Madapple

by Christina Meldrum

[nannah]

(3.5)

This is a tough book to review. It was also kind of a tough book to read.

Content warnings:
abuse (+child abuse)
cancer
rape

The child of a supposed virgin-birth, Aslaug lives with her mother in the isolated country, learning about different gods and plants. After her mother dies, she finds her aunt and lives with her and her aunt's two children: Rune and Sanne. There, Sanne is convinced Aslaug is a prophet and tries to convince her she's some religious figure.

The novel alternates between real-time prose and court-room dialogue where Aslaug is being questioned and on trial for murder and arson. The mystery between the past (real-time) and the court case (future, that eventually becomes real-time), is very intriguing and was definitely one of the main reasons I kept reading.

The prose is really lovely, but the dialogue, especially between Aslaug and her mother, can be really awkward and stilted. As I kept reading, I found myself noticing that problem less and less, so it could be something specific to the mother. Or I could've just been more accustomed to the dialogue style.

The most interesting aspect of this book is definitely the discussions on religion and how different religions impact/relate to each other. In that effect, I believe this book is basically a large discussion on religion itself, and how it affects lives and changes people. I'm not sure if the book really is plot-driven as much as you read it for the experience/aesthetic.

I think I found it more interesting than I actually liked it, though.