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Elaine Mullane || Elaine and the Books's Reviews > Breaking Point
Breaking Point
by
by
2.5 stars
Breaking Point, for me, is a very difficult book to review. To start with, it's a difficult read in itself, exploring the circumstances and aftermath of the death of a six-month-old baby, who is left in a car by her busy, successful mother on the hottest day of year.
"Dr. Sue" is a high-flying Professor of Paediatrics at a New York hospital, a childhood health guru called on by Oprah, and a bestselling author. She has a successful husband and two young daughters, and to the outside world, she is calm, elegant and unflappable. When she makes a tragic mistake while running on autopilot one morning, a witch hunt ensues and Susannah is charged with criminal negligence. Watching the drama unfold from the sidelines is Adelaide, a reporter who has a connection to Susannah from her past.
This is definitely a gripping and bingeable read, one that will have you compulsively storming through the short chapters. And the discussion of women "having it all" and the expectations forced on them - particularly mothers - by society is probing and held my interest. I imagine Coffey chose to set this book in New York because of the very different policies around maternity leave and healthcare, and in this sense the characters did have my sympathy. However, the remainder of the book, for me, had very little nuance. The characters, particularly Susannah and the prosecuting attorney, were extreme versions of themselves. Susannah's privilege, wealth, success and perfect appearance were overly-embellished, and the attorney's misogyny made for a farcical performance in the courtroom.
I also would have liked to have seen more of an exploration of systematic racism in the book, which was hinted at with the character of Adelaide but never wholly unravelled. It felt almost plonked in as a box-ticking exercise. I also had an issue with the writing which didn't just feel "stripped-back", but tentative.
I realise this is an unpopular opinion and have no doubt Breaking Point will be a hit with many. For me it felt a little like clickbait.
Breaking Point, for me, is a very difficult book to review. To start with, it's a difficult read in itself, exploring the circumstances and aftermath of the death of a six-month-old baby, who is left in a car by her busy, successful mother on the hottest day of year.
"Dr. Sue" is a high-flying Professor of Paediatrics at a New York hospital, a childhood health guru called on by Oprah, and a bestselling author. She has a successful husband and two young daughters, and to the outside world, she is calm, elegant and unflappable. When she makes a tragic mistake while running on autopilot one morning, a witch hunt ensues and Susannah is charged with criminal negligence. Watching the drama unfold from the sidelines is Adelaide, a reporter who has a connection to Susannah from her past.
This is definitely a gripping and bingeable read, one that will have you compulsively storming through the short chapters. And the discussion of women "having it all" and the expectations forced on them - particularly mothers - by society is probing and held my interest. I imagine Coffey chose to set this book in New York because of the very different policies around maternity leave and healthcare, and in this sense the characters did have my sympathy. However, the remainder of the book, for me, had very little nuance. The characters, particularly Susannah and the prosecuting attorney, were extreme versions of themselves. Susannah's privilege, wealth, success and perfect appearance were overly-embellished, and the attorney's misogyny made for a farcical performance in the courtroom.
I also would have liked to have seen more of an exploration of systematic racism in the book, which was hinted at with the character of Adelaide but never wholly unravelled. It felt almost plonked in as a box-ticking exercise. I also had an issue with the writing which didn't just feel "stripped-back", but tentative.
I realise this is an unpopular opinion and have no doubt Breaking Point will be a hit with many. For me it felt a little like clickbait.
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Reading Progress
February 23, 2022
–
Started Reading
February 23, 2022
– Shelved
February 25, 2022
–
Finished Reading
February 26, 2022
– Shelved as:
2022-books
February 26, 2022
– Shelved as:
readwomen
