Many thanks to NetGalley and Pantheon for gifting me a digital ARC of the American debut of the 1977 book by Helen Garner, a famous Australian author - 3.5 stars!
Monkey Grip follows single mother and writer Nora as she navigates the tumultuous cityscape of Melbourne’s bohemian underground, often with her young daughter Gracie in tow. When Nora falls in love with the flighty Javo, she becomes snared in the web of his addiction. And as their tenuous relationship disintegrates, Nora struggles to ween herself off a love that feels impossible to live without.
I was a big fan of Garner's The House of Grief but this book was its polar opposite, although equally well written. It's just that the subject matter is tough. Written and taking place in the late 1970s, it's all about addiction and obsession, so it's constant sex and drugs amid a constant and continuing cast of characters. My heart broke for the children in this story - they were raised amidst all this and you could feel the neglect even through the love.
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