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The Night Brother
From the author of The Palace of Curiosities and Vixen comes a dazzling and provocative new novel of adventure, mystery and belonging. The Night Brother shifts tantalisingly between day and night, exploring questions of identity, sexual equality and how well we know ourselves. Perfect for fans of Angela Carter, Sarah Waters and Erin Morgenstern.
Rich are the delights of late nineteenth-century Manchester for young siblings Edie and Gnome. They bicker, banter, shout and scream their way through the city’s streets, embracing its charms and dangers. But as the pair mature, it is Gnome who revels in the night-time, while Edie is confined to the day. She wakes exhausted each morning, unable to quell a sickening sense of unease, and confused at living a half-life.
Reaching the cusp of adulthood, Edie’s confusion turns to resentment and she is determined to distance herself from Gnome once and for all. But can she ever be free from someone who knows her better than she knows herself?
Exploring the furthest limits of sexual and gender fluidity, this is a story about the vital importance of being honest with yourself. Every part of yourself. After all, no-one likes to be kept in the dark.
Rich are the delights of late nineteenth-century Manchester for young siblings Edie and Gnome. They bicker, banter, shout and scream their way through the city’s streets, embracing its charms and dangers. But as the pair mature, it is Gnome who revels in the night-time, while Edie is confined to the day. She wakes exhausted each morning, unable to quell a sickening sense of unease, and confused at living a half-life.
Reaching the cusp of adulthood, Edie’s confusion turns to resentment and she is determined to distance herself from Gnome once and for all. But can she ever be free from someone who knows her better than she knows herself?
Exploring the furthest limits of sexual and gender fluidity, this is a story about the vital importance of being honest with yourself. Every part of yourself. After all, no-one likes to be kept in the dark.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2017
17 people are currently reading
1151 people want to read
About the author
Rosie Garland
25 books135 followersBorn in London to a runaway teenager, Rosie has always been a cuckoo in the nest. She's an eclectic writer and performer, ranging from singing in post-punk gothic band The March Violets, through touring with the Subversive Stitch exhibition in the 90s to her alter-ego Rosie Lugosi the Vampire Queen, cabaret chanteuse and mistress of ceremonies.
She has published five solo collections of poetry and her award-winning short stories, poems and essays have been widely anthologized. She is winner of the DaDa Award for Performance Artist of the Year and a Poetry Award from the People's Café, New York. Her most recent poetry collection, 'Everything Must Go' (Holland Park Press 2012) draws on her experience of throat cancer.
She won the Mslexia Novel competition in 2012 and her debut novel 'The Palace of Curiosities' was published in March 2013 by HarperCollins. Her second novel, 'Vixen', (Borough Press 2014) is now available in all formats.
She has published five solo collections of poetry and her award-winning short stories, poems and essays have been widely anthologized. She is winner of the DaDa Award for Performance Artist of the Year and a Poetry Award from the People's Café, New York. Her most recent poetry collection, 'Everything Must Go' (Holland Park Press 2012) draws on her experience of throat cancer.
She won the Mslexia Novel competition in 2012 and her debut novel 'The Palace of Curiosities' was published in March 2013 by HarperCollins. Her second novel, 'Vixen', (Borough Press 2014) is now available in all formats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
November 28, 2017
There are two things I immediately loved while reading Rosie Garland’s novel “The Night Brother”. Firstly, it’s a cosmopolitan story set at the beginning of the 20th century in Manchester. Most Victorian-set novels that depict a city only focus on London so it’s refreshing to see an alternative urban environment in a British historical novel with lots of Manchester-specific locations and events included. Secondly, this novel takes such a disarmingly unique perspective on gender and identity through its beautifully creative premise. The story follows the early life and young adulthood of Edie who lives her daily life as a woman, but at night physically transforms into a man. Herbert (who calls himself Gnome) emerges at night with a consciousness and identity which is almost entirely separate from Edie’s. At first Edie thinks of him as a brother, but gradually comes to understand that they are two parts of a whole person. This is a condition she’s inherited from her mother and grandmother who have very different opinions about this secret state of being. The novel follows the dual narratives of Edie and Gnome as they grapple over the years to share a body and navigate through society hiding the shocking reality of their situation. It’s a fascinatingly thoughtful, emotional and thrilling story that takes the reader through the emerging suffragette movement and underground queer meeting spots of turn of the century Manchester.
Read my full review of The Night Brother by Rosie Garland on LonesomeReader
Read my full review of The Night Brother by Rosie Garland on LonesomeReader
August 3, 2017
I received a free copy of this book from the author/publishers via NetGalley.
Edie Latchford is always battling another side of herself - her brother Gnome, who she transforms into every night. The two siblings share one body and as they grow older, their struggles for control become more vicious.
This was a very interesting book. It removed me a little bit of The Dead House except done way better. At first I enjoyed the POVs of both Edie and Gnome but gradually I definitely liked Edie more. Edie gets involved with the women's suffragette movement in Manchester in the early 1900s and I loved reading about the rallies she went to and what went on about them.
This is a really great exploration into being more than what you were physically born into. It looks at what it is to be male, to be female as well as what it means to be both and neither. I'd love to find out what any trans or non-binary readers made of this book as I feel they would have more personal connection to it than I did as a cisgender person, but I did really enjoy it. This also looks at sexuality and involves gay, lesbian and bisexual characters - as well as a look at how LGTB people were able to socialise during the 1900s without getting into trouble.
A fascinating read and some really strong writing. I really recommend!
Edie Latchford is always battling another side of herself - her brother Gnome, who she transforms into every night. The two siblings share one body and as they grow older, their struggles for control become more vicious.
This was a very interesting book. It removed me a little bit of The Dead House except done way better. At first I enjoyed the POVs of both Edie and Gnome but gradually I definitely liked Edie more. Edie gets involved with the women's suffragette movement in Manchester in the early 1900s and I loved reading about the rallies she went to and what went on about them.
This is a really great exploration into being more than what you were physically born into. It looks at what it is to be male, to be female as well as what it means to be both and neither. I'd love to find out what any trans or non-binary readers made of this book as I feel they would have more personal connection to it than I did as a cisgender person, but I did really enjoy it. This also looks at sexuality and involves gay, lesbian and bisexual characters - as well as a look at how LGTB people were able to socialise during the 1900s without getting into trouble.
A fascinating read and some really strong writing. I really recommend!
February 2, 2020
This deeply soulful novel explores self-acceptance and the disastrous consequences of self-alienation. I would recommend this book to all my fellow odd-ones-out as it is a much-needed source of comfort and affirmation. To me every single word within is heartfelt. Utterly brilliant indeed.
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November 8, 2018Son won in Goodreads Giveaways not read, passed on.
May 29, 2017
The Night Brother is quite difficult to put into words. The writing throughout screams quality. It screams quality because reading Garland’s book exhibits knowledge and experience. Experience in the sense that this is not author’s first book. It’s a solid, solid read and one that can easily be appreciated for what it is.
