Review: Betty

Today I’m sharing my review of Betty by Tiffany McDaniel. This was my book club’s pick for February.

Synopsis

“A girl comes of age against the knife.”

So begins the story of Betty Carpenter. Born in a bathtub in 1954 to a Cherokee father and white mother, Betty is the sixth of eight siblings. The world they inhabit is one of poverty and violence–both from outside the family, and also, devastatingly, from within. The lush landscape, rich with birdsong, wild fruit, and blazing stars, becomes a kind of refuge for Betty, but when her family’s darkest secrets are brought to light, she has no choice but to reckon with the brutal history hiding in the hills, as well as the heart-wrenching cruelties and incredible characters she encounters in her rural town of Breathed, Ohio.

But despite the hardship she faces, Betty is resilient. Her curiosity about the natural world, her fierce love for her sisters, and her father’s brilliant stories are kindling for the fire of her own imagination, and in the face of all she bears witness to, Betty discovers an escape: she begins to write. She recounts the horrors of her family’s past and present with pen and paper and buries them deep in the dirt–moments that has stung her so deeply, she could not tell them, until now.

Inspired by the life of her own mother, Tiffany McDaniel sets out to free the past by telling this heartbreaking yet magical story–a remarkable novel that establishes her as one of the freshest and most important voices in American fiction.

Why I Decided to Read this Book

This was my book club’s pick for February so I read it so I could discuss with the group. However, I wasn’t as drawn into reading this book for some reason.

Rating

3 Stars (Check out my rating system!) I feel like I need to explain my rating for this one. Up to the last 70 pages it was a 2 star rating. The ending made up for it but I’m not sure if it was worth to read the first 400 pages to get there.

My Thoughts

Please read the content warnings below because there are many. I’m usually not a sensitive reader and rarely read content warnings (I value them and make sure to add them here) but even having read the content warnings for this one I felt uncomfortable reading the book. I had to stop reading it at times because I couldn’t take certain scenes. Some of the content warnings happen 2-3 times throughout the book and they are very explicit. I can read sad and depressing books but usually there is a little hope in them to keep you going. This one didn’t have any hope at all until the later part of the book (and it is a very long book!).

This is a very dark and emotional book. There were too many disturbing and very explicit parts (I can’t read or watch anything with animal cruelty or child abuse) and the pacing was too slow for me. I felt for Betty and there are some characters I loved which I think is why I finished the book. I agree with others that the writing is beautiful but at the same time it made it a very slow read.

I enjoyed the last 70 pages of the book, in my opinion it was the best part of the book. However, I’m not sure if reading the other 400 pages to get there was worth it for me. It took me like 3 weeks to read this book and I think it put me in a reading rut. I seem to be in the minority with this one, everyone else in my book club enjoyed it more than I did. I think it is a good book club pick because there are many things to talk about.

Content Warnings

Rape, incest, animal cruelty, child abuse, racial slurs, suicide, grief, mental illness, bullying, emotional abuse, abortion, miscarriage, misogyny, death. A lot of these are VERY explicit.

Who I Recommend this Book to

This is a book I don’t recommend to everyone. Please read the content warnings below before reading. I would say if you like dark, emotional books, slower pace and beautiful writing this could be for you.

Get the Book!

Did this review of Betty convince you to read it? Check out the links below to get it from Bookshop.org and libro.fm. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.

>>Shop on Bookshop 

>>Shop on Libro.fm (use code GISSELLEREADS for a discount if you want to start a membership)

If you’ve read this book let me know your thoughts in the comments!