The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller: A Book Review
Genre: Fiction
Being very character-driven, Miranda Cowley Heller writes a story spanning decades of the main character in a single day. Going back and forth between the present and the past surrounding the main character (Elle) who, throughout the book, must make a hard decision that has no good outcome as well as the generational trauma that the characters face. As a whole, the book was very human. The characters were all flawed, but they were shown to be trying their best just to survive, so no one was shown to be the villain outright.
That said… I did not like Peter. To me, Peter was the villain, and Elle’s choice was quite easy, but, again, I did not like Peter. He comes off as an emotional abuser/manipulator. For example, when the oldest kid disrespects Elle (his mother) and calls her a b****, Peter just laughs saying that the kid makes a good point. When Elle confronts him about it, Peter gets upset saying that he did nothing wrong. He also constantly gaslights her and then refuses to continue with conversations that (in my opinion) show him how his actions are wrong. Throughout the story, there is also a disconnect between Peter and Elle as if he doesn’t actually know the woman he married – and maybe that is because he doesn’t.
The character of Elle, was okay. Being the focus of the story, Elle was shown to be struggling more – which isn’t surprising. She is struggling with being a good mom, learning who she is now that her kids don’t need her 24/7 while still wishing that they would need her a bit more, dealing with her husband (Peter), the trauma of her childhood, her mother, and the desire to be with her best friend. In a way, Heller truly showcases how much a woman/mother takes on in the family and how little everyone around her appreciates it.
Still… my favorite character was Jonas. If teams were to be made like Twilight (Team Edward or Team Jacob) or even Verity (Team Manuscript or Team Letter), I would definitely be in Team Jonas. The only problem I had with him was that every time I read his name I thought of the Joe Jonas – not a bad thing, just a weird thing. Anyway, I digress. Jonas isn’t exactly a foil of Peter – he is cheating on his wife, so he can’t really be called a hero – but I feel like Jonas is both a down-to-earth character as well as very observant and likable.
Heller mentioned that she didn’t have an actual end in mind and that she, herself, doesn’t know what choice Elle makes in the end (Team Jonas), but I think there are little clues throughout that kind of points to Jonas being the choice she makes. These clues surround how there are so many metaphors about him and Elle being a part of the same whole. I think he understands her in a way that Peter never can and it shows throughout with him just observing her.
Overall, The Paper Palace was pretty good. I probably wouldn’t read it again since I am not the fan of continuous flashbacks. Still, Heller gave us great characters, offered a story with no obvious plot holes, and the piece has no obvious grammar problems.
Who would most enjoy the work and who should stay clear (if necessary):
Enjoy
Like open ended pieces
Enjoy a lot of background information
Like character-driven stories
Stay Clear
Do not enjoy a lot of flashbacks
Would rather a quick pace story
Struggle to get into the story
Other books like the one reviewed:
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
| Plot: | 9 / 10 |
| Characters: | 10 / 10 |
| Writing: | 10 / 10 |
| Editor: | 10 / 10 |
| Total | 39 / 40 |
Title: The Paper Palace
Author: Miranga Cowley Heller
Edition: Hardcover
Published: 2021
Publisher: Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House
ISBN: 9780593329825
If you want to get it: Amazon; Barnes&Noble
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