gianna

if the movie the hourglass sanitorium is a dream, woodworm is a nightmare. they remind me of each other quite a bit though the themes are pretty different.

i have thought a lot about the house my great-grandfather built, which my grandfather lived in his whole life & raised my mom & her siblings. i see my family’s patterns of generational trauma and wonder if they were born in that house. the house that fell into decay and disrepair, the house that will be knocked down and will have only been occupied by my family.

i sometimes feel like i have a woodworm within me that can make me spill over in anger and regret and hatred, something that has always lived inside me & that i see in my whole family.

i have moved away and started my own life where i am happy and filled with love and gratitude, but in moments of frustration i know the woodworm is still there no matter how much i try to starve it of the negativity it feeds off of.

this book was an incredible depiction of generational trauma, rage, and class struggles that hit me deep. i think it will be even better on a second read one day & i am excited to return