The Stepdaughter

The Stepdaughter is a story written in “letters,” although main character J is just thinking them in her head, not writing them down, so it feels more like diary entries. Reading this was like being privy to Snow White’s wicked stepmother’s inner thoughts. And boy, are her thoughts wicked…

One of the most interesting aspects of reading this is, very early on, you realize that J is an unreliable narrator. The extent to which she is unreliable is unclear, which leads to a dizzying reading experience as you have to constantly sift through J’s narrative to find the truth. If you love unreliable narrators, you’ll have a blast! If you find them frustrating, you’ll be miserable reading this.

I also thought it was interesting show more that each of the three female characters (stepmother, stepdaughter, and nanny) seem to represent different ways of dealing with trauma. In a way, it seems like they’re almost one character, fractured into three parts by circumstances, and trapped in the story’s narrative by the actions of one man. show less

“Cáustica y pérfida, o sea, maravillosa”, JM Guelbenzu, Babelia 21.08.2021:
https://elpais.com/babelia/2021-08-21/caustica-y-perfida-o-sea-maravillosa.html