Review: Wide Sargasso Sea

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ach! So annoyed! I read this in 2021, but when I went to update for this year's read-through, my review and dates from 2021 disappeared.

I think in 2021, I had written something to the effect of "enchanting, devastating, beautiful." Probably a few more words than that. I remember really loving it and being impressed and rating it 4 stars.

I feel like I have a LOT more questions this time around, especially after reading other people's reviews - and I'm bumping down to 3 stars.
1. Why are Rochester's sections LESS coherent than Antoinette's, if she's the one suffering from "madness?" I get that there's a point to be made about both people being flawed/unreliable narrators, but from a logical standpoint, the way this was executed just doesn't work for me. Rochester talks like he's in a fever dream, even after he's supposedly recovered from "the fever." I also just don't know that, for a story that's supposed to be liberating "the woman in the attic," it was fair to give Rochester such a significant first-person portion of the book.

2. Why do so many other readers seem to come away with the opinion that her "madness" was caused by "not being loved well enough by rochester" - She clearly had a tumultuous (dare I say it: traumatic) upbringing, and in the present day, we have enough scientific evidence to show that behaviors and states of mind classified as "insanity" are often linked to past trauma - she's a clear case of dissociation.

3. Some come away from reading this questioning whether Antionette was "mad" at all - rather, perhaps it was her freedom of self expression and her non-Englishness that made her *seem* mad to Rochester, et al (A case of The Yellow Wallpaper, if you will). But come on, guys. There's evidence in the stories of her extended family - are we really supposed to believe literally *everyone else* in the book made up and perpetuated a false family history?

There are other questions, but I can't articulate them right now. Her braid being cut off because she was sick? That feels symbolic. But also why would that need to be done? Her relationship with Sandi? Could we not have explored that a little more? Rochester's F-ed up decision to sleep with Amelie?! What was that. "He's not a bad man." Or is he? Other symbolisms I'd like to explore: The frangipane/its overpowering sweetness/how it was crushed; the parrot on fire (I mean, obvious, but still); IDK if the constant rum-drinking counts as symbolism, or just setting...; the general state of Coulibri (decay, rejuvenation, total destruction); her relationship with Tia (like looking in a mirror)... etc.

The writing was poetic, yes. The intent to give Antoinette her own story, brilliant. (But also: Why did Rochester land on Bertha for a substitute name? Like, I get the idea of "renaming" her, but BERTHA? really?) IDK. On my first read, I thought this was brilliant. On my second read, I still appreciate the concept, and the atmosphere, and the creative execution that mirrors the state of mind of both central figures, but I do think it could have been executed in a stronger way. I'm no expert, though. I'm just a girl, standing in a front of a book, asking it to make a little more sense.

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