Set in the late 19th, early 20th century Manchester, UK, Edie and Gnome are like most siblings. When they’re young they enjoy each other’s company, as they get older they start to bicker and fight, and as they mature into adulthood they find a way to peace. This full circle takes years, crosses the turn of a century and human condition at it’s best, worst, ugliest and prettiest.
The historical setting for this book works miracles. I can’t – nor do I want to- imagine this book in a contemporary setting. I am happy that the (sometimes present) shallowness and distorted modern day values don’t taint this novel. It has it’s own conflicts from the past to put to good use. Past that is important and has set us on the path we are walking now.
Sexual and gender fluidity may well be the driving force of this novel no matter how much it crosses the line from real to made-up. Same sex relationships are of course a taboo in those archaic societal norms of blushing ladies, courteous gentlemen and lower class individuals working hard to get by. So are suffragettes and any notions of a person having an independent thought.
And thus, Edie’s life is a string of misery. She lives above the pub her Mother Cissy runs with her grandmother, and Cissy has exactly 0 love for Edie. Not only is Cissy working Edie to the ground, she is verbally abusive. Edie is confused about herself, about why she is being hated. She knows there are secrets in the family but these are not shared with her. Her self-image is whittled down to ashes….
The insults and hateful feelings spitting out of Edie’s mother are heartbreaking and disgusting, and we learn about this toxic relationship from pretty much the start of the novel. Normally, I would have a hard time feeling sorry for the character(s) until I have had time to connect with them fully. But there’s something about Edie that begs for protection, and even though it took her time to stand on her own two feet, we got there eventually. Edie is strong, lovable, considerate…
Gnome- much adored by Mother Cissy is everything Edie is not. He is mischievous, clever and cunning, ambitious and confident. He is also selfish, mean and spiteful. I could hardly find a cell in me to feel for him, even after everything was said and done. Even after I understood the whys…
Edie and Gnome, once inseparable, are now constantly fighting for their place in world. Freedom from each other… Separation. You probably have already put 2 and 2 together after reading the blurb, anyway… Edie and Gnome are siblings but they’re not siblings. They’re one, yet two. The differences of these two characters portray a lot more than gender fluidity and issues it may have caused in the historical setting. Edie’s and Gnome’s characters are like the yin and yang of humanity. The battle in between their two contrasting characters were a front row seat of one person’s struggle with themselves; a fight with their inner demons where the characteristics lose boundaries. Who’s going to win? The night or the day? And if one of them wins- are they really whole? Can night survive without day and vice versa?
The Night Brother is unlike anything I have read. I loved the flow of writing, I loved the subject matter and the fact that it wasn’t in a contemporary setting. But I also felt like I was suffocating- at times it just got to be too much. I wanted it to end, to come to a conclusion no matter how tragic or happy. Too much hate, too much spite, too much revenge, too many mistakes and insults. The road was long and hard, full of hurt and hate. But there were also small victories, there was Guy and Miss Hargreaves. Guy who has had his share of beatings because of his preference for same sex yet refuses to shine less brightly. Miss Hargreaves- a wealthy member of community fighting for women’s rights. A suffragette.
The plot is brought together nicely and without fault even though a small niggling question remained: did the fact, that at times we moved from realistic to unrealistic, tamper with my enjoyment? No. I choose to see this tool of execution as symbolism. More than likely, this is why we never learn about how Edie, Gnome, their mother and grandmother ‘came to be‘. It’s not really a magical happenstance- it’s a symbolism of individual experiences and in this case how one family deals with it…or doesn’t deal with it, as it were…
The ending… I have had time to consider this. It was most certainly the best outcome in all accounts. I did find Gnome’s culmination- his action and realization- to be somewhat cliché, but I have to admit that while some things can’t be fixed by love, in this case- love and acceptance seemed to be exactly what was needed to end the spiritual war that was not ever going to yield any winners in the long term.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. And when you read it, my recommendation is to not read it at face value… Instead, see the overall picture, grasp the presence of history and witness the struggle in between two souls. There’s a thing or two in this story for all of us to learn.
Set in the late 19th, early 20th century Manchester, UK, Edie and Gnome are like most siblings. When they’re young they enjoy each other’s company, as they get older they start to bicker and fight, and as they mature into adulthood they find a way to peace. This full circle takes years, crosses the turn of a century and human condition at it’s best, worst, ugliest and prettiest.
The historical setting for this book works miracles. I can’t – nor do I want to- imagine this book in a contemporary setting. I am happy that the (sometimes present) shallowness and distorted modern day values don’t taint this novel. It has it’s own conflicts from the past to put to good use. Past that is important and has set us on the path we are walking now.
Sexual and gender fluidity may well be the driving force of this novel no matter how much it crosses the line from real to made-up. Same sex relationships are of course a taboo in those archaic societal norms of blushing ladies, courteous gentlemen and lower class individuals working hard to get by. So are suffragettes and any notions of a person having an independent thought.
And thus, Edie’s life is a string of misery. She lives above the pub her Mother Cissy runs with her grandmother, and Cissy has exactly 0 love for Edie. Not only is Cissy working Edie to the ground, she is verbally abusive. Edie is confused about herself, about why she is being hated. She knows there are secrets in the family but these are not shared with her. Her self-image is whittled down to ashes….
The insults and hateful feelings spitting out of Edie’s mother are heartbreaking and disgusting, and we learn about this toxic relationship from pretty much the start of the novel. Normally, I would have a hard time feeling sorry for the character(s) until I have had time to connect with them fully. But there’s something about Edie that begs for protection, and even though it took her time to stand on her own two feet, we got there eventually. Edie is strong, lovable, considerate…
Gnome- much adored by Mother Cissy is everything Edie is not. He is mischievous, clever and cunning, ambitious and confident. He is also selfish, mean and spiteful. I could hardly find a cell in me to feel for him, even after everything was said and done. Even after I understood the whys…
Edie and Gnome, once inseparable, are now constantly fighting for their place in world. Freedom from each other… Separation. You probably have already put 2 and 2 together after reading the blurb, anyway… Edie and Gnome are siblings but they’re not siblings. They’re one, yet two. The differences of these two characters portray a lot more than gender fluidity and issues it may have caused in the historical setting. Edie’s and Gnome’s characters are like the yin and yang of humanity. The battle in between their two contrasting characters were a front row seat of one person’s struggle with themselves; a fight with their inner demons where the characteristics lose boundaries. Who’s going to win? The night or the day? And if one of them wins- are they really whole? Can night survive without day and vice versa?
The Night Brother is unlike anything I have read. I loved the flow of writing, I loved the subject matter and the fact that it wasn’t in a contemporary setting. But I also felt like I was suffocating- at times it just got to be too much. I wanted it to end, to come to a conclusion no matter how tragic or happy. Too much hate, too much spite, too much revenge, too many mistakes and insults. The road was long and hard, full of hurt and hate. But there were also small victories, there was Guy and Miss Hargreaves. Guy who has had his share of beatings because of his preference for same sex yet refuses to shine less brightly. Miss Hargreaves- a wealthy member of community fighting for women’s rights. A suffragette.
