Dear Miss Metropolitan

DEAR MISS METROPOLITAN

by Carolyn Ferrell

 

Nominations: PEN/Faulkner Finalist 2022, PEN/Hemingway Finalist 2022

 

Date Read: July 10, 2023

 

Incredibly evocative of the real-life story of the Cleveland kidnappings, Ferrell explores the world that is created among three girls whose lives are stolen for 10 years. Gwin and Fern both come from challenging homes but find refuge, solidarity and family in each other through the tragic circumstances they find themselves in.

 

Gwin and Fern are held captive for 10 very long years in which they are tortured, kept in chains, starved and raped. Their entire lives are to serve Boss Man (aka Nestor), who looms over every aspect of their lives. After an unknowable amount of time, a third girl, Jesenia, is added to the house and she eventually has Boss Man’s baby. 

 

The novel shifts between each girl’s life before the kidnapping and their lives after, as they attempt to recover from such lengthy and unimaginable trauma. Fern’s mother is a nurse and addicted to pills. She brings home a series of boyfriends, one just as bad as the next.

 

Gwin loves Prince and this is a source of conflict between Gwin and her religious mother who vacillates on the depth of her religious observations. The closest father Gwin ever had was Mr. P who treated Gwin like a daughter.

 

Ferrell uses stream-of-consciousness, dissociative associations and other creative methods to bring this story to life. While her approach is creative and fresh, it almost distracts from the narrative and character growth while confusing the reader as to the relevance of some of these devices. I still loved this novel, though, even if it was a hodge-podge of styles, voices and characters.

 

The book’s name is derived from an elderly journalist who has a chapter about her attempting to write the news article about the girls’ discovery. Her purpose is never quite clear. Further, Katanya, the daughter conceived between Boss Man and Jesenia, is recovering in the hospital from an attempted suicide and answers questions posed to her by a journalist. This chapter left me scratching my head and I never understood the purpose of this either.

 

Regardless, I was glad Ferrell received recognition for her attempt at ingenuity and I hope she is better able to find her voice in the future.

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