Book Review: This is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau
Title: This is Where We Talk Things Out
Author: Caitlin Marceau
Release date: September 22, 2022
Firstly, huge thanks to Caitlin, Andrew and DarkLit Press for sending me a digital copy to review!
I actually read this at the end of last week, casually starting it on the Thursday night, but became quickly engrossed and would’ve finished it that night if I hadn’t already read for 90 mins prior to starting this. I typically don’t post reviews on the weekends (some rare occasions based around release dates or special requests – and let’s face it, sometimes social media can be crickets on the weekends) but I wrote this up on my phone once done to post first thing this Monday morning.
The novella is quick, sharp and rubbles along like a freight train about to come off the tracks.
What I liked: The story follows an daughter and her mother who are tentatively trying to rebuild some of their estranged relationship following the death of the father. We quickly learn that the mother, Sylvie, doesn’t fully approve of her daughter, Miller’s life choices (she is engaged to another female and partakes in recreational substances) as well as the fact that Sylvie has always been a difficult parent, someone who makes statements and comments that are horrific and then gaslights Miller into apologizing for upsetting Sylvie when she’s called out.
This pattern continues, as Miller reluctantly agrees to visit with Sylvie for a weekend in a cabin she believes her mom has rented. Marceau does a great job of infuriating us with Sylvie’s constant overreactions and ability to turn everything around onto Miller. It works really well to exasperate the reader but also ramp up the tension between the two of them.
With a huge storm barreling in, Marceau adds in some unforeseen turn-of-events that works really well to isolate Miller and the cabin even more and the level of craziness that Sylvie exhibits goes off the charts.
The ending – which is expected – still works to add another layer of paleness over the preceding 100 pages and closes it off really nicely.
What I didn’t like: There are trigger warnings for some of what happens, but I will say, if you’ve ever dealt with a parent who exhibits any of the same traits as Sylvie, you’ll be furious reading this. True, it shows just how well of a job Marceau does bringing this character and their relationship to life, but holy man, I didn’t realize I was going to take some of this as personally as I did and how angry it made me in spots! So, be aware ha! Additionally, there’s a bit about the father that is made fairly obvious early on, which dampened some of that reveal.
Why you should buy this: It’s always exciting to me when a novella rips right out of the gate and holds you solidly until you finish it off and finally exhale. Marceau never once lets the pedal off the floor while steering us readers through thick and thin. So, if you’re looking for a really solid, fast-paced, family based piece, look no further. This one was really well done.
5/5
