The Pain Eaters by Beth Goobie
- This book needs to be read by everyone – male and female alike.
- This book is about the knowledge – the deep and profound sadness – that all women carry with(in) them. Whether it be the result of an individual violation – like Maddy’s rape in this book – or a ‘group’ violation – like the Montreal Massacre – every woman carries the fear of this violence inside them.
- That this is no different than 40 years ago, when I was Maddy’s age, is perhaps the greatest failure of our social contract. The war on women is a civil emergency (Charlotte Bunch in After the Montreal Massacre) but no one is treating it as such.
- And then there is the telling – having to relive the experience – to validate what happened to oneself, and to bring the perpetrators to justice. The victim being victimised again… that there is no safe place for Maddy, or any woman.
- The things to like about this book include: the literary quality (the imagery, concept, motifs, the intensity of the writing (and of Maddy’s experiences)); the authenticity of Maddy’s reactions to her rapists and the depth of her pain; relevance to the treatment of victims; relevance to the secrets everybody knows but doesn’t talk about (taking on a whole new significance in the wake of Harvey Weinstein et al)
- The author also makes fabulous use of literary and cultural references, and draws on indigenous wisdom throughout.
Read the review at Quill and Quire.
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- Learn more about the Forest of Reading here.
- Check out Forest Fridays, virtual visits with featured authors (link is to last year). We look forward to their return. When they do, we will be hosting a couple of them here at ESA.
- Students who would like to join us at the Festival of Trees, at Harbourfront, on Tuesday May 15th should see Ms. Wray or Ms. Kennedy in the Library.
- Permission forms will be available closer to the date.