My Phantoms

Gwendoline Riley
2021
Rating: 7.5

I really liked this book. Its primary strength lay in its evocation of the damaged psyches of the narrator’s parents. The things Riley writes about why the parents say the things they say, and act the way they act, and do the things they do, were remarkable. It read like the narrator had been through extensive therapy, and spent a lot of time reflecting on her parents, and as a result made observations about their agendas and motivations that went well beyond insights that would be derived from just casual, every-day observation.

I would say that the book is a worthy read solely for that reason. However, while the writing is mostly somewhere between competent and good, there were a few sentences, more toward the front of the book, that were pretty mind-blowing, “I could never hope to write sentences like that” good writing. So, that’s an added bonus.

The plot is unremarkable, but it’s not a plot-driven book, and the plot does what it needs to do.

It was interesting that Riley doesn’t say much about the protagonist, Bridget. Bridget serves mostly as the first-person camera, observing the parents’ peccadillos. However, we get glimpses of Bridget, mostly via the way she interacts with her mother. The daughter is not a particularly sympathetic character, and exhibits some of the mother’s toxic vibes, the point being perhaps that Bridet’s childhood experiences have damaged her and made her the somewhat broken person that she is.

Anyway, a great read, I recommend it.