Review: Desperate by Narcisse Lorraine Moungounda Pemba

A short but evocative novella that explores loss, forgiveness, and righteous revenge, Desperate by Narcisse Lorraine Moungounda Pemba is a stark and stunning read.

After discovering that what she knows of her past is far from the whole truth, Amy embarks on a dangerous plan to right the wrongs of her sinister stepmother, Tammy. On the night of their 18th wedding anniversary, Amy testifies to the years of psychological, emotional, and sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of Tammy, escalating the war that has been brewing for years.

Amy finds allies in unlikely places, among those still loyal to her biological mother; her father said she died in a car crash, but this wasn’t true. Once mother and daughter are reunited, they form quite the pair of vigilantes, fighting for long-overdue justice. However, Tammy is not an enemy to be underestimated, and proves that she will do anything before she loses power.

Fearlessly delving into the scars of betrayal and the long-term effects of trauma, mistrust of medicine, psychological abuse, gaslighting, and selfish power grabs, this book explores human nature and modern crises with passion and empathy. However, while its rawness lends the book some authenticity, it is far too unpolished to express its ideas clearly, or draw readers into the story from beginning to end.

While Tammy and Amy are somewhat developed as characters, at least in terms of their motivations, there is limited complexity to anyone else in the story – Amy’s father, Stephanie, Brenda, Amanda, and other characters who enter a scene to simply play a role, but don’t have any real impact or depth. There is no tension allowed to build for readers – as soon as a conflict presents itself in the writing, readers are given too much information all at once without letting the narrative unfold naturally. Characters have an unrealistic habit of vocalizing exactly what emotion they are experiencing, rather than demonstrating it to readers.

Generally, the writing is declarative and monotone, even during intense scenes and events. Every scene is methodically described and intended, but there is a dearth of descriptive or aesthetic scene-building. On an editorial level, the prose could use some improvement as well, as there are many instances of unnatural sentence construction, unbelievable dialogue, and repetitive language. The dialogue is the weakest part of the story, with exchanges that come across as robotic, so the fictional bubble is burst for readers: “I hope nothing fishy you have reserved for that party.”

By failing to create high emotional stakes, and foregoing character development, it is difficult to get excited by or pulled into this story. An editor could help this book immensely, as the awkwardness of the prose is impossible to ignore. Without a significant overhaul and a comprehensive line edit, the powerful messages of this book will be lost.

Overall, while this is certainly a flawed piece of fiction, it does tell a timely story with important insight into the increasing struggles of modern life.