Searing, heart pounding novel. Well worth reading, but not “enjoyable” in the usual sense. Will not be for everyone. If you can handle the intensity it is well structured with good characterizations. Read up about Gay’s life as some of her own life experiences definitely found their way into this novel. Lots of thought provoking issues raised about racism, income inequality, first world vs. third world countries, violence against women, the politics of ransom and the impossible choices to make. A lot to digest after you read it. Excellent book club selection as many interesting topics to discuss and debate.

We did a different kind of review for the book. I selected the book and when I did I was unaware of the depth of the story. I knew some of our members would not appreciate the harder parts of the story and some found it difficult to read and some skipped the uglier parts. However everyone appreciated the story line, history behind the story and the ultimate outcome. We discussed the politics of Haiti which was the reason for the story and we discussed the author, who herself had been gang raped at 12 years. Her parents are Haitian and migrated to the states when they were 19. They told stories of the country which Roxane Gay then developed into the Untamed State also drawing off of her own life. I would recommend it a million times over. Basically the book is about politics, economy, family and about a "woman's recovery and the fallout from the trauma she suffers".

15 book members and only one did not like it. The first half of the book is so powerful, you get a strong sense of what is happening to Miri . The second half of the book the reader will have some kind of closure. Survival and power is what this story is about.