Sight
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Average rating3
"The remarkable first novel from the award-winning British writer, Jessie Greengrass 'It seemed, at times, an act of profound selfishness, to have a child so that I might become a parent; but selfish, too, to have a child and stay the same, or not to have one - unless the only honest choice would have been to try to become this kinder version of myself without the need to bring another into it.' Set at the twin poles of life and death, Sight is a novel about being a parent and a child, what it is like to bring a person in to the world, and what it is to let one go. With forays into the history of psychoanalysis and the origins of modern surgery, our unnamed narrator shines a light on those hidden parts that lie at the heart of us, to reveal an examined life laid bare in all its desire and grief. Fiercely intelligent and exquisitely written, Jessie Greengrass's remarkable debut is an incisive exploration of how we see others, and how we might know ourselves"--
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I respected this book much more than I enjoyed it. I think the experimental form and style of this novel ( a semi novel/ semi essay) was very impressive and I was really interested in the exploration of a mother's deeper relationship to her child. I just felt this novel was very melancholic and it gave me a very anxious and claustrophobic reading experience. The fragmented nature of this novel and the occasional peppering of medical science cases and people of interest often left me distant from the more structured novel elements of the plot. Heavily philosophical musings in the book I found myself skimming over as unfortunately they didn't arrest my attention. I found the points raised in this novel fascinating but in a novel form I couldn't connect with the more abstract thought. Greengrass is a very talented writer and this novel deserves to be on the baileys short list. The issues I had with this book were down to my reader preferences and the fact I enjoy more character centric plots as oppose to form or plot driven novels. That is why taking my readers experience into account my personal choice of a star rating is 3.5 stars. However for those who are fascinated by the abstract this novel could certainly be your cup of tea!
