The Conditions Of Love by Dale M. Kushner – 384 pages
Book Blurb:
Dale M. Kushner’s novel The Conditions of Love traces the journey of a girl from childhood to adulthood as she reckons with her parents’ abandonment, her need to break from society’s limitations, and her overwhelming desire for spiritual and erotic love. In 1953, ten-year-old Eunice lives in the backwaters of Wisconsin with her outrageously narcissistic mother, a manicureeste and movie star worshipper. Abandoned by her father as an infant, Eunice worries that she will become a misfit like her mother. When her mother’s lover, the devoted Sam, moves in, Eunice imagines her life will finally become normal. But her hope dissolves when Sam gets kicked out, and she is again alone with her mother. A freak storm sends Eunice away from all things familiar. Rescued by the shaman-like Rose, Eunice’s odyssey continues with a stay in a hermit’s shack and ends with a passionate love affair with an older man. Through her capacity to redefine herself, reject bitterness and keep her heart open, she survives and flourishes. In this, she is both ordinary and heroic. At once fable and realistic story, The Conditions of Love is a book about emotional and physical survival. Through sheer force of will, Eunice saves herself from a doomed life.
My Review: 3 stars
Although this book only got 3 stars, I must say I LOVED the writing. Learning the author is a poet by trade and that this was her first novel came as no surprise to me. The language is fluid and all your senses are heightened in her spot on descriptions of not just places and things but also intangible emotions of fear and love. Each of the three distinct sections of this book were individually wonderful but together I didnβt find them believable. The middle section seemed most out of character for Eunice and her story. If you enjoy smart writing, I highly recommend this book.
Quotes I liked:
“Home! I finally had one, though it was nothing as solid as even a house of wax: it was a ramshackle construction made of atoms of love.β
βMaybe fate was always ahead of us, throwing crumbs for us to follow.β
Review:Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a story that shows the dysfunction of family in a pretty dysfunctional small town in Pennsylvania. When Marley comes to town with her single mother, she is the one that sets the crux of the book in motion. Her power over the Joseph boys is remarkable and her maturity at this young age was immense. She seemed to be omnipresent at times because she got into all of the Joseph families heads. The authorβs strength is in her multi-layered character building. I felt like a knew each character quite well. I found the discord between Elise and Marley to be incredibly well written. They were the adage of: so close and yet so far.Themes of mental illness, egotistical misogyny, sibling relationships, motherhood, and mystery were all woven through the storyline. Book clubs will get a good discussion out of this one.@burnsamyjo @celadonbooksπ: Do you have any sisters or brothers? #newbookreview #bookreview #bookstagram#bookreader #tbr #addtoTBR #bookreviewer#goodbookfairybookreview #goodbookfairy... See MoreSee Less
Miss your smile. Miss your face. Miss your calls. Miss your laughter. Miss your honesty. Miss you telling me what I needed to hear when I was too fragile to hear it. Miss you telling me the hard truths when I couldn't see straight. Miss not celebrating our birthdays together. I just plain miss you. Enjoy your lemon drop πΈ in Heaven. ... See MoreSee Less