Madapple by
Christina Meldrum
My rating:
2 of 5 stars
This book was confusing until the end. I wouldn't say I liked it, but it's well written. The main character, Aslaug, is confused until the end, and the main story unfolds as she experiences it. Interspersed with her first person narrative are court scenes that offer an outsider view, contrasting modern reality with the weird world that Aslaug lives in. The contrast keeps you wondering what's real and shows how social constructs shape people's understanding of events.
Much of the first person narrative feels surreal. Aslaug is brought up without any knowledge of society, laws, norms, etc. It's an interesting view of how different the world can be to a child that is completely isolated and indoctrinated by her mother and the rest of her family. Once reality finally clicks, it's as if she comes out of a drug-induced haze, bringing the reader out of it with her.
Weird and dark, with issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, family abuse and dysfunction, mis-use of religion, incest, etc., it's well-written and thought-provoking after the final page. Definitely different than anything else I've ever read.
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