“Do not tell them that they are canned tomatoes,”
I first encountered the story of Linda Hazzard and the Williamson sisters via a YouTube video of all things, where Caitlin Doughty, the owner and face of the YouTube channel Ask A Mortician interviewed Gregg Olsen at the location of the original Starvation Heights.
From then on, I was hooked and later stumbled across a copy of this book at a bookshop near to where I live. I was all the more intrigued as this was my first foray into Olsen’s work.
I have to say, he is a very vivid writer and this book feels very different from most other non fiction books where the writing is very dry and a bit stodgy.
In this book, the use of real life newspaper articles, letters and diary entries adds to its realism while portraying very real very human people who seem all the more remarkable across the distance of time especially with the thematic nature of this book as it deals with themes such as gender roles, the cult of wellness and public scrutiny which are timeless. My heart broke for the relationship between Dora and Claire and their ultimate fates, as I’m all too familiar with the intricacies of a sibling relationship between sisters.
It even delves into Linda Hazzard’s backstory and the backstory of her husband, including when he was tried for bigamy which is something I didn’t know up until now. Definitely not the stuff worthy of a pub quiz but interesting nonetheless.
I wish it had delved more into what happened to Dora and her childhood nurse/longtime friend Margaret after the trial but maybe that’s another book for another time. If anything, it’s got me interested in reading Olsen’s other books.
MY RATING: ***** / *****
Every Book Is Beautiful 