Review: ‘The Paper Palace’ by Miranda Cowley Heller (Women’s Prize Longlist 2022)
I don’t know if I like these kinds of books. They intimidate me a bit, and the content often doesn’t resonate for me. But I’m always open to ‘em! You never know where you’ll find your next five star read. ‘The Paper Palace’ by Miranda Cowley Heller was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize 2022, and comes with a lot of hype and acclaim so it felt like a good pick from the bunch.
“It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a fifty-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at "The Paper Palace"—the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: last night Elle and her oldest friend Jonas crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside.
Now, over the next twenty-four hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn't forever changed the course of their lives.
As Heller colors in the experiences that have led Elle to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity. Tender yet devastating, The Paper Palace considers the tensions between desire and dignity, the legacies of abuse, and the crimes and misdemeanors of families.”
Uhh… I really didn’t have a fun time with this one.
And I’m a little sad about it beacuse the blurb sounded like something that I might get behind.
The writing itself is accessible, and I can readily see why the right readers will love it. I easily fwipped through the pages (although, admittedly, I did skip some sections) and the characterisation was good.
For me, it was the content that made me uncomfortable. There were many scenes of SA and abuse, especially of younger teens and children. It’s often quite detailed, and this isn’t something I personally feel like is necessary.
Right. That bit out of the way. I also found myself growing impatient with the flashbacks. I didn’t feel like all of the flashbacks added to the character development or understanding.
And then there’s the ending. Which is such an anti-climax. After bravely soldiering through the whole book, I was hoping for a big twist, or at the very least the kind of ending that satisfied. However, the ending of ‘The Paper Palace’ was lacklustre. It left me feeling like this was a book that starts nowhere, goes nowhere, and ends nowhere.
It is, I will note, the kind of thing I could see being picked up for an adaptation, and maybe it would translate to screen better.
Eh, I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads. It just wasn’t for me.
Written by Sarah
