I think this book gets too much bad hype from people completely misunderstanding the premise and the development of the novel. As another reviewer mentioned, it’s best to get into it with unbiased eyes — ignore all reviews, whether good or bad, and just be present for the journey. Don’t compare it to other feminist works because that’s not very fair when they were written for different times. The feminist themes are overt rather than subtle, but what’s wrong with that? The line between villain and victim is blurred, but isn’t that a mark of nuance? Just because Mother was abusive and carrying out King’s orders does not make this novel a failure of a feminist novel, especially if you’ve picked up on how internalised patriarchy is within her.