Rachel Ingalls (1940–2019)

I sort of hesitated between 3 or 4 stars. Basically I liked it quite a lot all the way to the ending, I recognised the ending is the "correct" ending structurally and everything... but I still wanted a different ending, and not just cause it's sad.

Like, if you have the courage to write a book about a woman's relationship with a frog person, you've got to see it through. Don't end it on the frogman disappearing from her life because it's very appropriately parallel with her relationship with her husband and he disappears at the moment she's emotionally affected by her husband more than frogman Yes, that works literarily, but why the hell not go further? Just have the frogman live with her forever. Or have a coda where she takes him back to his home, even if it's still sad because her husband's death estranged her from frogman. Just. Justice for frogman Frogman had a story too, and he deserved an ending.

But again... it feels like the "right" ending, structurally. I expected it. And there's depth to it - the language and image links back to other parts of Dorothy's life discussed in the book (most notably her dead dog Bingo). Like I know it's right, that it's a well written ending... but still. There's a childish part of me that wanted to see the frogman more. I mean. In a way I guess that's the point. Agh. I guess it's probably a 4, really.… (meer)