I would like to thank LibraryThing and Hogarth/Crown Publishing Group/Penguin Random House for the Advanced Reading Edition (ARE) of “Woman No. 17” by Edan Lepucki for my honest review.
The genre for this book is Women’s Fiction(Adult). I would rate this book 3.5 stars. The major theme of this novel deals with women and mothers.The author describes problems such as depression, alcoholism, self-deprecating behavior, self-worth, relationships,secrets and omissions of the truth. The author describes dysfunctional families, and the role that the women provide.
One of the themes highlighted in the background of this book deals and revolves around art, painting, photographs and movies.
The characters are complicated, complex, flawed, pretentious, secretive, and duplicitous. I find that most of the women are not likeable, and some of the men are not likeable as well.
Lady Daniels is a mother of two children. One is a toddler, and the other is eighteen years old, is bright,but is a selective mute. The children have different fathers. Lady has taken time out from her marriage to the toddler’s father to write a book dealing with her older son’s problems. Lady hires a nanny called “S” to help with the toddler. Both women have quirky strange mothers. “S” tries an experiment and act like her mother, who is extremely quirky and dysfunctional. Lady seems to avoid writing her book and is also acting in a role.
I did like the way that the author provides and example of how people with a disability can perceive the world.
This is an unusual and dark and twisted read.