Book: The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Fiction
I’ve read so many wonderful things about Sue Monk Kidd, the author of The Secret Life of Bees, her phenomenal debut book that was part of the New York Times bestseller list for two years after its paperback publication (or so according to Goodreads). I actually never got around to obtaining a copy of that said book but I managed to hold on to another book written by her,The Mermaid Chair.
The very old copy of The Mermaid Chair owned by my godmother.
It tells a vivid story of Jessie Sullivan, a middle-aged woman who, after her teenage daughter left for college, seemed to suddenly notice how her life turned into this slow, repetitive thing. On the day that she is remembering her father’s death, she received a call from her mother’s best friend, Kat, telling her of a gruesome accident that will compel her to return to the island where she grew up, the place she hoped she will never go back again. Jessie will have to face the sad past that changed her childhood not knowing that her visit back to Egret Island will change how she perceived her mother, Nelle, but also the life she wished to stir.
The first time I read the story I was 18 years old. I couldn’t relate to anything the book stated back then. I should be reading The Secret Life of Bees, a girl’s coming of age book by the same author, but instead I read this, a book that my Aunt’s would likely relate to. Fast forward 9 years after I decided to read this book again hoping that a somewhat mature (well, almost) brain of mine will at least understand bits of the story. My first impression of Jessie Sullivan was that she was sort of whiny, and that is coming from an 18 year old girl who whines about too much sugar on her coffee, but now, the 27 years old me sees Jess as a woman who is tired of the monotonous way her life lead, tired of the past that kept hunting her, and uncertain what else life has to offer. I wish there is more to her though because after all those years I still see Jess as this whiny middle-aged lady. She made me feel like I was reading something from a teenager’s point of view. How she can’t distinguish the difference from love and lust is beyond me. The only thing that I enjoyed in this book is how the author vividly painted the scenes in the book.
At least I picked a lesson whilst reading this book. Face your troubling past so that you can move on to a happier future. I will recommend this book to any middle-age lady reading this. Maybe you will see something in between the lines that I may have missed.
That is all for today folks!
I am currently looking for a good book to read that has this Christmas vibes to it, so if you happen to know some, kindly drop it on the comments!
Have a great Sunday and I’ll talk to you next week!
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