You Will Know Me

Just finished this novel. Great read, I'd never read Megan Abbott before. One of my new favorite books.

Your thoughts?

>1 AJUllman: I read it because it was on some of those "ten best" lists for last year. I found it a very uncomfortable read, which can be a good thing, but I haven't figured out the point of the discomfort. The mother's disintegration is a big part of it. Abbott also doesn't tell us quite enough to understand her husband's role with the other parents, which seems significant. OTOH, I think she does a very good job with the star gymnast and her relationships with her parents, at least a lot of the time. In thinking back on it, I assume that the discomfort is the author's intention, and a major point of the book. This was my first Abbott, so I didn't have any expectations about the tone or style; I just knew that it had been praised. I wasn't expecting a story with so many loose ends, which are definitely not tied up. The characters are left with some significant dilemmas. Part of my discomfort was nearing the end and realizing there wasn't time to wrap things up, so given that, I'm happier with loose ends than a forced resolution. I suspect Abbott was intentionally playing with how much information she could omit and still have the story she envisioned. It's an interesting approach, but one I was not expecting.