Emery Stodden > Recent Status Updates

Almost done! Just laughed at what was supposed to be a serious part if that gives any indication. You know how people often wonder “am I the problem?” Well, in this case the person who most definitely is the problem would never ask that about herself because everyone treats her like a superhero. How is there still so much left if this thing to get through?

Finishing it out of stubbornness / not wanting to waste my audiobook rental. It’s definitely a book of perspectives. If it was from the daughter’s POV, the mom would be the villain, but since it’s the mom’s POV, it’s the daughter who is the problem. It’s unsurprising the family dynamics are what they are. The summary of this book here and online is made up; the book is nothing like the description.

The summary is not at all what the book is about, and I’m a quarter of the way in. It’s very clear I am definitely NOT the target audience. It’s a physically present but emotionally absent / neglectful Boomer mother who has one favorite child and one black sheep child; the favorite is a pill who needs a good talking to and the black sheep really can’t seem to please her mother or even connect with her.

This one is quite meaty with a lot of dimension going on. I love that it’s not dual timeline. The story is actually helped by it because you don’t get the justifications, just the aftermath. So far the lessons are clear:
- Be careful who you marry
- parents, notice those character defects in your children and work on them while they are young
- one toxic person left unchecked can cause a lot of damage