Monsters

“I can only write my own story, but how is this not the same story that has been told, over and over again, at the expense of so many other stories? How is this not the story of the conquerors?”


Monsters: a reckoning is a riveting mix of essay and memoir that attempts to understand ones place in the systems of white supremacy and colonialism that have dominated our world for so long. How much do these systems bleed into our every day lives? How do they impact our personal relationships? And how do we (white women, that is) face the system that created us in an effort to do better?

It’s worth mentioning, I think, that Alison Croggon is my absolute favorite author. I grew up on her fantasy series, donated money to her crowdfunding for self-publishing her co-written sci-fi series, and I learned how to not be absolutely intimidated by poetry thanks to her work.

Having read everything of Croggon’s I could get my hands on, Monsters still absolutely floored me. This book is self-reflection — both of Croggon’s damaged relationship with her sister and her desire to unlearn the racist and sexist behaviors that she was raised in. Croggon tackles this weighty duo with stunning writing and lots of research.

Honestly, I think my favorite thing about this book was Croggon’s honesty. From the get go you can tell that this book was written for herself, to help her understand her place in this world — and she’s hoping this journey can potentially impact others as well.

I don’t think that this book is for everyone, but I do think that white women who are trying to combat the white heteronormative patriarchal culture that has raised them could see themselves reflected in these pages. Even if they don’t want to.

A five star read from me for sure. I’m about to order my own copy now — I need a physical copy on my Croggon shelf.

In Monsters, Alison Croggon takes a hard look at the hall of mirrors that creates and distorts truths, builds narratives and affects everything it reflects.

Starting from the fractured relationship with her sister, Croggon makes a series of connections in trying to make sense of how and where it all went wrong.

Part essay, part memoir, Monsters is a seamlessly crafted story that weaves through colonialism, patriarchy, racism, and several other power structures, and examines how they fundamentally affect us and our relationships. It is beautifully written by someone who has an incredible understanding of how language can be both constricting and freeing.

By taking an honest look at her life and the structures that influenced it – not to absolve herself from guilt nor to claim victimhood, but to deconstruct and expose narratives that we take from granted – Croggon provides an alternative to the predominant binary view that insists on neatly categorising everything by difference, inevitably creating winners and losers (in a way in which we all lose).

She may not have all the answers, and that not the point, but she is willing to create the necessary opening for the start of a very important conversation.

‘I can’t write this story in a straight line.’

A fractured relationship with a sister provides the starting point for this reflective narrative. From the individual (who am I, and where do I fit within the smaller world of family) through the present (including the privileges bestowed by place of birth and colour of skin) to the historical (the impact of British imperialism with its underlying racist and sexist behaviours). And, when these influences are considered and weighed, what of the future? Do we recognise the need to revisit (some at least) of our attitudes? Can we change?

In trying to understand her place in the world, Ms Croggon raises some serious and uncomfortable questions. We each occupy a life shaped by custom, culture, and history. Many of us accept, without question, both the constraints and privileges we are born into. In questioning this for herself, Ms Croggon invites the reader to do the same.

‘I need these narratives that give me a larger picture of who I am.’

I want to reread this book. As I shifted between memoir and essay, between the impact of a fractured relationship and the power structures of the British Empire, my thoughts kept straying to some of the related and painful contemporary issues in Australia.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Scribe UK for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith