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tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘Sometimes it’s hard to walk away from disaster.’
Over thirteen essays, Ms Vavilova explores aspects of her world. How do we define ourselves? Is it through our family, our birth country and culture? Do we need to revisit how we see ourselves when life is affected by mental illness? Is it our view of life that changes as well as those around us?
Ms Vavilova takes the reader on a journey through her interests, work, and different facets of identity. Along the way, she reflects as she shares anecdotes about finding her own place. Some of those facets of identity include mental health and queerness, about the stresses of working in community organisations, of wanting to help but not always being able to do so. I can relate to some aspects of Ms Vavilova’s experience and appreciate others.
This is an interesting collection of essays which invites the reader to both share Ms Vasilova’s experiences while contemplating their own.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Over thirteen essays, Ms Vavilova explores aspects of her world. How do we define ourselves? Is it through our family, our birth country and culture? Do we need to revisit how we see ourselves when life is affected by mental illness? Is it our view of life that changes as well as those around us?
Ms Vavilova takes the reader on a journey through her interests, work, and different facets of identity. Along the way, she reflects as she shares anecdotes about finding her own place. Some of those facets of identity include mental health and queerness, about the stresses of working in community organisations, of wanting to help but not always being able to do so. I can relate to some aspects of Ms Vavilova’s experience and appreciate others.
This is an interesting collection of essays which invites the reader to both share Ms Vasilova’s experiences while contemplating their own.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
bookedandborrowed's review
4.0
Sometimes you see yourself or your experiences on a page and it hits you like a tonne of bricks: Vavilova’s story about working in community services and sustaining vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout was all too familiar. I can vividly picture the caterer’s pack of Arnott’s biscuits on PD days and the sick feeling when a supervisor turns your request for support into a declaration of ineptitude. Usually this is only talked about in hushed whispers over cups of terrible tea when the boss isn’t around, or over drinks with your work friends, probably after at least one of you has quit and joined another organization to start the process all again.
Most people outside of the sector think that the clients are the hard part of this kind of work - often they are the easiest part, and they are always the best. It’s the diabolical working conditions, complex colleagues and bureaucratic red tape that really knocks you down. I completely relate to feeling both compelled and repelled by this kind of work, and I was very moved to read these experiences in print.
The rest of the book is great too. Vavilova has a unique voice and approach to issues which have been done to death. If I had to criticize something I’d say the essays don’t flow particularly well, and I did get tired of hearing so much about her grandmother. More people should be talking about this one!
Most people outside of the sector think that the clients are the hard part of this kind of work - often they are the easiest part, and they are always the best. It’s the diabolical working conditions, complex colleagues and bureaucratic red tape that really knocks you down. I completely relate to feeling both compelled and repelled by this kind of work, and I was very moved to read these experiences in print.
The rest of the book is great too. Vavilova has a unique voice and approach to issues which have been done to death. If I had to criticize something I’d say the essays don’t flow particularly well, and I did get tired of hearing so much about her grandmother. More people should be talking about this one!
wtb_michael's review
3.0
An interesting essay collection that looks at identity, family, language and belonging. It's a bit uneven (the dog essay in particular felt pretty unnecessary, as much as I love pups), but the way Vavilova circles around her key interests across the different essays means the themes intersect and interact in interesting ways.
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