Gretchen Shirm
Author of Having cried wolf
Works by Gretchen Shirm
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1979
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- Australia
- Birthplace
- Kiama, New South Wales, Australia
- Places of residence
- Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Education
- University of Sydney
- Occupations
- lawyer
Members
Reviews
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 4
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 25
- Popularity
- #508,561
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 4
- ISBNs
- 7
The Crying Room is Gretchen Shirm's second novel: you can read my review of Where the Light Falls (2016) here. The novels share similar preoccupations: failures of communication, mismatched personalities and an enigmatic disappearance that leaves damaged people in its wake. But though both novels are quiet, reflective meditations that reveal the inner worlds of introspective characters, The Crying Room begins with a striking evocation of the commodification of grief in our time.
The Crying Room is literally, just that. Susie, who cries easily, is employed to monitor people who use it, who come in to shed their tears and then leave. She intervenes only if someone comes in on three consecutive days because it is her job to determine whether or not these recurrent visitors would benefit from counselling sessions. There is a questionnaire to be completed, and a list of recommended counsellors. They are not allowed to listen to their stories, or offer comfort. Their responsibility ends when the person departs with the list in hand. They are not trained psychologists, because it costs less to pay people who are not qualified.
Susie does not depart from the script even when a bereaved woman departs from the rules:
Ashen, the woman leaves, and Susie knows that she doesn't feel consoled, she feels reprimanded. The woman has been singled out because her grief didn't follow a predetermined sequence, and sent on her way with what we know is a recipe for hours on a phone hearing about waiting lists...
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/07/21/the-crying-room-2023-by-gretchen-shirm/… (more)