Status Updates From Territory of Light

(chapter nine - the body) today's three chapters done. i don't have a lot to say that i haven't already, it's a really nice read. a very empathetic portrayal of single motherhood. very simply done, but still really moving.

(chapter eight - red lights)

(chapter seven - the dunes) nooo the windows ;(

(chapter six - the magic words) i like how honest the narration is, how flawed she is. how she feels bitterness towards her daughter, but you understand how her difficult circumstances inspire these unpleasant feelings. you can really empathise with the amount of strain she is under.

(chapter five - the sound of a voice) 0_0

(chapter four - a dream of birds)
i don't have that much to say, another quietly affecting chapter.

i could continue actually but for my own sake i will stop here. i don't think this is the kind of book you should binge in one day, in an ideal world i would have read this over 12 days, starting the day with a cup of tea and a chapter from the book. you gotta let the moments seep in ... it has been a very pleasant, easy read so far. the imagery very evocative. liking it!

other single woman, sleeping on the bench, and then the subsequent revelation about her future fate ... wow, haha. okay. kind of darkly funny but also horrifying.

(chapter three: sunday in the trees)
i see why the book is structured like this now. each chapter is like an individual vignette over the span of the novel. it's very readable, with each chapter tying itself together really nicely. this chapter highlights the strain of being a single mother, the exhaustion of balancing all of these roles, and never being able to put yourself first. the imaginary conversation with the

(chapter two: the water's edge)
i really liked this chapter. it all came together really nicely, the stuff with water, the rain sea, the silver sea. the narrator and her daughter really well characterised too. just an endearing read, i can't say exactly why.

(chapter one: territory of light)
very simple, matter of fact narration. nice to be back to first person ... weird preference of mine, i just find myself endeared to people's narrations of their lives? i don't have that much to say atm, but i feel like the book being so short is split into twelve for a reason, so im going to write whatever is on my mind after each chapter.