Monday, April 26, 2010

The End of a Marriage

Louise Erdrich is one of my favorite authors, and Shadow Tag, although different from many of her other books, is a satisfying, although disturbing, read.  It tells the story of Irene America and her acrimonious relationship with her artist husband Gil.  Irene discovers Gil has been reading her diary and begins to use that diary to deceive and manipulate him, while keeping an authentic diary in a safe deposit box.  Irene's drinking and Gil's abusiveness leave disturbing wounds on their three children.  In spite of Irene's fierce determination to protect her children, she is inextricably wound up in the relationship with Gil and unable to just end it in spite of the damage it causes her family.

My rating:  **** (out of 5)

No comments:

Post a Comment