Anthology of Disillusionment

This is one of the most interesting books I've read lately. The tales tell the common experiences of a couple. This choice by the author transports the reader into an abusive relationship. Gradually outlining something that is not always very clear. As within the intimacy of a couple psychological bullying can happen, and friends and family do not always notice its tentacles. Very powerful writing!

- This author debut novel is a collection of short stories where it begins with a wedding and ends with the bride running away from the groom. When I first opened the arc and saw it was 58 pages and didn’t expect that much but while I was reading the story drew me in. The short stories were such a good read and as you read you realize that Berenice is in a toxic/ dangerous relationship and it shows how it breaks her down over the years that she is married and in the end it shows her running away.
- I do enjoy this type of ending because even though we don’t know where she ends up we know she does escape this relationship. That doesn’t happen to every person and it can be hard to leave a relationship like this.

I think a lot of people would enjoy this one. The book covers difficult topics such as abuse, but manages to leave an impact on the reader nonetheless. Books such as this one are important for impressionable people to read and understand.

This was a really good collection of short stories, this had everything that I was hoping for. Each seven stories in this collection was great and I enjoyed that you had to read them all to get the whole picture. It was really well written and had everything that I needed.

"Anthology of Disillusionment" is a sparsely composed tapestry, intricately woven with the depths of the human experiences. The author's sophisticated prose conveys a narrative that offers a poignant contemplation on the themes of disillusionment, identity and the pursuit of genuine liberation from the perpetual demands of society. The prose carries an aura of solemn density mirroring the author's keen insight and wisdom. Every fragment of the narrator's musing delicately unravels the tangled threads of human vulnerabilities, prompting readers to confront their own inner turmoils and uncertainties. As the narrative unfolds, a brewing epiphany takes shape, challenging conventional perspectives and paving the way for a deeper understanding of the essence of existence and society. It's imbued with a gentle yet haunting melancholic melody, guiding its readers through the labyrinth of the narrator's disillusionment. "Anthology of Disillusionment" is a thought-provoking work that invites readers to reflect on their own paths, identities, and relationships with society. It is an elegantly penned exploration of the human experience, carefully examining the shadows and light that constitute our existence.

Anthology of Disillusionment is very fast paced and a page turner that one can finish in a sitting.
I really liked the writing style of the author, and how descriptive the author got at some points in the narration.
As the description of this book tells it is a fragmented story so if you are a beginner to reading it might be difficult to understand if your not focused .
There are trigger warnings of an abusive relationship and fantasies about a happily married life.
Overall it was a short and interesting read!!

This quick novel pulls you into a story of gaslighting and abuse. Through fragments, we follow Bernice from her wedding day to everyday instances of her toxic relationship. I think this book did a good job at showing how these situations can slowly build up and cause psychological damage as well as make it hard for someone to escape. I found this book impactful and I’m glad that it left on a lighter note at the end.

A novella or a collection of short stories (they aren’t in chronological order) about Berenice and her relationship with her fiancé/husband, a selfish, gaslighting jerk but the right class and wealth. It’s a quick read and the stories show the effects of this sort of a relationship on Berenice and also how she has always tried to conform to society’s expectations even if it didn’t make her happy. Starting the book with her mixed feelings on her wedding day was a good place to start the book.

Berenice is a woman who seems to have it all; a doting husband, beautiful apartment, fancy dinners. You quickly learn that is is all an illusion hiding a darker underbelly. Little snippets of the truth are exposed to show you the truth and the disillusionment Berenice feels every day.

This is a book that heavily depends on you reading between the lines, but it absolutely packs a punch considering how short it is. It gives an insight as to why someone may stay in an abusive relationship and the prison it feels like.

I didn't think it was translated the best. There were a lot of parts where you could tell it didn't say what it probably should have. It was very curious to see in the beginning "Translated to English by Alessandra De Blasi with the assistance of Chat GPT." I've never seen something like this before, but I suppose its the future of writing and editing. As this is self-published, I commend the author for finding a way to translate her work. Unfortunately, it took away some of the beauty. I'd love to read this again if it were translated properly.

