Heart Berries
One note before you dive into my review: The author calls herself Indian throughout the book, which I found very striking, as I am very uncomfortable using the word "Indian" to refer to anyone not from India. It's something I've noticed before. Rather than saying "Native American", native authors says "Indian", which I would feel as a slur because it descends from colonizer ignorance as to the true descent of the peoples who were here before the Europeans arrived. Maybe it's something they are taking back, the way LGBTQ+ have reclaimed queer, or perhaps its like the n-word, which African-Americans can use, but would be terrible if I used it (it's such a stigmatized word, I can't even type it). Either way, I'll be saying "First Nations" because that seems safer and more respectful.
I read Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot while at a family wedding (not actually AT the wedding, just while I was in West Chester for the wedding) at the same time I read Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter. So, you know, happy wedding fare. Those books left me in a very weird mood, when juxtaposed with all these happy relatives and this beautiful wedding and lots of family togetherness, which, for other people, might sound sarcastic, but I actually enjoy my family. Even though I frequently threaten to write a book about how bizarrely most of my family behaves.
Terese Marie Mailhot's family, however, is not a warm, supportive unit (see what I did there? Admire my clumsy transition, please). Mailhot was born in Canada to First Nations parents. Her mother, Wahzinak, was a First Nation activist and poet, who prioritized her work over her children. Her father, Ken Mailhot, was a First Nation artist who also prioritized his work over his children, and was generally a not-good-guy, who molested the author, was frequently violent and unstable, and died violently. Her bad history with men, in which they used her for sex and she used them for food, money, and validation, is featured. Mailhot was married very young, and gave birth to one child. Her first husband initiated divorce proceedings, claiming custody of her first child, but, inexplicably, not the second child. Mailhot's struggle to raise her second son while poor and suffering from bipolar disorder and an eating disorder comprise a significant portion of her memoir. She was hospitalized for a breakdown, and went through a series of episodes that made parenting very difficult.
<i>Heart Berries</i> is written as a very long letter, or a very short book, to Mailhot's husband, Casey, a writing professor. The book is unstinting in its honesty, often using harsh, accusatory language towards Casey. She clearly doesn't soften the book to spare his feelings. Casey also struggles with Mailhot's mental illness, which is so palpable that, at times, I could feel it in a way that made my head buzz.
In all, a worthy book, not just for its subject matter, but also for its lyricism.
I read Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot while at a family wedding (not actually AT the wedding, just while I was in West Chester for the wedding) at the same time I read Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter. So, you know, happy wedding fare. Those books left me in a very weird mood, when juxtaposed with all these happy relatives and this beautiful wedding and lots of family togetherness, which, for other people, might sound sarcastic, but I actually enjoy my family. Even though I frequently threaten to write a book about how bizarrely most of my family behaves.
Terese Marie Mailhot's family, however, is not a warm, supportive unit (see what I did there? Admire my clumsy transition, please). Mailhot was born in Canada to First Nations parents. Her mother, Wahzinak, was a First Nation activist and poet, who prioritized her work over her children. Her father, Ken Mailhot, was a First Nation artist who also prioritized his work over his children, and was generally a not-good-guy, who molested the author, was frequently violent and unstable, and died violently. Her bad history with men, in which they used her for sex and she used them for food, money, and validation, is featured. Mailhot was married very young, and gave birth to one child. Her first husband initiated divorce proceedings, claiming custody of her first child, but, inexplicably, not the second child. Mailhot's struggle to raise her second son while poor and suffering from bipolar disorder and an eating disorder comprise a significant portion of her memoir. She was hospitalized for a breakdown, and went through a series of episodes that made parenting very difficult.
<i>Heart Berries</i> is written as a very long letter, or a very short book, to Mailhot's husband, Casey, a writing professor. The book is unstinting in its honesty, often using harsh, accusatory language towards Casey. She clearly doesn't soften the book to spare his feelings. Casey also struggles with Mailhot's mental illness, which is so palpable that, at times, I could feel it in a way that made my head buzz.
In all, a worthy book, not just for its subject matter, but also for its lyricism.
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