Vanishing Twins: A Marriage by Leah Dieterich Review

This review contains mild spoilers and details for Vanishing Twins: A Marriage. Please read with caution.

I admit, I did not know a lot about this book when I first opened it - it had been sitting on my bookshelf for some time, and I have finally been able to start tackling my never-ending growing TBR pile. But right off the bat, the description on the back cover caught my eye. A list of things that we, the readers, will learn from this book: Alternate reading of the myth of Narcissus? How to smoke a novella? The mysterious equations of distance, difference, desire, and love? Consider me intrigued!

The use of ballet comparisons and writing style is captivating - you can feel her pain, her resentment, and her utter confusion and longing for understanding through the page. She explores her triumphs that turn into defeats, her attachment to Eric as though they are one and the same, and the struggles of their relationship through both separation and exploration of both of their sexualities.

Her relationship with Elena showed a side of Leah's struggles of having Eric understand her need for flourishment and her own personal growth, while at the same time not telling Eric about their relationship for some time and then still only letting him in on a little information. However, Eric is also going about the country on business and various retreats where he tells Leah of his sexual encounters and revelations, so I cannot blame her for wanting to keep Elena to herself, especially when Eric wasn't up much for the throuple idea that was initially on the table.

Her twin left her behind. Then ballet was gone. And now, Eric was in New York for a year, away from Leah, leaving her left behind once again.

We see Eric start to explore a life outside of Leah once he goes to New York - he sleeps with a woman with a serious resemblance to Leah, and then tells her that he has been seeing a psychoanalyst for some months. It is interesting to see how Leah becomes upset at this confession - while they are in an open relationship, she has been "hiding" the extent of her (then) relationship with Elena with telling Eric only some of the details, but gets upset when he is seeing another man or just having casual sex with people he encounters.

She does not want to "murder their relationship," but does not understand how it could continue as is while they live together again after a year of what was a significant shift in their relationship and their own self discoveries.

Overall, I have some mixed feelings about Vanishing Twins: A Marriage. I feel myself content with the ending of Leah and Eric's story, yet wanting to see them beyond their final cohesion back together at the end. They were separated for so long and are finally back together under the same roof, yet to me, they feel oceans apart. I do recommend this book for readers looking for an interesting approach to self-reflection and discovery through a nontraditional writing style for nonfiction.

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Paris Undressed: The Secrets of French Lingerie by Kathryn Kemp-Griffin Review

This book provides readers with the ins and outs of French lingerie and sensuality, sexuality, and seduction. Kathryn and her husband decide to make a spur of the moment move from Canada to Paris after a coin toss, and that is where Kathryn begins her journey through the lingerie scene in Paris.

We get a really rich history about corsets, lingerie, and the evolution of how women were able to express themselves through lingerie and the numerous uses it provided. As someone who speaks French, I loved Kathryn's abundant use of French terminology and common phrases - it really allows the reader to immerse themself into the journey she goes through.

The addition of illustrations in this book really allows for the reader to understand the visual evolution today's bra underwent, from corset to padded bra with straps, we are able to see its construction and constant reevaluation over the decades.

Walking us through every part of the bra and learning the importance of each piece and how it completes the bra gives readers a new appreciation for quality-made bras, as well as learning exactly which style and type of bra works best for your outfit choice. When Kathryn deconstructed a poorly-made bra and a well-made bra, she was able to understand the underlying details on what truly makes a bra a quality piece.

I find myself relating to this book once again - I have a degree in Neuroscience, and found the comparison of fabrics to sensory receptors eye-opening and truly a unique and genius choice of description. Different fabrics and fibres completely change the game when it comes to creating and wearing a garment, and with lingerie being the most intimate garment someone can own, it is so important to make sure what you're wearing feels the best for you.

I love how Kathryn goes beyond the "underwear" aspect of lingerie - we get to learn and see stockings, holsters, tassels, and more. Her experience in each of these classes that she attends to learn more about the sensuality of lingerie and how women can truly find enjoyment just by wearing it in everyday life. The better you dress, the better you feel, I always say. And if you feel great, your day will surely be just as great.

The addition of French lingerie websites towards the end of the book was a fabulous idea - it allows the reader to not only apply what they have learned through Katherine's experience and lessons from the book to purchasing lingerie, but just viewing the different styles and fabrics in itself is a great way to visualize what you want in your lingerie.

This is a fantastic read for the fashion-inclined, lingerie loving person. I absolutely recommend this to any up-and-coming fashion student or anyone who is curious to what makes lingerie so intimately for you.

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Normal People by Sally Rooney Review

This review contains spoilers for Normal People - please read with caution.

The only thing I knew about Normal People before going into the story was that the author writes her novels without quotation marks in the dialogue, and I immediately knew it was going to take all but five pages before I felt like I was losing my mind. It actually took seven pages before the feeling came, so, yay! But seriously, if I had the time, I would have taken a pen to every line of dialogue and added quotation marks because your eyes are so trained to transition from paragraphs of descriptions to speech that you miss sections of talking because you're not even registering them as actually exchanging conversation.

I immediately wanted to talk some sense into Connell, because obviously any girl who spends her lunch hour reading novels in the library or cafeteria has read The Communist Manifesto. Marianne is basically the smartest person in school and top in English, and you think she hasn't read it?

Also, if a guy asked me to not talk to him and pretend that I don't know him and am not literally hooking up with him, I would toss him immediately. Connell acts like he would be committing social suicide by associating with Marianne, when in reality, people would just talk about how they would maybe be an unlikely pair - it would not cause the fall of their social hierarchy. The way that Marianne makes it so clear to Connell that she wouldn't do the same to him that he is doing to her, he has this fleeting moment of a morality change, and I started to like him just a little bit.

I know I did not just read people laughing at Marianne literally getting physically assaulted at this pub while she tried to sell raffle tickets. She has got to find better people to hang around with and these people have got to get better morals. Also, I don't know if it's just because I recently read I Hate Men by Pauline Harmange, but Connell is literally doing the minimum for Marianne - the bar is on the floor. Shoutout to Lorraine for trying to knock some sense into Connell because the boy is as dense as they come.

The writing becomes significantly more tolerable once Connell and Marianne go to college - the flow is better, the dialogue runs smoother, and the character development vastly improves. Jamie and Helen are the worst people to be around Marianne and Connell - the borderline abuse from Jamie and the slut shaming from Helen makes them intolerable to read about.

Marianne's relationship or "agreement" she has with Lukas is unconventional, and her using sex as a coping mechanism in what appears to be a response to her brother speaking and acting horribly to her is sad to read. She has so much going for her, and watching her become isolated from her friends, and quick frankly from herself as well, is heartbreaking.

I actually really started to like the direction that the book was headed towards the end, and then Alan had to come in and ruin it all, followed by what I saw as a rather obvious ending to Marianne and Connell's ending. The sentiment of it all can definitely resonate with readers, but it felt as though we were moving constantly away from the idea that they could ever end up together.

I will personally buy Sally Rooney a keyboard with the quotation mark key so I never have to experience that writing style again. In all honesty, I have never encountered a book more that I wanted to DNF so badly before I even got to page 50. It definitely improved about halfway through the book, but I could not help but feel disconnected from both Connell and Marianne - constant miscommunication and "right person, wrong time" felt so repetitive that I found myself hoping that it would just end. I do not think this was a bad book - I just think that it may not have been a book for me.

You can add Normal People on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on publications and releases. Normal People is available now to watch exclusively with a Hulu subscription in the United States.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!