How to Read a Book By Monica Wood 280 pgs. Mariner Books 2024
In a sense this is another feel-good book, but one with raw edges. The main character is a young woman newly released from prison, trying to recover the good person she considers herself to have once been. Gradually the readers come to understand the event that caused the prison sentence, and we sympathize with Violet’s struggle to recover her confidence and her sense of self. There are negative influences on her behavior, but also two individuals who come to her rescue.
Because Violet has been a member of a book group in prison, she has come to know and love the volunteer who leads the group of women in discussions of the kinds of literature which are timeless in nature. In particular the women become especially fond of the poetry of William Butler Yeats. Although many of the women are cynical, and all of them are fond of vulgar language, the book discussions give them pleasure and clearly have a positive effect on their limited lives.
Violet’s return to daily life in “the Outs” is not easy. She experiences victories but also defeats. Her family has abandoned her, her boyfriend has cut all ties even though he was to a large degree responsible for the event that sent her to prison, and a subsequent lover turns out to be an enormous disappointment. Nevertheless, the two older adults who ultimately provide comfort and support for Violet are believable characters with believable motives.
One side effect of the novel, written from several points of view, is the picture of prison life: drab, impersonal, boring, punitive in small cruel ways that reduce human beings to numbers. Violet is made to feel worthless–not only by the prison system, but also by the people she had expected would love her in spite of her fall from grace. Of course, the reader sympathizes with her ordeal and cheers her on at every turn! In the end goodwill wins out over nastiness. Redemption can come from unexpected sources. There is love to be given and received; it is worth the struggle. Violet will survive, and she may even thrive!