She’s a Lamb
“How do you solve a problem of a woman who just won’t behave?”
She’s a Lamb is everything it promises - dark, funny, smart. What surprised me is how Meredith Hambrock makes us empathize with Jessamyn - especially since Jessamyn is fundamentally incapable of feeling empathy for anyone - even herself.
In her mid-20s, Jessamyn St. Germain is a musical theatre star. The problem is, she seems to be the only one who knows it and is relegated to supporting herself with an occasional tv commercial and as the child minder in a small Vancouver theatre’s production of The Sound of Music - while her longtime rival Samantha is cast as Maria.
Jessamyn is a classic unreliable narrator, not that she intentionally deceives us (at least no more than she deceives herself) - in fact, it is her honesty that reveals to us who she is and gives us that space to empathize - or perhaps more accurately, sympathize - with her.
Through her point of view, we can see how others treat Jessamyn that she seems incapable of seeing, or at least appropriately contextualizing, herself. We see her being stalked, assaulted, and abused - which she categorizes mostly as romantic. When anyone tries to hold her accountable or expects her to be responsible, she becomes angry and feels she’s being unfairly attacked. When someone looks for positive motives or something deeper or just tries to be kind, she doesn’t see it or actively derides it and them.
As we watch Jessamyn make unhealthy and morally questionable decisions one after the other, it’s still hard not to root for her while at the same time, hoping she is held accountable for her actions - even if she has rewired her own brain to believe she is innocent of any wrongdoing.
Note: I listened to the audiobook of this, narrated by Stephanie Willing, and it was an excellent production. At times, it felt like sitting in a corner with a mean girl as she snarked about all the people at the party, and these are some of the funniest (if not very nice) moments.
Also, a mobile game about a cat that knits? Is that Knittens?
Support your favorite indie bookstore (and me) by using my link to order the audiobook from https://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm60355 OR if you prefer using your eyes to read, support your favorite indie (and give us both 20% off if it’s your first purchase) by using my link at https://refer.bookshop.org/candidanorwood.
