Under the Harrow
By Flynn Berry
This book was an interesting one. Assigned for a class about crafting writing, what are the takeaways from this book? A lot of things. The writer, Flynn Berry, created a character who, to many, is too unlikable, but to me, feels very real. The guilt, the anger, the suspicion she feels about every person she meets. I have already written about the imperfect character before, but this goes beyond it. Berry dives into grief and guilt, how it can cloud our judgment, and how our past can come back to haunt us. The reader is taken on a journey with Nora, as she spirals inward because of not only the loss of her sister, but also finding her sister’s body. She learns all the dirty little secrets her sister has been hiding for years, but she cannot make sense of any of it. Because of the intensity of her complicated feelings, Nora cannot see anything clearly, and the reader is right there with her as her mind becomes more disoriented.
Not all books are meant for every reader, so this book may not be for everyone. There are some tougher topics covered in this novel: parental neglect, domestic violence, murder, all that stuff. The entire point is to be with this broken woman who is trying to do her best by her lost sister, all while trying to cope with the immense loss. For those who have not experienced profound grief and who are going to check this book out, it is important to remember that everyone grieves differently, and a lot of us act irrationally (myself included). Perhaps that is why I found more connection with Nora than I had anticipated.
That being said, I feel like it is worth going on Nora’s hard journey with her as she tries to find her way through the death of her sister. She will frustrate you, and you may feel yourself wanting to scream WTF are you doing?! It would be unnatural not to, but pretend Nora is a real person, because we all know someone (or have ourselves) who is in the throes of unimaginable events and grief, and you may come out the other end feeling either that you are not alone, or wiht a deeper understanding of how fragile we truly are.