The plot is brought together nicely and without fault even though a small niggling question remained: did the fact, that at times we moved from realistic to unrealistic, tamper with my enjoyment? No. I choose to see this tool of execution as symbolism. More than likely, this is why we never learn about how Edie, Gnome, their mother and grandmother ‘came to be‘. It’s not really a magical happenstance- it’s a symbolism of individual experiences and in this case how one family deals with it…or doesn’t deal with it, as it were…
The ending… I have had time to consider this. It was most certainly the best outcome in all accounts. I did find Gnome’s culmination- his action and realization- to be somewhat cliché, but I have to admit that while some things can’t be fixed by love, in this case- love and acceptance seemed to be exactly what was needed to end the spiritual war that was not ever going to yield any winners in the long term.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. And when you read it, my recommendation is to not read it at face value… Instead, see the overall picture, grasp the presence of history and witness the struggle in between two souls. There’s a thing or two in this story for all of us to learn.
February 22, 2017
In the 1890s in Manchester, Young siblings Edie and her brother Gnome sneak out to spend a wonderful night having fun and watching fireworks. As the pair grow up, though, Gnome enjoys the night and his antics cause trouble so Edie tries to distance herself. But how far away can she really get from someone who knows her better than she knows herself?
This is such an amazing book I couldn't put it down! From the moment I read the first page I was hooked. The Night Brother is an historical fiction novel but with a sort of magical twist that would draw in many light fantasy readers too. The book is told in the first person and the chapters alternate between Edie and Gnome. Each chapter focuses on one character and is told from their viewpoint.
It only took the first page to hook me into the story, it's so well written. As well as told in the first person the book is also in the present tense. Until now I've never been a fan of present tense narration in books but it is done so well here that I didn't even notice, it didn't bother me and actually increased the excitement.
The story is interesting and intriguing, after Edie and Gnome's night out together the tale moves through the years as they grow up into their teens and then into adulthood. There is never a dull moment in the story and where Edie's chapter finishes, Gnome's takes off, adding such intrigue and wonder. At first the two stories seem quite separate but as you read on they become more intertwined and every chapter is so well written that I just couldn't put this book down. The entire book from start to finish was so gripping, as soon as I finished one chapter I was itching to start another.
I won't reveal what happens in the story as it would spoil the enjoyment but it's such a good book I could never guess what was going to happen next. As the pair of siblings grow up there's a distinct and different voice for each character and even though so different to each other you end up feeling a connection with both. The book also has a wonderful way of vividly describing scenes without feeling over-descriptive, the action never slows down.
The book has about two uses of the f swear word with just a few s words too. It also does have some sex described, and while there's some detail it's not throughout the book and both the language and the sex fits the story very well. Some mature teens as well as adults would love to read this book. It's not just a simple story about siblings it's so much more and covers sexuality and gender identity all with an amazing historical setting, and of course that slight fantasy-like twist.
The overall story is exciting but often dark though lighter moments do happen. It has a really satisfying ending and one that again I didn't predict, I really enjoyed a moment towards the end with Edie's Grandmother and the last chapter which is short but concludes the whole book so well. A few weeks ago I fell into a reading slump where I stopped enjoying books, but this one novel has excited me so much it's made me love reading again! A real exciting and also thought-provoking page-turner that I can really recommend.
This is such an amazing book I couldn't put it down! From the moment I read the first page I was hooked. The Night Brother is an historical fiction novel but with a sort of magical twist that would draw in many light fantasy readers too. The book is told in the first person and the chapters alternate between Edie and Gnome. Each chapter focuses on one character and is told from their viewpoint.
It only took the first page to hook me into the story, it's so well written. As well as told in the first person the book is also in the present tense. Until now I've never been a fan of present tense narration in books but it is done so well here that I didn't even notice, it didn't bother me and actually increased the excitement.
The story is interesting and intriguing, after Edie and Gnome's night out together the tale moves through the years as they grow up into their teens and then into adulthood. There is never a dull moment in the story and where Edie's chapter finishes, Gnome's takes off, adding such intrigue and wonder. At first the two stories seem quite separate but as you read on they become more intertwined and every chapter is so well written that I just couldn't put this book down. The entire book from start to finish was so gripping, as soon as I finished one chapter I was itching to start another.
I won't reveal what happens in the story as it would spoil the enjoyment but it's such a good book I could never guess what was going to happen next. As the pair of siblings grow up there's a distinct and different voice for each character and even though so different to each other you end up feeling a connection with both. The book also has a wonderful way of vividly describing scenes without feeling over-descriptive, the action never slows down.
The book has about two uses of the f swear word with just a few s words too. It also does have some sex described, and while there's some detail it's not throughout the book and both the language and the sex fits the story very well. Some mature teens as well as adults would love to read this book. It's not just a simple story about siblings it's so much more and covers sexuality and gender identity all with an amazing historical setting, and of course that slight fantasy-like twist.
The overall story is exciting but often dark though lighter moments do happen. It has a really satisfying ending and one that again I didn't predict, I really enjoyed a moment towards the end with Edie's Grandmother and the last chapter which is short but concludes the whole book so well. A few weeks ago I fell into a reading slump where I stopped enjoying books, but this one novel has excited me so much it's made me love reading again! A real exciting and also thought-provoking page-turner that I can really recommend.
April 20, 2025
vreemd, maar goed vreemd
April 14, 2017
3.5 stars.
Edie and her brother Herbert, nicknamed Gnome, do everything together. As children, growing up above their mother's pub in late 19th-century Manchester, they roam the streets by night, sneaking into firework shows and exploring their town. But, as the years go on, Edie begins to resent Gnome. Every night he drags her out, forcing her to be more daring and naughtier than she wants to be. By day she's left empty and ragged. And the worst thing is that Ma and Nan tell her Gnome doesn't even exist. But he does. He comes every night, regular as clockwork, and Edie begins to dream of ways to control him...
For the full review, due to go live on 12 May 2017, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2017/05/12/t...
Edie and her brother Herbert, nicknamed Gnome, do everything together. As children, growing up above their mother's pub in late 19th-century Manchester, they roam the streets by night, sneaking into firework shows and exploring their town. But, as the years go on, Edie begins to resent Gnome. Every night he drags her out, forcing her to be more daring and naughtier than she wants to be. By day she's left empty and ragged. And the worst thing is that Ma and Nan tell her Gnome doesn't even exist. But he does. He comes every night, regular as clockwork, and Edie begins to dream of ways to control him...
For the full review, due to go live on 12 May 2017, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2017/05/12/t...
October 6, 2020
Rich and full, beautifully written and rewarding down to the last drop - bravo Rosie, a triumph!
