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A review by honnari_hannya
Consent: A Memoir by Vanessa Springora
3.0
2.5 Stars
Trigger Warnings: Pedophilia, graphic descriptions of a relationship between an adult and minor, mentions of sex-trafficking of children centered in the Philippines
I just want to preface this review by stating that it is based solely on its merit as a literary object, rather than on its contents—which I found appropriately harrowing and disturbing. This is Springora's account of her "relationship" with Gabriel Matzneff, when she was only 14-years-old and he was nearly 50. It was quite disturbing how easily G. (as he is referred to throughout the memoir) was able to insinuate himself into Spingora's (referred to as V. at this time in her life) family due to several traumatic incidents that left her feeling vulnerable as a young girl—there was a lot of neglect going on in her personal life, and a lot of permissiveness in the social circles her mother and the Parisian literati ran in.
Because this memoir opened up with the intention to create a dialogue between Springora's personal experience and how stories (particularly fairytales) shape our worldviews and our relationships (to each other and ourselves), I was expecting a little more introspection from the get go. However, we get a lot of psychoanalysis that seems to have come straight out of her therapy sessions in the first few sections of this book. A lot of lurid details are given, but not much is really shown of her own relationship with storytelling—what stories she told herself before, during, etc. as a means of contextualizing and coping. She also employs a lot of cliches, but not sure if that's a quirk of the author or the translator.
The last sections of this memoir definitely contained some of the stronger moments of introspection on Springora's end, especially in "The Imprint." This is where Springora does the internal work that I've been wanting to see from her the entire memoir in dissecting what her place was in this story—how she turned herself from character to author by taking herself out of the fiction.
Overall, interesting read. Would appeal to fans of books like MY DARK VANESSA and LOLITA, though I don't know that it has the subtlety or emotional charge of either.
Trigger Warnings: Pedophilia, graphic descriptions of a relationship between an adult and minor, mentions of sex-trafficking of children centered in the Philippines
I just want to preface this review by stating that it is based solely on its merit as a literary object, rather than on its contents—which I found appropriately harrowing and disturbing. This is Springora's account of her "relationship" with Gabriel Matzneff, when she was only 14-years-old and he was nearly 50. It was quite disturbing how easily G. (as he is referred to throughout the memoir) was able to insinuate himself into Spingora's (referred to as V. at this time in her life) family due to several traumatic incidents that left her feeling vulnerable as a young girl—there was a lot of neglect going on in her personal life, and a lot of permissiveness in the social circles her mother and the Parisian literati ran in.
Because this memoir opened up with the intention to create a dialogue between Springora's personal experience and how stories (particularly fairytales) shape our worldviews and our relationships (to each other and ourselves), I was expecting a little more introspection from the get go. However, we get a lot of psychoanalysis that seems to have come straight out of her therapy sessions in the first few sections of this book. A lot of lurid details are given, but not much is really shown of her own relationship with storytelling—what stories she told herself before, during, etc. as a means of contextualizing and coping. She also employs a lot of cliches, but not sure if that's a quirk of the author or the translator.
The last sections of this memoir definitely contained some of the stronger moments of introspection on Springora's end, especially in "The Imprint." This is where Springora does the internal work that I've been wanting to see from her the entire memoir in dissecting what her place was in this story—how she turned herself from character to author by taking herself out of the fiction.
Overall, interesting read. Would appeal to fans of books like MY DARK VANESSA and LOLITA, though I don't know that it has the subtlety or emotional charge of either.