review: In Defence of the Act

Women’s Prize for Fiction 6/16

Effie Black’s In Defence of the Act digs into a difficult subject: the ways we cope with suicide, particularly when losing a close relative or friend. Our MC is a scientist, exploring her own feelings while working on a pet project: a study of spiders that she would like to prove accept their own deaths willingly as a means of bettering the community they are leaving behind; and if this phenomenon exists elsewhere in nature, why not in human nature too? This preoccupation stems from her own complicated web of emotions around family and friends who have died or tried to; but as the book progresses, we come to understand along with Jessica that her stance is flawed and her regrets are not exactly what she assumed them to be.

Given that the book begins with a controversial premise and cynical narrator, I expected a hard-hitting read. However, due in part to its brevity and our MC’s contradictory thoughts, this book never quite hit that mark for me. Told in short retrospective vignettes with periodic flashes from a looming funeral running throughout, the story didn’t allow me to spend enough time with the various characters (several of whom are confined to their own chapters) to view them as more than cardboard cutouts and build effective empathy for the losses. The framework feels somewhat like a scientists’ logbook approach: data recorded with clear lines drawn between causes and effects, but Jessica is the only emotional point of connection for the reader and she soon proves unreliable, her behavior showing value in saved lives that her internal monologue struggles to reconcile or even recognize.

Though I would’ve liked more time with many of them, I did appreciate the range of relationships explored here: parental, sibling, friendly, and romantic (including LGBTQ+ rep!). I also appreciated the overlap of personal and professional interests- the ways that our MC’s emotional history drives her studies and career, which in turn feed her opinions and emotional responses. I appreciated less the unexplained sans-serif font, and was downright disappointed by Jessica’s simplistic, avoidant, and baby-centric conclusions after a lifetime of grappling over questions of death.

While I didn’t necessarily want a novel arguing for suicide, I did want to be challenged and at least mildly devastated, neither of which occurred for this reader. I don’t think In Defence of the Act is a bad book by any means and will likely touch many who agree with its ultimate sentiments, but it’s not as bold in the end as it sets out to be.

“We all decide which bits of our lives have meaning and consequence, which bits to hold on to and use as a guide. I held onto the wrong thing for too long. There’s too much at stake now.”

My reaction: 3 out of 5 stars. This book had a lot of potential, but the abrupt change in direction that it took ultimately wasn’t the right fit for me. I might go so far as to call it a disservice to the rest of the book, but I can appreciate that other readers are finding some positivity in the face of despair here, something that I don’t want to begrudge anyone, so I’ll leave off with simply saying I don’t think Black’s work suits my personal tastes. I’m glad I gave this one a chance but also relieved to see six different titles on the WP shortlist.

Have you read this one? I’d love to see your thoughts!