May 24, 2017
After previously spending time in A Palace of Curiosities and travelling back to the 14th century with Vixen, I was over the moon to discover the same staggeringly talented author of these two books has a new one on the horizon -
The Night Brother
.
Once again I find myself lost in the reverie of Rosie Garland’s exquisite writing. Extraordinarily enchanting, The Night Brother ’s emotional bounty caresses each page to boldly pursue the trials that can divide and conquer.
Sharing a parallel existence, so one leads by day and the other by night, we see life through the eyes of Edie and Gnome (Herbert). These unique siblings occupy one body in a challenging world, where gender equality is a ludicrous notion and many battles are fought, both publicly and in private.
Edie's and Gnome’s personalities mature from mischievous children into adults eager spread their wings and take it in reluctant turns to dominate or deny each other’s presence. As happiness beckons they are hounded by confusion and insecurity. Although they are two sides of the same coin acceptance, rather than rejection, could be the difference between being their lives being fulfilled or tormented.
This is an imaginative and affecting tale where the entire cast of this historical-fantasy-romance stage are performers each worthy of an Oscar. Their aspirations and chosen paths of personal contentment are inspired (particularly in the case of Edie's / Gnome’s Nana – that was an excellent move!)
Embracing the intimacies and complexities of the heart and soul The Night Brother doesn’t feel like a story, but a delectable gift. All that remains is for me to offer a thunderous round of applause for what is simply an expressive, breath-taking wonder.
Please note: the above quotation was taken from a proof copy of this book.
(I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley and welcomed it with open arms. It is my absolute pleasure to not only read this book but to provide and unbiased review.)
Once again I find myself lost in the reverie of Rosie Garland’s exquisite writing. Extraordinarily enchanting, The Night Brother ’s emotional bounty caresses each page to boldly pursue the trials that can divide and conquer.
Sharing a parallel existence, so one leads by day and the other by night, we see life through the eyes of Edie and Gnome (Herbert). These unique siblings occupy one body in a challenging world, where gender equality is a ludicrous notion and many battles are fought, both publicly and in private.
Edie's and Gnome’s personalities mature from mischievous children into adults eager spread their wings and take it in reluctant turns to dominate or deny each other’s presence. As happiness beckons they are hounded by confusion and insecurity. Although they are two sides of the same coin acceptance, rather than rejection, could be the difference between being their lives being fulfilled or tormented.
This is an imaginative and affecting tale where the entire cast of this historical-fantasy-romance stage are performers each worthy of an Oscar. Their aspirations and chosen paths of personal contentment are inspired (particularly in the case of Edie's / Gnome’s Nana – that was an excellent move!)
Embracing the intimacies and complexities of the heart and soul The Night Brother doesn’t feel like a story, but a delectable gift. All that remains is for me to offer a thunderous round of applause for what is simply an expressive, breath-taking wonder.
Perhaps love is measured not by how much radiance is keeps to itself, but by how much it shines upon the world.
Please note: the above quotation was taken from a proof copy of this book.
(I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley and welcomed it with open arms. It is my absolute pleasure to not only read this book but to provide and unbiased review.)
July 4, 2017
Adventure and mystery and so much more in this book.
In the late nineteenth century two Manchester siblings, Edie and Gnome, bicker and scream their way through the city’s streets, embracing its charms and dangers. However, as they mature it is Gnome who revels in the night time while Edie is confined to the day. She wakes exhausted each morning, unable to quell a sickening sense of unease, and confused at living a half–life.
Exploring the furthest limits of sexual and gender fluidity, this story is about the importance of being honest with yourself.
A good book but difficult to describe. The story is well written and the characters likeable, but the overall book has something missing. Whether it is the way the author goes from dark places of the mind to the light places of childhood but it just doesn’t gel.
The book has 400 pages and does go through peaks and troughs. Sometimes you cannot read fast enough and at other times it is like wading through treacle. It is quite a heavy book to read and does get a little deep and dark and confusing. (I will not spoil it by telling you how).
The book is good but just not my most favourite and I struggle with the way the author has written the book as it is overly descriptive.
Helen
Breakaway reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
In the late nineteenth century two Manchester siblings, Edie and Gnome, bicker and scream their way through the city’s streets, embracing its charms and dangers. However, as they mature it is Gnome who revels in the night time while Edie is confined to the day. She wakes exhausted each morning, unable to quell a sickening sense of unease, and confused at living a half–life.
Exploring the furthest limits of sexual and gender fluidity, this story is about the importance of being honest with yourself.
A good book but difficult to describe. The story is well written and the characters likeable, but the overall book has something missing. Whether it is the way the author goes from dark places of the mind to the light places of childhood but it just doesn’t gel.
The book has 400 pages and does go through peaks and troughs. Sometimes you cannot read fast enough and at other times it is like wading through treacle. It is quite a heavy book to read and does get a little deep and dark and confusing. (I will not spoil it by telling you how).
The book is good but just not my most favourite and I struggle with the way the author has written the book as it is overly descriptive.
Helen
Breakaway reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
September 27, 2024
Ah! Such a love letter to the early 1900, the suffragette movement and its interconnection with queer liberation. The book captures the conflicted feelings so well - the hatred of women patriarchs hold, the stigma of same sex relationships, the even more impossible to imagine fluctuation of gender/sex and being neither and both, and finally Abigail's reflection and how even when we feel we are enlightened and accept everything, we can be surprised by the vastness and diversity of human nature.
Yeah the abuse in the beginning was difficult to read and at times the language was difficult to understand but it was all worth it
Yeah the abuse in the beginning was difficult to read and at times the language was difficult to understand but it was all worth it
June 17, 2017
Edie is a sensible, ambitious girl who longs for more from life. Gnome is a adventurer who longs to escape his circumstances. They grow up together in a pub in Victorian Manchester, increasingly in conflict with each other and with their mother and grandmother.
The story charts their growth, their fights, and their underlying love for each other as each of them discover what they mean to the other.
The radical history of Victorian Manchester, and the institutionalised cruelty against those who dare to fight for their rights, are right at the fore in this wonderful novel that is awash with humour and love.
The story charts their growth, their fights, and their underlying love for each other as each of them discover what they mean to the other.
The radical history of Victorian Manchester, and the institutionalised cruelty against those who dare to fight for their rights, are right at the fore in this wonderful novel that is awash with humour and love.
July 1, 2018
(Goodreads Giveaway Win)
The idea was good and the themes explored were interesting, but Gnome was just way too annoying. I couldn't understand his character at all. I get he was angry, but I just couldn't find him believable as a character. If Gnome wasn't in it, it would still be a great story.
The idea was good and the themes explored were interesting, but Gnome was just way too annoying. I couldn't understand his character at all. I get he was angry, but I just couldn't find him believable as a character. If Gnome wasn't in it, it would still be a great story.
