memorysnow reviewed Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
Review of 'Here on Earth' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
At the beginning of this book, I felt the same frustration that many of the other reviewers here did with the hedonistic behavior of the thoroughly unsympathetic two main characters. But as the story progressed, it became clear that the author is not heralding their romance as an honorable union worthy of the destruction that they must inflict to be together. Instead, it became more of a dark caricature of an unhealthy romance, underscoring the massive amounts of delusion and deception that are required to maintain such an all-consuming and possessive relationship. The story was extremely well-told, unfolding as the narrator shifted focus from character to character, not always in real-time, but often through the characters' reflections. As more was exposed about the characters through their own thoughts and those of their peers, the reader began to see the bigger picture, and it was a very effective and engrossing technique. …
At the beginning of this book, I felt the same frustration that many of the other reviewers here did with the hedonistic behavior of the thoroughly unsympathetic two main characters. But as the story progressed, it became clear that the author is not heralding their romance as an honorable union worthy of the destruction that they must inflict to be together. Instead, it became more of a dark caricature of an unhealthy romance, underscoring the massive amounts of delusion and deception that are required to maintain such an all-consuming and possessive relationship. The story was extremely well-told, unfolding as the narrator shifted focus from character to character, not always in real-time, but often through the characters' reflections. As more was exposed about the characters through their own thoughts and those of their peers, the reader began to see the bigger picture, and it was a very effective and engrossing technique. I can't speak to this being a retelling of [b:Wuthering Heights], but I found it to be a well-crafted, chillingly dark story with an ultimately beautiful lesson about the virtue of letting go.