Thea and Denise follows two middle aged women who form an unlikely and different bond. The book is split into dual point of views from both Thea and Denise. At first appearance, the women could not seem to be any more different. Thea is reckless and a force of nature while Denise is more placid and sticks to her routine. However, when Thea’s personal life begins to crumble and Denise starts to feel trapped in her mundane day to day activities, the two women set off on a road trip together.
First of all, I really loved the attention that this placed on women, especially mothers. All too often, when a woman becomes a mum, her identity is erased by society and this book highlighted that struggle. It also unapologetically talked about the dream for freedom from responsibility, even if that’s children that you love. I think that this was definitely my favourite aspect of the book as so many things that are considered taboo topics, such as menopause, are discussed. It was quite a niche subject that was spoken about really well!
I wouldn’t quite say that I ‘liked’ both Thea and Denise, but I certainly found them interesting and wanted to find out more about them and their relationship together. Because their relationship was so developed I felt like others were lacking. Obviously the most important aspect of the book was them, but for there to be relationship issues with Denise and her husband I felt like I needed to know more about them and see them more as a couple.
First of all, I really loved the attention that this placed on women, especially mothers. All too often, when a woman becomes a mum, her identity is erased by society and this book highlighted that struggle. It also unapologetically talked about the dream for freedom from responsibility, even if that’s children that you love. I think that this was definitely my favourite aspect of the book as so many things that are considered taboo topics, such as menopause, are discussed. It was quite a niche subject that was spoken about really well!
I wouldn’t quite say that I ‘liked’ both Thea and Denise, but I certainly found them interesting and wanted to find out more about them and their relationship together. Because their relationship was so developed I felt like others were lacking. Obviously the most important aspect of the book was them, but for there to be relationship issues with Denise and her husband I felt like I needed to know more about them and see them more as a couple.