The Golden State

 

The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Essentially ten days in the life of a young mother as she grapples with grief and loss, the deaths of some students she mentored becoming a catalyst for her to realize her life has become overwhelming. She spontaneously decamps to a house in a small northern California town that her mother has left her, and she tries to figure out her next steps. It's told in stream of consciousness that becomes unique if only because it illustrates the relentlessness of being a parent to a small child. Despite what else is going on, the child must be fed, changed, entertained, etc. She isn't an exemplary parent, which makes it all the more relatable. As she reaches out for connection in the small town she realizes her own strengths and priorities and gives her the motivation to move forward. I personally loved the peek inside the mind of this young mother, the characterization of her and the small town felt spot-on and honest.

View all my reviews

observation is violence, anyway, as any Orientalist knows

"You're never safte from bad things happening..."

"you suffering won't ease anyone else's suffering."