⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars – I enjoyed checking back in with Mona, and I found it a little more focused than the first book.
I really enjoyed Pretend I’m Dead when I read it at the end of last year (November 2023). It was funny and weird, and had one of the strongest character voices I’ve come across in a good long while. Reading my review I wrote:
I don’t think I’m going to remember this one in 6 months, but I’m interested to read Big Swiss still by the same author.
Which is actually amusing to read back now because (with my poor memory) I am yet to forget Mona, it’s definitely memorable! Maybe I need to rethink 3 stars.
When I saw that Jen Beagin had written a follow up to Mona’s exploits I had to read it. The second book is much the same – it’s still darkly hilarious, passively chaotic and has an overall grimy feel to it which is curious for a book about a cleaning lady.
Once again we follow Mona through periods of her life where she becomes too enmeshed with the lives of different bizarre clients. The kind of clients saner cleaning ladies pass up (maybe I shouldn’t describe Maria Maria as sane, exactly).
This book does feel more focused than the last one. Mona is very gradually becoming more conscious and questioning of her gravitation toward inappropriate relationships, and allowing creepy older men to exploit her in various ways. Sure she does this through talking to Terry her imaginary friend, but it’s growth!
This book has Mona recalling more of the horrible things than men have done to her through her life, so once again content warnings for CSA and rape. I was glad to have the relationship with her mother and her step-father-to-be explored as a little patch of hope for a better future. I was very worried where the ending was heading but it seems like fate intervened, and Mona may finally break old habits and start to wake up.
If Jen Beagin writes a third Mona book I’d happily read it! I don’t think she’d ever have a “normal life” but I would love her to find a partner her own age.
REVIEW SUMMARY
I LIKED
- Mona is such a strong character, once again, I kept forgetting it’s told in third person!
- Walks a tight but woozy line of dark humour mixing pain, absurdity, sex, and seediness.
- I enjoy the writing style with cartoonish characters and absurd images.
I DIDN’T LIKE
- The final section with Kurt is a bit strange, I didn’t totally understand why she followed him but then again she didn’t either.
- I would have liked a bit more actioned growth from Mona earlier, but I understand why it’s a slow process.
