Open Me

by Sunshine O'Donnell

Book Overview

A debut novel about a young girl at the center of the secret world of professional mourners, where women are trained extensively and paid handsomely to attend the funerals of strangers. Mem is a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1596922362
• ISBN13: 9781596922365
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: MacAdam/Cage Publishing
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Original and beautifully written

This is a fascinating, original first novel by a startlingly good writer. It has lingered with me long after I followed the story to its conclusion. The book is bursting with so many striking thoughts and images that it leaves a feeling of being untapped, that there is always something more to find and take away from it. Professional reviewers have complained that Open Me focuses too much, or not enough, on the the Wailers, the cult-like matriarchal society that the main character Mem grows up in. They are missing the point, however, for the book is neither historical fiction nor the history of a fictional group, and the author achieves something greater with the book's premise than she would have with a more conventional setting and plot. The novel is primarily the tale of a girl growing up, and of her relationship with her mother; that both of them make a living by crying for dead strangers amplifies this core of the story quite brilliantly. Her confusion from feeling intense love for a mother who has caused her such pain is something Mem can never hide from for a moment, unlike the "unprofessionals" in mainstream society, who are portrayed as professional only in their escapism. Mem has to summon up her most intense feelings daily to make herself cry at funerals, and so lives always on edges of emotion most would rather have blunted. This is part of what makes Open Me so poignant; the other essential element is O'Donnell's talent as a writer. She distinguishes herself from many contemporary writers in her skill with metaphor and ability to blend description and narrative seamlessly with a character's feelings and thoughts. This style gives the emotional and physical landscape of the novel a charged, malleable, reflective quality that is quite impressive. One way of characterizing this is that she sometimes captures what the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins called the 'inscape' of things, which is a high poetic accomplishment. Furthermore, the Wailer 'artifacts' that are placed between each chapter demonstrate that O'Donnell has range as well as depth, as each one is a believable imitation of a writing style from a particular time period and place on the globe. The novel's strengths outweigh any faults I could find with it, especially as they are of the type I would expect to disappear by the author's second or third book. On the other hand, if an author doesn't show any freshness, style, or originality in her first book, I wouldn't expect them to appear over time. Open Me shines with all of these fine qualities, and I hope many other readers discover this for themselves.

I can't recommend this book highly enough!

I can't recommend this book highly enough--it's elegant, informative, evocative, and truly moving. From the press release: "Mem is a wailer, a professional mourner hired to cry at funerals. One of the few remaining American girls in this secret, illegal profession, Mem hails from a long line of mourners, including her mother, a legendary master wailer hired for the most important funerals in her hometown of Philadelphia." The book opens with a historical note from 2006 that sets the world and the story that we're about to enter. It introduces us to wailing in general, and Mirabelle (Mem) in particular. "[...] Today, Mirabelle is in her twenties, although--as there is no legal documentation of her birth, life, or education--there is no way to confirm her actual age. Mirabelle continues to refuse to speak to the press and does not allow photographs. [...]" We then move on to a brief interaction at a funeral where Mem was hired to mourn. This gives us a taste for the simple yet lyrical language Ms. O'Donnell uses to weave her tale, and drops us into a situation that itself weaves in and out of the story. It's a major event that drives much of the development of the story, although you don't see exactly how until the end. This sets the structure for the rest of the novel, which is the tale of Mem's apprenticeship and eventual mastery: alternating between historical documents (letter fragments, poems, US senate bills, and more spanning thousands of years) and the narrative of her life. Each chapter of Mem's story is meant to answer a question of the sort a wailer might be asked irrespective of their vow to not speak of such things--"Were you allowed to play like a normal child? Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever lived in hiding? What happens when you just can't cry?" Some of these questions are answered better than others--the story is more important than attempting to infodump any particular piece of information and/or conjecture. Ms. O'Donnell does a beautiful job of getting inside Mem's head and making "a normal childhood in the suburbs of Philadelphia in the 1980's" a truly surreal experience. We see everything through Mem's eyes, from simple interactions with the other girls of the neighborhood; to the games she plays with her cousin in their back yard; to her teenage interactions with her mother. Everything is just a little bit different, yet quite believable. She says in the novel that death is something we're trained to ignore; and then keeps us focused on it throughout. Death has a central importance to the story, regardless of the immediate subject. Your own feelings about death, and death itself, cannot help being a part of the book as you read it, making it a very personal experience. Again, from the press release: "Interweaving poetic prose and historical fact, Open me is an utterly original novel about mothers and daughters, dark underworlds, and the play between fact and fiction." I agree completely.

Amazing

It saddens me that this novel isn't getting the acclaim it deserves. There are so many terrible books on the market that make millions of dollars, while this one is barely on anyone's radar. Open Me tells the story of a young wailer named Mem, a young gothic looking girl who is paid to mourn at strangers' funerals. For those not familiar with the details of this profession, it was outlawed many years ago in order to spare emotional and financial abuse (for those who have lost loved ones and for the actual wailers). O'Donnell doesn't pick sides, though. She presents the plot events objectively in the sense that she acknowledges both the psychological trauma endured by young apprentice wailers and the beauty of raw emotion. Wailers are like car accidents; their grief is disturbing and unsettling, but you can't help staring, at least for a second. This is true of the novel as a whole; the grief and confusion Mem feels is not uplifting, yet you cannot pull away from reading about it. Sunshine O'Donnell deserves the utmost respect for producing this amazing piece of literature as a first novel.

A Must Read Debut Novel

I recently picked up this book, and I could not put it down once I started reading. Ms. O'Donnell has also written poetry, and that shows through her brilliant imagery. There is a rhythm to her writing, also, that draws the reader into and through the story. In between chapters, each headed by a question, Ms. O'Donnell has placed documents, prose, and poetry which add to learning about the topic of professional mourners, as well as learning about the protagonist, Mem. Readers will follow Mem's progress from novice mourner through her rise to the greatest of all mourners. Readers will laugh at the silliness of those around Mem, both professionals and unprofessionals, as those outside of her business are called, but mostly readers will care about Mem. John Connolly once remarked that fiction is the best because it allows the reader to fully experience the lives of different people. This novel certainly allowed me to do that, but it did even more. I considered the idea of death, and Mem considers the different terms used for death. I considered the role of a mother in a daughter's life, and Ms. O'Donnell got me to thinking about the roles of female children throughout history, not only as professional mourners. Her writing is lively, thoughtful, and beautifully crafted. The characters are people I come to know. Some I love; some I pity; and some I dislike. At times, I even found myself forgetting that I was reading a novel. I look forward to reading her second novel when it is available. This is a book that I will read again, possibly to the point of having to eventually buy a new copy. If you seek something fresh and new, then I highly suggest this book. I am telling everyone I know about this book, and I will purchase a copy for my local library. As the other reviewer said, "A breath of fresh air."

What a breath of fresh air!

I bought this book to take on a vacation after a friend recommended it to me- and did not put it down until I had finished reading it. When I came back from the vacation I read it on- I purchased several for friends who I knew would love it- and those who have already finished reading it can not stop raving about it either! The characters are well developed, the entire story and concept is completely original. It is so refreshing to read a new author who knows how to paint a complete picture and take you into another world with an excellently written piece of work. Thank you Sunshine O'Donnell, thank you thank you!