August 12, 2019
A little clunky at times but overall a great read about a brother and sister who inhabit the same body. Set in late 1800s Manchester, England, the novel is an easy read and makes a compelling case for the fluidity of gender and sexuality, and also the cultural repression of that fluidity/spectrum.
July 11, 2017
Only read a few pages in the beginning and ditto at the end. Writing didn't flow for me.. YA ?
February 27, 2024
I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed this creative magical realist historical novel
A good dose of feminism too
A good dose of feminism too
November 29, 2022
I really enjoyed this. It's such an intriguing premise--that Edie and Gnome share one body and fluidly shift from male to female. Add in the Edwardian setting, and I'm hooked.
November 10, 2017
http://www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/2017/1...
This was one of those novels that in the earlier part of the story I could have given up on. I wasn’t emotionally invested in any of the characters but my enjoyment of the time, the setting and the writing kept me reading. I’m not sure when it changed for me, possibly when Edie sees a statue at the museum or maybe when she stops to listen to a suffragette rally – both are life changing for her. When I finished the story I felt bereft – no more Edie and no more Gnome in my life each day!
So … the story begins in Manchester in 1894 when Edie and Gnome are young children. Their mum, Cecily Margaret Latchford owns a beerhouse, The Comet. Edie tries everything to make her mum love her but when she realises she’s failed she withdraws and doesn’t stand up for herself. I despised Cecily for double standards and what she was willing to put Edie through. Gnome on other other hand is loved by their mum, he’s not afraid of anything. He’s a fighter. They’re opposites. The worlds they inhabit are opposite. I must admit I loved spending time with Gnome on Manchester’s streets. Rosie Garland’s writing is so evocative making everything stand out in sharp detail. Things change when Edie moves away (The Comet always felt depressing to me!) and I loved her job, nightlife and the friends she made. Edie and Gnome’s lives are fraught with misunderstandings, light and shadow, love and hate, fight and surrender.
Sexual and gender identity … this story is a unique exploration of the masculine and feminine. From the Gospel of Thomas 22:
When you make the two one, and when you make the inside as the outside, and the outside as the inside, and the upper as the lower, and when you make the male and the female into a single one, so that the male is not male and the female not female, and when you make eyes in place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then shall you enter [the kingdom].
As I mentioned, there are times when I was pushed out of my comfort zone but those are the times that prompted me to think deeply and tangle me in emotions. I loved the knotty feeling, of not shying away but exploring the shadows and bringing it all together. The Night Brother won’t be for everyone. You’ll need to step outside of convention and what is acceptable to realise the whole. I loved it 🙂
This was one of those novels that in the earlier part of the story I could have given up on. I wasn’t emotionally invested in any of the characters but my enjoyment of the time, the setting and the writing kept me reading. I’m not sure when it changed for me, possibly when Edie sees a statue at the museum or maybe when she stops to listen to a suffragette rally – both are life changing for her. When I finished the story I felt bereft – no more Edie and no more Gnome in my life each day!
So … the story begins in Manchester in 1894 when Edie and Gnome are young children. Their mum, Cecily Margaret Latchford owns a beerhouse, The Comet. Edie tries everything to make her mum love her but when she realises she’s failed she withdraws and doesn’t stand up for herself. I despised Cecily for double standards and what she was willing to put Edie through. Gnome on other other hand is loved by their mum, he’s not afraid of anything. He’s a fighter. They’re opposites. The worlds they inhabit are opposite. I must admit I loved spending time with Gnome on Manchester’s streets. Rosie Garland’s writing is so evocative making everything stand out in sharp detail. Things change when Edie moves away (The Comet always felt depressing to me!) and I loved her job, nightlife and the friends she made. Edie and Gnome’s lives are fraught with misunderstandings, light and shadow, love and hate, fight and surrender.
Sexual and gender identity … this story is a unique exploration of the masculine and feminine. From the Gospel of Thomas 22:
When you make the two one, and when you make the inside as the outside, and the outside as the inside, and the upper as the lower, and when you make the male and the female into a single one, so that the male is not male and the female not female, and when you make eyes in place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then shall you enter [the kingdom].
As I mentioned, there are times when I was pushed out of my comfort zone but those are the times that prompted me to think deeply and tangle me in emotions. I loved the knotty feeling, of not shying away but exploring the shadows and bringing it all together. The Night Brother won’t be for everyone. You’ll need to step outside of convention and what is acceptable to realise the whole. I loved it 🙂
June 20, 2017
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for providing me with an ARC of this book that I voluntarily chose to review.
Gender and gender identity are complex subjects and have always been, even at times when this was not openly acknowledged. Characters who change gender are not new (although not very common either): Virginia Wolf’s Orlando is perhaps one of the best known, and his/her fictional biography offers the reader a chance to observe historical events from the point of view of a character that is an outsider in more ways than one. Maria Aurèlia Capmany’s Quim/Quima uses another character that goes from male to female as a way to revisit the story of Catalonia, in an open homage to Woolf whom she addresses in a letter that serves as a prologue to her novel. Much more recently, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, a novel that deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize (and that I recommend wholeheartedly as I do the other two, although I don’t think Quim/Quima is easy to find other than in the original in Catalan), uses a similar plot device, although this time clearly addressing intersex and focusing more on the difficulties and struggles of living outside the gender norm (a subject the other two novels I mention don’t focus on).
What marks the difference between those books and The Night Brother is that rather than the main character living a part of his/her life as pertaining to a gender and, at some point, switching (similar to what happens in Kafka’s Metamorphosis although not quite as surreal), in this novel, the main character is both, male and female, and daily morphs from the one gender into the other, at least for a time. Edie is a woman (a girl when we meet her) who lives with her mother and grandmother in a pub in Manchester at the end of the XIX century, during the day, and at night she transforms into Herbert (or Gnome, as he prefers to be called), as if she were a shapeshifter creature of sorts, or a being from some paranormal genre (but that is not at all the feel of the novel). At the beginning of the novel Edie thinks of Gnome as her brother, always by her side, a wild creature who shares adventures with her (although we soon realise there is something peculiar about their relationship, as they seem to know what each other thinks without talking). Edie’s mother insists she is making Gnome up and is imagining things and although the girl tries hard to ignore it, unexplained things keep happening. At some point, she realises what the truth is (at least in part, as secrets are a big subject in this story) and discovers a way to keep her ‘brother’ at bay, although this comes at a heavy prize and it is difficult to maintain. Edie tries to live a discreet life and not get too close to people to avoid the risk of revealing her secret and that results in a sad and sombre life. When she becomes friendly with a gay co-worker and later becomes a suffragette, things get complicated and Gnome won’t stay put. I won’t discuss the plot in more detail to avoid giving any spoilers away.
