![]() It also made this book read (and feel?) like a thriller. ![]() Austin's use of skittish, start-stop and sometimes breakneck pacing was sublime and communicated such vital parts of Gilda's character with no words wasted. We are inside her head, flitting from person to place, trying desperately to stay present and aware while feeling utterly hopeless. ![]() IMPECCABLE PACING! The reader is thrust from scene to scene, rushing to try and keep up with Gilda. I think this would make her narration of the story quite taxing to get through, where it not for the. Gilda's rational, witty internal monologue battling her intrusive thoughts/intense worries constantly. Austin gave Gilda her very own "anxiety/depression voice" that ran alongside her own thoughts. For me, this novel depicted living with these (untreated) conditions beautifully. Her voice was so sharp and memorable, now carved into my brain forever.Ī big part of this story is mental illness Gilda suffers with extreme anxiety as well as depression and dissociation (undiagnosed on-page). Times shifts and warps around her and big chunks of her memory begin to disappear. As her state of mind flip-flops around, so does her perception of events. ![]() This effectively contrasts the out-of-body feeling that Gilda experiences at many points throughout the novel. Gilda's fixation on death is incorporated seamlessly into the narrative, harshly grounding her story in reality. Following Gilda's perspective throughout this novel was a delight. ![]()
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