Review | The Lonely Heart Hotel

Title: The Lonely Heart Hotel by Heather O'Neill

Date Published: February 7, 2017

Dates Read: January 14-19, 2021

Current Goodreads Rating: 3.78

Hey remember at the beginning of this month when I said I was going to read more romance novels because most of the time they are really cute and uplifting and I needed something lighthearted to counteract the doom and gloom of the world? Yeah, well this book is not that.

Technically this book is a whimsical romance between two people who were thrown together in dismal surroundings, survived by growing together, and then were separated by outside forces. If I had to describe it in unconventional terms I'd say The Lonely Heart Hotel is like the equivalent of a rainy day. You enjoy the soft sounds of the raindrops hitting the window pane, but that first ray of sunlight on your face just feels so much better.

Trigger Warning - this book mentions rape and child abuse. I will be talking a little bit about these elements so please take care of your mental health and proceed with caution.

Ok, what happens? Pierrot and Rose are both abandoned children living in a depressing orphanage in the early 1900s. Technically they're described as orphans, but O'Neill wants to make sure that the readers know from the get-go that these are just unwanted children. Pierrot is the product of incest; his mother was raped by her first cousin and then shunned by her family. After she gives birth to Pierrot she seems to disappear from the pages of this book and Pierrot's history. Rose's circumstances are unknown. Her mother, unable to care for Rose, paid another woman in Montreal under the impression that Rose would be cared for. In reality, the woman pocketed the cash and left Baby Rose to freeze to death under a tree in a nearby park. It's purely by luck she is even found and lives to see the end of this book.

From there things don't really get much more upbeat. Pierrot is sexually abused by one of the nuns in charge of the orphanage and Rose is physically abused by the same woman. They are thrown together in a traveling show of sorts and then they are pulled apart. From there a large chunk of the book is just the two of them trying to find each other again. They orbit around each other, searching the city of Montreal, and sometimes only missing each other by seconds. In the years that pass they experience heartbreak, drug addiction, love, and loss. Their story continues, but I don't want to spoil too much for you in case this depressing story still somehow interests you. I'll end this little recap by just saying that people change all the time, even your loved ones.

Montreal in 1914 - when The Lonely Hearts Hotel was set

So what did I think? Look, I didn't hate it. I know that's not a shining endorsement, but the subject matter was a little bit heavier than I expected. When I picked up this book I assumed it would be similar to The Night Circus. The world O'Neill created is a little less magical than Morgenstern's, but - if I remember correctly - it has a similar love story of spending years looking for the one who got away. However, The Lonely Hearts Hotel was a more realistic look at a love story crafted in the dark corners of society. Sometimes you come together and sometimes you fall apart.

On a slightly more humorous note, O'Neill uses the word 'penis' a lot. Like a lot. I don't really know if I'm telling you this because it was a good or bad thing to add to the story, but there were several instances where I was reading and suddenly Pierrot was telling me about how his penis reacted to certain things and I was just like, "ah, put that away." So also take that into consideration while you read this book.

I didn't even touch on the clown portion of this book. There's a LOT to unpack in O'Neill's story.

Like I said before, this book touches on a lot of intense subject matter. Personally, I was not completely satisfied with how Pierrot's abuser's storyline ended, and, if you're like me, it might leave your stomach in knots. Luckily this wrapped up in the last few pages, but if it had happened in the middle of the book I might have called it a day.

When I finished this book (at around midnight because how else do you finish your books than curled up in bed in the middle of the night?) it almost felt like I was recovering from a good sob. You know those moments right after you've just completely lost yourself to tears and you're slowly starting to come back to yourself? Your chest hurts a little and your nose is running, but things feel slightly better? That's how I would explain the end of this book. It's a gut punch and barely a happy ending, but there's just a fragment of light that makes you hopeful that those characters will end up in a better place. So if that's what you're looking for in a story then The Lonely Hearts Hotel might be a good read for you. Just - you know - realize this book hurts.

Long Story Short:

• Trigger Warning - mentions of substance abuse, sexual assault, and child abuse

• Don't read this if you want to be sad

• Love one another

My Rating: 3/5