Real Life – Book Review

Author: Adeline Dieudonne, Roland Glasser (translator)

Genre: General Fiction/Coming of Age

Publisher: World Editions

Publication Date: February 4, 2020

Book Description: At home there are four bedrooms: one for her, one for her little brother Sam, one for her parents, and one for the carcasses. Her father is a big-game hunter, a powerful predator, and her mother is submissive to her violent husband’s demands. The young narrator spends the days with Sam, playing in the shells of cars dumped for scrap and listening out for the melody of the ice-cream truck, until a brutal accident shatters their world. The uncompromising pen of Adeline Dieudonné wields flashes of brilliance as she brings her characters to life in a world that is both dark and sensual. This breathtaking debut is a sharp and funny coming-of-age tale in which reality and fantasy collide.

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars

Review: This was an extremely surprising and extremely quick read. The publisher says this is a coming of age story, but to be very clear this is meant to be read by adults. This will have many triggers for domestic abuse, so know that going into this book, it will not be for everyone.

This is narrated by an unnamed girl. She is extremely bright, she love’s her brother Sam, and she has difficult relationships with her parents. Her father is an accountant, but in his free time like to big game hunt. And lastly, her mother is submissive to her husband.

This book started off very easy to read and by the end, it quickly became one of the most difficult books I have ever read. The author brought what seemed like a somewhat normal family and when there are small changes that occur how the family dynamic can change.

The description does say that this is funny, and at times, I did find myself laughing, but in the end I found this to be brutal. This a book that will end up staying with me for a long time.

Thank you Edelweiss and World Editions for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.