I’m a long-time fan of Emma Gannon’s podcast, Ctrl Alt Delete, so it only felt natural to pick up her debut novel, Olive. This novel tells the story of the eponymous protagonist who doesn’t quite fit society’s expectations of woman. Why? She doesn’t want children.
However, Olive isn’t about Olive’s discovery of or coming to terms with this fact. It’s about how this ‘failure’ to fit a stereotype impacts her life and how even those that do conform don’t necessarily get an easy ride. Even when happy with her decision to be child-free (NB: very different to child-less), Olive recognises that it makes other aspects of her life difficult and, throughout the narrative, we follow her as she overcomes these obstacles.
She isn’t always likeable, yet I was always on her side. Acutely aware of the injustice of society’s pressures, I felt a sense of pride that Olive didn’t succumb to stereotypes and was still able to find happiness.
I didn’t identify with Olive on all levels, but Gannon built her character in a way that everyone could relate to at least some aspect of her life – great group of friends, sadness at leaving a chapter of life behind, highly aware of how her life compares to others, to name just a few. This meant that, whether or not you believe the same things as Olive, you can see where she’s coming from.
Some descriptions did feel overwritten, and the odd metaphor was used where implication would have sufficed, but it certainly did not distract from the premise of the book – that we should be more understanding and respectful of people who make different life decisions to ours.
I’d recommend Olive not just for its great characterisation – I could fit people I know into each of the character’s shoes – but also because it broaches such an important topic. Gannon doesn’t glamourise the decision to be child-free as so often happens in fiction, but instead shows how cumbersome this (valid) life choice can be. Inviting readers into this world, showing the impact off-the-cuff remarks and presumptions is a vital step in normalising this normal choice.
daniellereadsbooks 