication seems to have entrapped her within this marriage which she now resents and she has gone through marriage in a backwards manner - desperately attempting to learn to love him at the end of their marriage rather than the beginning of their relationship. She uses her feminine wiles and sex to manipulate her husband.

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MOTHERS:

Her mother-in-law appears constantly on edge around Gloria, fishing for easy conversation, utilising circumlocution just to maintain the pretence that they are communicating. Has a passively aggressive competitive relationship with her own mother - perhaps provenance or taught behaviour which led to her lack of profound bond with her own son.

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GENDER INEQUALITY 

Described within the book is the antiquated binarism between genders and their appropriate roles. The mother's in particular have very antiquated ideas of the family unit - men watching football, women cooking the meal etc.  Furthermore the author definitely makes distinction between behaviours allowed for fathers and Mothers; the reckless abandonment allowed for fathers - the joyous, playful fun allowed for them and the reserved, tutorial manner in which women are expected to parent. Fathers are permitted to be boys but mothers must always remain adults. There also appears to be further tension in their relationship due to the jealousy for individual moments shared with David. Also describes how the school system and even literature and misrepresentation can perpetuate the cycle of sexism. 

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