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A review by kategallo
Pulp by Robin Talley
3.0
It breaks my heart to give this only three stars. This book provided me with such valuable information about lesbianism and love in the 1950s-1960s, from the terror of McCarthyism, the paranoia of being discovered, but also the camaraderie between queer women who fought for their lives to exist. It taught me about forgotten, terrible things such as the Lavender Scare, and brought to life the world of lesbian pulp fiction and the intricacies of the genre.
The book is split into two perspectives - Janet's, a girl living in the mid-20th century under the oppressive, homophobic regime in America; and Abby, a modern-day lesbian who embarks on a journey to cope with the world around her. Both of these girls find comfort in the discovery of lesbian fiction, and it drives them towards essential discoveries in their personal lives. Janet's perspective is achingly beautiful. My heart ached for the terror she felt, and the hopelessness surrounding every action she made.
However, I really struggled with Abby's perspective. I found her really... irritating? And that her side of the story was messy and underdeveloped. Her actions were childish and didn't feel explained. Her obsession with discovering Marian Love lacked reason, and at often times was dehumanising a woman who had suffered a lot. I think there just wasn't a strong enough justification for her actions. I'm never one to want homophobia in my book, but if Abby was closeted, or if there was more of a build-up of familial tension, then maybe her actions would have been justified. Instead, she appeared to be a bad friend who made rash decisions, and idealised a book and a person in ways that were reductive and detracted from other parts of her story. At the same time, I don't think either perspective could have held its own as an individual story. They just weren't strong enough in plot or progression.
So, this was a Struggle to rate because it is Really well researched, and has a lot of beautiful chapters and revelations, particularly from Janet's perspective, but the book itself could have benefitted from some additional planning and justifications.
The book is split into two perspectives - Janet's, a girl living in the mid-20th century under the oppressive, homophobic regime in America; and Abby, a modern-day lesbian who embarks on a journey to cope with the world around her. Both of these girls find comfort in the discovery of lesbian fiction, and it drives them towards essential discoveries in their personal lives. Janet's perspective is achingly beautiful. My heart ached for the terror she felt, and the hopelessness surrounding every action she made.
However, I really struggled with Abby's perspective. I found her really... irritating? And that her side of the story was messy and underdeveloped. Her actions were childish and didn't feel explained. Her obsession with discovering Marian Love lacked reason, and at often times was dehumanising a woman who had suffered a lot. I think there just wasn't a strong enough justification for her actions. I'm never one to want homophobia in my book, but if Abby was closeted, or if there was more of a build-up of familial tension, then maybe her actions would have been justified. Instead, she appeared to be a bad friend who made rash decisions, and idealised a book and a person in ways that were reductive and detracted from other parts of her story. At the same time, I don't think either perspective could have held its own as an individual story. They just weren't strong enough in plot or progression.
So, this was a Struggle to rate because it is Really well researched, and has a lot of beautiful chapters and revelations, particularly from Janet's perspective, but the book itself could have benefitted from some additional planning and justifications.