This took me by surprise and in a good way because of the author's way of weaving the story depicts most abusive relationships, where Berenice on the outside seems to have it all, yet she truly doesn't and her partner chips away at her discernment and sanity, stealing her joy, gaining control inch by inch over her observations, opinions, thoughts and voice- it's as traumatic and hurtful as it is for anyone who is on the receiving end of a manipulator.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

Thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher, and the Author for an ARC of this book.

This is a quick read. A novella that pulls you right into a story of toxic relaxationship, disillusionment and societal expectations. I enjoyed the pacing and prose in such a short book.

The harm toxicity can cause, the abuse/gaslighting, even subtle, emphasizes the physiological damage done bringing about a sense of powerlessness to change.

I felt this quite powerfully and thought on it for hours.

I love the cover art!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with a review copy of Anthology of Disillusionment by Alessandra De Blasi. #anthologyofdisillusionment #NetGalley
Check out the trigger warnings for this book before reading!

The concept of interconnected short stories is an intriguing one. It helps shine a light on specific circumstances and events that build and complexify the characters' personalities and backstories. In Anthology of Disillusionment, it allows us to follow the protagonist Berenice as she navigates her conturbed relationship with her partner and herself.
The execution of it, however, fell a bit short of my expectations. Too much was explained not shown, particularly in the main character's self-explorations. There was not much space to infer and to question what was happening and the small size of each story limited their potential.
Nonetheless, it is still an interesting work to help better understand the various pieces that may produce an abusive and violent imbalance in a relationship, which contribute to the denial of the victim's agency.

I read this collection of interrelated short stories in one sitting, late at night, unable to fall asleep.

What I loved:
- The structural concept of the book. It tells a single story by gathering sparse, interwoven short stories together in a kind of jumbled up order. I found the fragmentary, disorienting feel of this arrangement helped to convey the bewildering experience of an abusive marriage and the ways we try to cope with it.
- The quality of writing. Simple yet eloquent sentences, metaphors that manage to not sound cliche.

I would have welcomed just a bit more clarity around the order of events. The structure of the book gives you an overall impression of the course of the plot, but I still was not sure of how the particularities hung together. I also did not find the character of the husband, and his abuse, to be completely believable. As someone intimate with the patterns of abusive men, there were many points at which the husband's behaviour simply didn't have the ring of authenticity--almost like a caricature of an abusive husband.

Really great book with amazing characters and a great plot. Was easy to get into and it was very engaging. This is a book that I can see a lot of people who like lit fic enjoy.

In this book, we follow Berenice's story through a collection of short stories told in a non-linear fashion. Berenice is in her mid-twenties and growing up, she had always dreamt of the kind of marriages she saw in romantic movies. But her own marriage is not like that, despite the illusion that its image gives to the external observer. Much to the opposite, she finds herself in an unhappy, manipulative and abusive one, struggling to have her voice heard - literally and figuratively.

Anthology of Disillusionment is a very beautifully written book and the author found a lovely way to use the writing style itself to convey a message, something I found quite original and clever. The idea of telling a story about an abusive relationship through a collection of non-linear stories was definitely an interesting choice because in a way, it really shows the sometimes unnoticeable escalation of abusive behaviors in a relationship.

However, while I do appreciate the fact that this book is very straight to the point, I'm not too sure that Berenice's story being as important as it is, is one that fits in a format of short stories. I found myself wishing that the story were given more room to really explore the main character's journey to finding her voice again. Nonetheless, the topics of domestic abuse, sexual assault and gaslighting were still handled fairly well despite the book being only a few pages long but the format definitely does impede on how much can be told so I truly wish this book was longer.

Put in the right hands, I think this book could be quite impactful and will resonate with readers who are or have been in Berenice's situation.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this review copy, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Not every romance is about love. Seven short stories that compose a fragmented novel.
In each chapter, a memory, a piece of the puzzle.

In her debut novel-collection of short stories, Alessandra De Blasi explores heavy themes with sensitivity and precision. Based on stories she has experienced and heard from other women, the author constructs a captivating narrative in which the reader discovers, alongside the protagonist, the illusions created to disguise an abusive relationship.