'My Absolute Darling' by Gabriel Tallent is a harrowing and emotionally intense novel that follows the story of Turtle Alveston, a young girl who is dominated and abused by her father, Martin. The book delves into the difficult and disturbing relationship between Turtle and her father, exploring themes of abuse, survival, and the struggle for independence. The writing style is described as lush, beautiful, and menacing, painting a vivid picture of Turtle's world in Northern California.
The book has been praised for its striking language, fierce natural setting, and the compelling character of Turtle. Despite the challenging subject matter, readers are drawn into Turtle's journey of self-discovery and resilience, making it a difficult yet rewarding read. The narrative is filled with intense moments that evoke strong emotions and provoke deep reflection on the complexities of the characters and their relationships.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include graphic depictions of child sexual abuse, incest, violence, and drug use.
From The Publisher:
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE FINALIST
NBCC JOHN LEONARD PRIZE FINALIST
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES'S MOST NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2017
ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST'S MOST NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2017
ONE OF NPR'S 'GREAT READS' OF 2017
A USA TODAY BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
AN AMAZON.COM BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A BUSINESS INSIDER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
"Impossible to put down." -NPR
"A novel that readers will gulp down, gasping." -The Washington Post
"The word 'masterpiece' has been cheapened by too many blurbs, but My Absolute Darling absolutely is one." -Stephen King
A brilliant and immersive, all-consuming read about one fourteen-year-old girl's heart-stopping fight for her own soul.
Turtle Alveston is a survivor. At fourteen, she roams the woods along the northern California coast. The creeks, tide pools, and rocky islands are her haunts and her hiding grounds, and she is known to wander for miles. But while her physical world is expansive, her personal one is small and treacherous: Turtle has grown up isolated since the death of her mother, in the thrall of her tortured and charismatic father, Martin. Her social existence is confined to the middle school (where she fends off the interest of anyone, student or teacher, who might penetrate her shell) and to her life with her father.
Then Turtle meets Jacob, a high-school boy who tells jokes, lives in a big clean house, and looks at Turtle as if she is the sunrise. And for the first time, the larger world begins to come into focus: her life with Martin is neither safe nor sustainable. Motivated by her first experience with real friendship and a teenage crush, Turtle starts to imagine escape, using the very survival skills her father devoted himself to teaching her. What follows is a harrowing story of bravery and redemption. With Turtle's escalating acts of physical and emotional courage, the reader watches, heart in throat, as this teenage girl struggles to become her own hero-and in the process, becomes ours as well.
Shot through with striking language in a fierce natural setting, My Absolute Darling is an urgently told, profoundly moving read that marks the debut of an extraordinary new writer.
Ratings (17)
Incredible (2) | |
Loved It (6) | |
Liked It (4) | |
It Was OK (2) | |
Did Not Like (3) |
Reader Stats (45):
Read It (16) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (24) | |
Did Not Finish (2) | |
Not Interested (2) |
2 comment(s)
too disturbing - could not read a book about this type of abuse
I had only about 4 hours of the audiobook, but I had to put it down. It's way to graphic for me and it made me highly uncomfortable. Tried to power through because I wanted to know what would happen with Turtle. But the abuse is just so heavy and very detailed in this and when the amputation scene came up I just had to stop. I can see why people like this book a lot, it's well written and depicts abuse in a raw way and will show you the dark twisted sides. However it was to much to handle for me
What can you read after
My Absolute Darling?
About the Author:
Gabriel Tallent is the author of the New York Times-bestselling novel My Absolute Darling. He was born in New Mexico and raised on the Mendocino coast by two mothers. He received his B.A. from Willamette University in 2010, and after graduation…
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