As You Were

The book had an interesting premise and concept and was full of interesting characters, and had a great focus on mental health, trauma, morality and mortality that made reading it very emotional. However, the style of the writing and frequent focus on heavy subject matters meant it could be hard to read at times, and made the pacing feel slow.

I very much enjoyed the difference between the three women on the ward featured in the book and how they interacted with each other. I liked what each women brought to the story and their differing experiences and views of life, whilst unfortunately one life was more interesting than the other two it was not so bad I was rushing through the book to hear from only that one women again. What eclipsed the narration of their lives past and present was the focus on women friendship, and how important that is.

There was also an intriguing exploration of mental health relating to trauma in this novel and how it can impact decision making and one's future. It was nice to see an author who did not pretend trauma could be swept under a rug or couldn't impact people's health decades after the traumatic event. I felt it to be a quite accurate portrayal of trauma and was happy to see one that was full of hope rather than despair.

In addition to this there was a compelling running commentary on Ireland's history and it's politics. As someone who is ignorant of Irish politics and history I found this aspect of the book particularly fascinating, as Feeney largely commended the country's attitudes towards women but also it's failure to fully realise the promise it had made to it's citizens with independence. This commentary ran alongside Sinéad's own story and fed into the narrative of the book as whole very well, it never felt forced in for political brownie points, but rather a relevant part of the story.

Yet, the writing at times could be confusing. The narration could feel muddled as it's sometimes difficult to distinguish the present from the past in the form of flashbacks. As well as this, Sinéad has an ongoing monologue inside her head of what she believes her father would think or say to her, which is not clearly stated when it first happens and rather the reader is left to decipher what is happening in the narrative. Without any clear distinction between any of the forms of the narrative the reader can be left confused and unsure of what's taking place and whilst you can decipher what is going it takes attention away from the grief and trauma Feeney so expertly showcases.

Despite the book's positive attributes, I can't not readily recommend this book to everyone due to it's heavy subject matters and the focus on hospital wards in relation to mortality, it is a book I would recommend if you can bare to constantly face them. It does not shy away from hardship but I believe it also brings some hope and love to these topics, as well as shines a light on the importance of friendships amongst women.

Full review here: https://moonlitbooks.home.blog/2020/07/23/asyouwere/