The story is told in the first person from the points of view of Edie and Gnome (although Edie’s narration has more weight for reasons that soon become evident to readers) and a final chapter from the point of view of Abigail, one of the suffragettes. This style of narrative gives the reader a good sense of how different the perceptions of the two characters are, their behaviour, expressions, and what reactions they elicit from others. The novel excels at depicting the Manchester of the turn of the century, its buildings, its neighbourhoods, its businesses, the savoury and unsavoury areas, the social mores of the era, the secret places where those whose tastes did not fit in with society at large met, and the atmosphere of the city and the times. We have ladies from good families, blue collar characters, prostitutes, ruffians, street urchins, policemen, publicans and everything in between, all beautifully observed. For me, this is one of the strongest points of the novel, and although I only know the Manchester of modern times, I felt as if I was wandering its streets with the characters at the turn of the century. The Suffragist rallies and their repression are also shared in great detail, to the point where we are one of the fallen bodies about to be trampled over, in a scene difficult to forget.
As the novel is told in the first person from those two character’s perspectives, it is important that they come across as fully realised individuals. For me, Edie is the more convincing of the two. This is perhaps in part due to her having more space (and also probably because I am a woman and find it easier to get into her shoes) and that allows us to understand better what goes through her head. I don’t mean she is a particularly likeable character (she refuses to listen to reason, she is hard and tries to close her heart to others and she does bad things too), but she is easier to understand and she grows and evolves through the novel, becoming… Well, I’ll keep my peace. However, Gnome remains impulsive, childish at times, and seems not to have a thought beyond getting his revenge and satisfying his needs. He is not a well-rounded character, and as a depiction of masculinity I found it very limited —although it makes sense if we view the novel as an allegory that turns on its head the old view of the genders, with women being close to nature, earth, the moon, natural beings, slaves to their hormones and anatomy, and men who were the intellectual beings, rational, controlled, dominant, the sun, head over feelings— but he is a force of nature, although not very likeable either. Edie’s mother and grandmother are intriguing characters, with her mother being a great example of bad motherhood (not only for what she does and the way she treats Edie but for what she tries to do to sort her problems, an extreme but not false ‘treatment’ on offer at the time), while her grandmother is the voice of reason, and we eventually get to understand her circumstances well. Although the ending is perhaps a bit rushed, it is satisfying and its message of tolerance and acceptance of difference is a very welcome one.
I’ve seen this book described as magical realism and as an allegory and both concepts are fitting to a certain extent, although I suspect this is a book that will mean different things to different readers and its interpretations will probably tell us as much about the reader as about the writer (as should be the case). I recommend it to readers interested in historical fiction (particularly within a British setting) of the late XIX c /beginning of the XX c, those interested in novels that explore gender and gender identity issues in new ways and who don’t mind a touch of the unexpected, and to anybody intrigued to try a fairly original take on the subject. A word of warning: there is some sexual content (only one scene and not the most graphic I’ve read, but it is there) and there is violence, particularly in the scene of the repression of the Suffragist event.
Gender and gender identity are complex subjects and have always been, even at times when this was not openly acknowledged. Characters who change gender are not new (although not very common either): Virginia Wolf’s Orlando is perhaps one of the best known, and his/her fictional biography offers the reader a chance to observe historical events from the point of view of a character that is an outsider in more ways than one. Maria Aurèlia Capmany’s Quim/Quima uses another character that goes from male to female as a way to revisit the story of Catalonia, in an open homage to Woolf whom she addresses in a letter that serves as a prologue to her novel. Much more recently, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, a novel that deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize (and that I recommend wholeheartedly as I do the other two, although I don’t think Quim/Quima is easy to find other than in the original in Catalan), uses a similar plot device, although this time clearly addressing intersex and focusing more on the difficulties and struggles of living outside the gender norm (a subject the other two novels I mention don’t focus on).
What marks the difference between those books and The Night Brother is that rather than the main character living a part of his/her life as pertaining to a gender and, at some point, switching (similar to what happens in Kafka’s Metamorphosis although not quite as surreal), in this novel, the main character is both, male and female, and daily morphs from the one gender into the other, at least for a time. Edie is a woman (a girl when we meet her) who lives with her mother and grandmother in a pub in Manchester at the end of the XIX century, during the day, and at night she transforms into Herbert (or Gnome, as he prefers to be called), as if she were a shapeshifter creature of sorts, or a being from some paranormal genre (but that is not at all the feel of the novel). At the beginning of the novel Edie thinks of Gnome as her brother, always by her side, a wild creature who shares adventures with her (although we soon realise there is something peculiar about their relationship, as they seem to know what each other thinks without talking). Edie’s mother insists she is making Gnome up and is imagining things and although the girl tries hard to ignore it, unexplained things keep happening. At some point, she realises what the truth is (at least in part, as secrets are a big subject in this story) and discovers a way to keep her ‘brother’ at bay, although this comes at a heavy prize and it is difficult to maintain. Edie tries to live a discreet life and not get too close to people to avoid the risk of revealing her secret and that results in a sad and sombre life. When she becomes friendly with a gay co-worker and later becomes a suffragette, things get complicated and Gnome won’t stay put. I won’t discuss the plot in more detail to avoid giving any spoilers away.
The story is told in the first person from the points of view of Edie and Gnome (although Edie’s narration has more weight for reasons that soon become evident to readers) and a final chapter from the point of view of Abigail, one of the suffragettes. This style of narrative gives the reader a good sense of how different the perceptions of the two characters are, their behaviour, expressions, and what reactions they elicit from others. The novel excels at depicting the Manchester of the turn of the century, its buildings, its neighbourhoods, its businesses, the savoury and unsavoury areas, the social mores of the era, the secret places where those whose tastes did not fit in with society at large met, and the atmosphere of the city and the times. We have ladies from good families, blue collar characters, prostitutes, ruffians, street urchins, policemen, publicans and everything in between, all beautifully observed. For me, this is one of the strongest points of the novel, and although I only know the Manchester of modern times, I felt as if I was wandering its streets with the characters at the turn of the century. The Suffragist rallies and their repression are also shared in great detail, to the point where we are one of the fallen bodies about to be trampled over, in a scene difficult to forget.
As the novel is told in the first person from those two character’s perspectives, it is important that they come across as fully realised individuals. For me, Edie is the more convincing of the two. This is perhaps in part due to her having more space (and also probably because I am a woman and find it easier to get into her shoes) and that allows us to understand better what goes through her head. I don’t mean she is a particularly likeable character (she refuses to listen to reason, she is hard and tries to close her heart to others and she does bad things too), but she is easier to understand and she grows and evolves through the novel, becoming… Well, I’ll keep my peace. However, Gnome remains impulsive, childish at times, and seems not to have a thought beyond getting his revenge and satisfying his needs. He is not a well-rounded character, and as a depiction of masculinity I found it very limited —although it makes sense if we view the novel as an allegory that turns on its head the old view of the genders, with women being close to nature, earth, the moon, natural beings, slaves to their hormones and anatomy, and men who were the intellectual beings, rational, controlled, dominant, the sun, head over feelings— but he is a force of nature, although not very likeable either. Edie’s mother and grandmother are intriguing characters, with her mother being a great example of bad motherhood (not only for what she does and the way she treats Edie but for what she tries to do to sort her problems, an extreme but not false ‘treatment’ on offer at the time), while her grandmother is the voice of reason, and we eventually get to understand her circumstances well. Although the ending is perhaps a bit rushed, it is satisfying and its message of tolerance and acceptance of difference is a very welcome one.
