ADULTHOOD IS A S#!%SHOW
The incident made us all feel vulnerable, although in different ways.
For Joe it was fear of what might happen to us, his sisters.
But for us, Joe’s sisters, it was fear for ourselves. The man might come back again for Renee
or for me
or for Caroline,
but he would not come for Joe.
Only girls remained at the mercy of men with bad intentions.
Artist: Todd Bienvenu
Banish The Madonna-Whore complex and wear oversized flowers on your head, or between your legs. Your body, your choice. Just promise not to be:
” …these stupid girls. I vowed then never to be like them, frivolous and weak-willed, with their glossy lips and padded bras, speaking for hours to a boy who only pretended to listen.”
Do you separate women into one of two categories, or do you see women as fluid, complex humans with desires of their own? Why? Photographers: Giancarlo Botti & Howell Conant
Finished this book a few days ago and it left me feeling raw. The story revolves around the Skinner family and how the death of their father altered their lives, mostly due to their bereaved mother leaving them to fend for themselves. A period of life they refer to as “the pause,” Renee the eldest at 12 takes care of her siblings Caroline, Joe and Fiona, a dynamic that shapes their lives permanently, as the story goes through their entire lifetimes. Themes of this book include: familial bonds, self vs. group, feminism, death, sexuality, marriage and addiction amongst other things.
Fiona, the youngest, narrates the story which is important to note as their birth order plays a huge part in their personality traits. As the baby Fiona is irresponsible, selfish, makes poor choices and is quite possibly my least favorite character. She makes huge decisions without consulting anyone, despite being the least capable of such. It’s rare for me to be irked by the protagonist, but Fiona nails it. Still she, like the others is memorable.
The underlying motif is the choices we make. How if we did this or that differently the outcome would change, especially dealing with tragedy. Via: Down To Get The Fiction On