The Fault in Our Blogs

this is an excerpt from my full review at The Fault in Our Blogs

First of all, the synopsis calls Anna the “heroine.” I’m not sure I would call her that. She’s clearly the protagonist and narrator of Hausfrau, but her moral code is so twisted that I think she’d be more of an anti-heroine. What I liked about her though is how self-aware she is. Anna has a reason for every action, and a thought process she never lets anyone – not even her psychoanalyst – in on.

One of the things I most appreciate in Hausfrau is Essbaum’s playful use of language. Anna is learning a new language (after 9 years of scraping by with only English) and these German classes dig deep and analyze the similarities between grammar and life. It sounds like a weird connection, but it really becomes a tool for uncovering the ideologies behind grammar rules. Grammar reflects the way we organize life. Anna seems to make these connections with ease, and boy does she have a knack for wordplay and puns.

... read the rest by clicking the link above!