I’ve seen this book described as magical realism and as an allegory and both concepts are fitting to a certain extent, although I suspect this is a book that will mean different things to different readers and its interpretations will probably tell us as much about the reader as about the writer (as should be the case). I recommend it to readers interested in historical fiction (particularly within a British setting) of the late XIX c /beginning of the XX c, those interested in novels that explore gender and gender identity issues in new ways and who don’t mind a touch of the unexpected, and to anybody intrigued to try a fairly original take on the subject. A word of warning: there is some sexual content (only one scene and not the most graphic I’ve read, but it is there) and there is violence, particularly in the scene of the repression of the Suffragist event.
July 12, 2017
The Night Brother
By Rosie Garland
A fascinating tale of two souls in one body. Edie is present during daylight hours, and Gnome appears during the night - Edie's body being magically transformed into a male.
Edie's mother despises her, and looks forward to Gnomes nightly visits - she allows him to do as he pleases, whereas Edie is treated as a slave.
Edie eventually finds work and a room to let, and she finds a way to suppress Gnome's 'invasion' of 'her' body. She meets new friends and falls in love with a girl who's a suffragette....but Gnome is back and seeking revenge, after being kept in the dark for 5 long years. Will he ruin Edie's one true love? You'll have to read the book to find out!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It's written very poetically, and I felt myself being whisked away into their little world very easily, and the pages just flew past!
By Rosie Garland
A fascinating tale of two souls in one body. Edie is present during daylight hours, and Gnome appears during the night - Edie's body being magically transformed into a male.
Edie's mother despises her, and looks forward to Gnomes nightly visits - she allows him to do as he pleases, whereas Edie is treated as a slave.
Edie eventually finds work and a room to let, and she finds a way to suppress Gnome's 'invasion' of 'her' body. She meets new friends and falls in love with a girl who's a suffragette....but Gnome is back and seeking revenge, after being kept in the dark for 5 long years. Will he ruin Edie's one true love? You'll have to read the book to find out!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It's written very poetically, and I felt myself being whisked away into their little world very easily, and the pages just flew past!
May 1, 2018
I received a copy of this book via Net Galley.
A lovely piece of historical fiction with a magical realism twist that put me in mind of Jekyll and Hyde a little.
A brother and sister growing up in Manchester in the late 1800s are mostly happy in each others company as children. Gnome is a mischievous, cheeky rascal who drags sister Edie along for the ride. But as the pair grow they want to find their own way in the world. Their relationship breaks down and things go from bad to worse.
Beautifully written, this is a fantastic, and at times heart wrenching story about love and sexual equality and identity.
A lovely piece of historical fiction with a magical realism twist that put me in mind of Jekyll and Hyde a little.
A brother and sister growing up in Manchester in the late 1800s are mostly happy in each others company as children. Gnome is a mischievous, cheeky rascal who drags sister Edie along for the ride. But as the pair grow they want to find their own way in the world. Their relationship breaks down and things go from bad to worse.
Beautifully written, this is a fantastic, and at times heart wrenching story about love and sexual equality and identity.
August 2, 2020
I really did not enjoy this book. Gnome was cartoonishly evil. There were far too many almost-rape scenes in it which were completely jarring as the rest of the novel seemed quite appropriate for 12-14-year-olds to read and it really didn't suit the tone. The rules of the transformations were also unclear. How could the mother become pregnant if she was a man for a few days of the month???? I would not recommend this book to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2019
Such an incredible premise. I really wanted to love this but found the dual/central character utterly annoying.
January 1, 2022
While I appreciate what this book was trying to do, I tried a bit too hard. That and the prose was almost embarrassing at times.
June 1, 2017
When I started reading this book, I really wasn’t sure what to make of it. The language constantly nagged at me, and it took me some time to work out why it felt familiar even as it felt strange: it’s almost the language of fairytales. Until the mention of the Suffragette movement, I couldn’t place the time that the story takes place in and, because of the fairytale feel that comes from the style of language, I wasn’t sure that the story is set in a ‘real’ historical time. The geographical setting is real, and I found myself feeling a connection with the book as parts of Manchester that I know and love (from the couple of years I spent living there) were named and described as their Victorian versions.
It is a striking book: while it is historical fiction, it deals with extremely contemporary themes of gender, sexuality, and identity. The story skilfully questions what it is that defines us as individuals to others, and to ourselves. Through the struggles of Gnome and Edie, it shows how gender and sexuality cannot be defined as binary options, but rather two points on an analogue scale which a person can appear anywhere on. It cleverly illustrates how when the different facets of our personalities are forced to fit into socially acceptable boxes, and we are compelled to fit ourselves in them, it is harmful. We are better off accepting our different sides, seeking to find a way to live with our contradictions peacefully. If we can only be brave enough to share the fullness of the people we truly are with another whom we can trust, fear can be replaced with acceptance.
Rosie Garland’s approach to these questions of gender, sexuality, and identity is inventive and original. Rather than tackle these questions through Sci-Fi or YA fiction (which seem the most obvious genres for these themes), she has skilfully used Historical Fiction to demonstrate that these themes and philosophical questions that we think of as modern concerns are timeless – they have been around for as long as the concept of ‘socially acceptable’ has existed.
The historical setting of the story takes a backseat to the story itself, so if you’re after a historical novel that will closely follow renowned events, or teach you something about events during the Victorian era, you might not get what you are after. You will get a book which is easy and enjoyable to read, with an original plot, and an unexpected outcome. A good book for the daily commute or winding down before bed, it’ll take you out of your own world for a bit and dump you, unapologetically, into the middle of possibly the most dysfunctional family you can imagine.
Thank you to The Borough Press and Netgalley for supplying me with an advance ebook of this story in exchange for an honest review.
It is a striking book: while it is historical fiction, it deals with extremely contemporary themes of gender, sexuality, and identity. The story skilfully questions what it is that defines us as individuals to others, and to ourselves. Through the struggles of Gnome and Edie, it shows how gender and sexuality cannot be defined as binary options, but rather two points on an analogue scale which a person can appear anywhere on. It cleverly illustrates how when the different facets of our personalities are forced to fit into socially acceptable boxes, and we are compelled to fit ourselves in them, it is harmful. We are better off accepting our different sides, seeking to find a way to live with our contradictions peacefully. If we can only be brave enough to share the fullness of the people we truly are with another whom we can trust, fear can be replaced with acceptance.
