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A review by madelinepuckett
What My Mother and I Don't Talk about: Fifteen Writers Break the Silence by Michele Filgate
I don't feel able to rate this collection, because the essays vary so greatly.
I did appreciate the compilation, and every single writer is strong and forceful.
The essays about trauma - specifically, sexual violence and abuse - were quite difficult to read. Sometimes when I get a snapshot of a life at an apex of its trauma, it's so intense that it can create a barrier to connection when it comes in the form of a short piece. That's how I felt with some of these shorter pieces; they were brutal.
The variation in relationships between the writers and their mothers gives the reader a lot of fodder for reflection. And the skill of the writing itself is, of course, superb for every piece.
I did appreciate the compilation, and every single writer is strong and forceful.
The essays about trauma - specifically, sexual violence and abuse - were quite difficult to read. Sometimes when I get a snapshot of a life at an apex of its trauma, it's so intense that it can create a barrier to connection when it comes in the form of a short piece. That's how I felt with some of these shorter pieces; they were brutal.
The variation in relationships between the writers and their mothers gives the reader a lot of fodder for reflection. And the skill of the writing itself is, of course, superb for every piece.