Pew by Catherine Lacey
Nov. 12th, 2024 09:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
m_oonmoonI breezed through this book not just because of it's very short but because it was intriguing and written in a prose that flows really well. I've never been to America but reading this felt like how I imagine it would be if I were to move there.
The other characters insisting on categorizing Pew and placing them in a neat little box made me feel upset - as if it was being done to me. I could understand Pew's desire to be separate from her body, to be free from the obligation to be a thing that fits society's expectations. Everyone Pew meets in the town they end up in treats Pew almost as a sounding board. They share their thoughts and feelings because Pew doesn't respond and certainly doesn't appear to judge. This lends an almost religious feeling throughout the novel - Pew as a confessional. (This fits perfectly with the book concluding with the festival of forgiveness - a religious event where people from the town confess their sins and are forgiven.)
The novel remains vague as to Pew's identity so if you like books that give clean answers, this book will leave you wanting. I personally don't mind this. I was more interested in the other people in the town. There's a sinister feeling throughout the book, a sense that there is more to the town and the people than what we are privy to. A small part of me would have wanted this to be explored more but the book as it stands now feels like it's the perfect length.
I quite enjoyed this. I think the experience would have been elevated if I hadn't been a little distracted while reading it. It's one of those books that I think is quite atmospheric and requires your full attention (not because it 's hard to read but just for an immersive experience.)
The other characters insisting on categorizing Pew and placing them in a neat little box made me feel upset - as if it was being done to me. I could understand Pew's desire to be separate from her body, to be free from the obligation to be a thing that fits society's expectations. Everyone Pew meets in the town they end up in treats Pew almost as a sounding board. They share their thoughts and feelings because Pew doesn't respond and certainly doesn't appear to judge. This lends an almost religious feeling throughout the novel - Pew as a confessional. (This fits perfectly with the book concluding with the festival of forgiveness - a religious event where people from the town confess their sins and are forgiven.)
The novel remains vague as to Pew's identity so if you like books that give clean answers, this book will leave you wanting. I personally don't mind this. I was more interested in the other people in the town. There's a sinister feeling throughout the book, a sense that there is more to the town and the people than what we are privy to. A small part of me would have wanted this to be explored more but the book as it stands now feels like it's the perfect length.
I quite enjoyed this. I think the experience would have been elevated if I hadn't been a little distracted while reading it. It's one of those books that I think is quite atmospheric and requires your full attention (not because it 's hard to read but just for an immersive experience.)