Rosie Garland’s approach to these questions of gender, sexuality, and identity is inventive and original. Rather than tackle these questions through Sci-Fi or YA fiction (which seem the most obvious genres for these themes), she has skilfully used Historical Fiction to demonstrate that these themes and philosophical questions that we think of as modern concerns are timeless – they have been around for as long as the concept of ‘socially acceptable’ has existed.
The historical setting of the story takes a backseat to the story itself, so if you’re after a historical novel that will closely follow renowned events, or teach you something about events during the Victorian era, you might not get what you are after. You will get a book which is easy and enjoyable to read, with an original plot, and an unexpected outcome. A good book for the daily commute or winding down before bed, it’ll take you out of your own world for a bit and dump you, unapologetically, into the middle of possibly the most dysfunctional family you can imagine.
Thank you to The Borough Press and Netgalley for supplying me with an advance ebook of this story in exchange for an honest review.
August 2, 2023
I’ve combed through the reviews trying to find something. What? You may well ask.
A trigger warning would be nice. A review by someone exploring their gender? Just something! Anything that could help me deal with the storm of emotions elicited by this read.
I identify as gender fluid. This book is meant to be an exploration of gender, but is the author gender queer? If so, I feel sorry for her. It must be such a painful exploration.
To me, this story is more about abuse than it is about gender. The first 1/3 of the book is about a child abused and gaslighted by her mother for no apparent reason other than being a girl. Gnome, on the other hand, is his mothers pet and can do no wrong, despite being a complete asshat.
In a book meant to explore the idea of being beyond a binary, this book completely fails to find nuance. The characters are flat, with no emotional depth whatsoever. Depth is hinted at, but is never actually explored. The side characters are brought up solely for their use in advancing the plot and then discarded.
I am upset with this read. Yes, having grown up in a female body, there is a certain level of trauma that plays its part in my gender fluidity. There is an interplay of shutting part of myself away in order to be accepted. But there is also so much beauty and compassion in the journey. There is so much to like about my masculine side and so much that I love about the feminine. I disagree with the idea of genderfluidity as some violent fight between one side or the other. This book tries to show the effect of societal trauma ( enforced by the mother) on creating hate for parts of oneself, but it is done so awkwardly that it becomes a story of abuse instead.
Sure, the story finally ends with some compassion for the other parts of themself, but this book shows an unnecessarily violent journey to that discovery. It is meant to illustrate the role of society’s judgment by being placed in the early 1900. It certainly succeeds at showing the pain of hiding oneself and how important it is to be true and authentic. I can concede that. But it lacks a a crucial part: the inherent desire to be in authenticity which is so strongly felt by those of us who are gender diverse. There is a pain at being held apart, a magnetism that tries to bring us into congruity, that the author so spectacularly fails to convey.
A trigger warning would be nice. A review by someone exploring their gender? Just something! Anything that could help me deal with the storm of emotions elicited by this read.
I identify as gender fluid. This book is meant to be an exploration of gender, but is the author gender queer? If so, I feel sorry for her. It must be such a painful exploration.
To me, this story is more about abuse than it is about gender. The first 1/3 of the book is about a child abused and gaslighted by her mother for no apparent reason other than being a girl. Gnome, on the other hand, is his mothers pet and can do no wrong, despite being a complete asshat.
In a book meant to explore the idea of being beyond a binary, this book completely fails to find nuance. The characters are flat, with no emotional depth whatsoever. Depth is hinted at, but is never actually explored. The side characters are brought up solely for their use in advancing the plot and then discarded.
I am upset with this read. Yes, having grown up in a female body, there is a certain level of trauma that plays its part in my gender fluidity. There is an interplay of shutting part of myself away in order to be accepted. But there is also so much beauty and compassion in the journey. There is so much to like about my masculine side and so much that I love about the feminine. I disagree with the idea of genderfluidity as some violent fight between one side or the other. This book tries to show the effect of societal trauma ( enforced by the mother) on creating hate for parts of oneself, but it is done so awkwardly that it becomes a story of abuse instead.
Sure, the story finally ends with some compassion for the other parts of themself, but this book shows an unnecessarily violent journey to that discovery. It is meant to illustrate the role of society’s judgment by being placed in the early 1900. It certainly succeeds at showing the pain of hiding oneself and how important it is to be true and authentic. I can concede that. But it lacks a a crucial part: the inherent desire to be in authenticity which is so strongly felt by those of us who are gender diverse. There is a pain at being held apart, a magnetism that tries to bring us into congruity, that the author so spectacularly fails to convey.
June 6, 2017
Interesting ideas, perhaps too confined by the magic realism choice
Although this book certainly had an interesting idea behind it – the exploration of gender identity, sibling rivalry told via a soupcon of magic realism, a kind of alternative Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde all tacked on to a Manchester, early twentieth century rise of the suffragist movement – it did not really add up to more than the sum of its parts, for me. In fact, There is a nice vitality in Garland’s writing, and I can see why there have been comparisons made to Angela Carter and Sarah Waters – particularly Waters in her Victorian setting books. Unfortunately, for this reader the difference is that Carter and Waters consistently expanded and developed surprise and imagination in their books, but I found, initial twist and structure over, there were no surprises, and I knew exactly where the book was going. Which isn’t necessarily a problem – as long as the reader can find themselves under the skin of the characters so that you invest in their journeys. Not the case here, for me.
I was offered this as a review copy, via NetGalley, and was drawn to it by publisher comparisons between authors I had loved – Erin Morgenstern, as well as Carter and Waters.
The still outstanding book I read, years ago, on gender identity, remains Rose Tremain’s Sacred Country. No magic realism, just real realism, absolutely taking the reader into the heart of her central character’s journey. Issues now talked about more widely, then, barely, Tremain’s 1992 book is still gold
Although this book certainly had an interesting idea behind it – the exploration of gender identity, sibling rivalry told via a soupcon of magic realism, a kind of alternative Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde all tacked on to a Manchester, early twentieth century rise of the suffragist movement – it did not really add up to more than the sum of its parts, for me. In fact, There is a nice vitality in Garland’s writing, and I can see why there have been comparisons made to Angela Carter and Sarah Waters – particularly Waters in her Victorian setting books. Unfortunately, for this reader the difference is that Carter and Waters consistently expanded and developed surprise and imagination in their books, but I found, initial twist and structure over, there were no surprises, and I knew exactly where the book was going. Which isn’t necessarily a problem – as long as the reader can find themselves under the skin of the characters so that you invest in their journeys. Not the case here, for me.
I was offered this as a review copy, via NetGalley, and was drawn to it by publisher comparisons between authors I had loved – Erin Morgenstern, as well as Carter and Waters.
The still outstanding book I read, years ago, on gender identity, remains Rose Tremain’s Sacred Country. No magic realism, just real realism, absolutely taking the reader into the heart of her central character’s journey. Issues now talked about more widely, then, barely, Tremain’s 1992 book is still gold
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews