Review
The Yellow Wallpaper follows the story of a family. But more than the family, it follows the story of a woman who suffers from depression. Shackled by her husband’s controlling behaviour shrouded by the façade of his medical profession the story beautifully renders the rotten stench of power. By men, money, and everything in between.
Instigating a strong feeling of instability, I adored the choice of narration Charlotte Perkins Gilman chose for this novel. First person perspective provided an insecurity towards not only the story, but also the reliability of the character. It becomes a tug-of-war like phenomenon where doubt blossoms within as you try to clarify the certainty to which the story is being laid into.
Lying within the crevasses of the novel is the steadfast pacing. It grapples you and drags you until you reach the end of this crazy journey. Gifting the story with vigor to drag readers back for the questions that remain and the possible lies that creeps within.
A book that will drown you with its amount of depth, The Yellow Wallpaper is an impressive story that has more level of profoundness than the circle of hell itself. With another reading, this might easily become one of my new favourite short classic.
About the Author
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, also known as Charlotte Perkins Stetson, was a prominent American sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction, and a lecturer for social reform. She was a utopian feminist during a time when her accomplishments were exceptional for women, and she served as a role model for future generations of feminists because of her unorthodox concepts and lifestyle. Her best remembered work today is her semi-autobiographical short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, which she wrote after a severe bout of post-partum depression.
