This is AN INTENSE read. This is like no other book I've read before.
Full disclosure: I started this book mid-March 2020. I read over half of it by the end of the month and then I had to set it aside. Several months later, I went back to it and finished it.
This is a dark book. It is brutal and raw.
I'm not trying to stop you from reading it. I just want to make sure that you have full warning that this will not be an easy read.
Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club by Megan Gail Coles is set in St. John's, Newfoundland over a one day period. There is a blizzard outside and people from town have come to The Hazel restaurant to stay warm with food, drink, and town gossip,
What all the folks are not aware of is the tornado that is already starting inside The Hazel with some of its staff and patrons. The story focuses on two women, Olive and Iris. As we learn about them and their past, heavy topics and issues surface. Get ready for it: racism, sexism, rape culture, poverty, sexual assault, homophobia, neglect, alcoholism and the list goes on. As I said, it's heavy.
There are A LOT of characters and they are all very complex. That was overwhelming along with the subject matter, but the writing was incredibly well done. It's written with the Newfoundland accent. There are no chapters and no quotations on dialogue. The book is divided up by the different services. This might be hard for some readers, but it didn't really bother me. I know many are saying that the book is a work of art, and I can see why. The choice of words, the choice of phrases are very intentional. And the ending is intentional too.
This is an important book and is timely with the #metoo movement. It will break your heart, punch you in the gut, and make you want to scream.
Bookworm Rating: đđđđ±
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