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jacksonaugust33's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism and Eating disorder
cateyeschloe's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read this book twice back to back.
It’s taken me some time and a second read to fully process everything this book made me feel, considering it made me feel A LOT. Which is exactly what I look for in a book - something I can emotionally connect with that makes me feel real things. That’s a huge A+ for me.
However, that definitely doesn’t dampen just how brutally dark, tragic, and devastating this book is.
The First Day of Spring delves into the ripple affects that mental abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, malnutrition, and genetic mental issues can cause in the life of a young child.
Chrissie is only eight years old when we meet her and we are introduced as she is murdering another child. From that point on, the book leaps into Chrissie’s history and begs the reader to consider many questions.
Who would Chrissie be if she were cared for, loved, and not mistreated?
What are the responsibilities of individuals on the outside? The ones looking in who only see glimpses of the tell-tale signs of abuse and neglect? How far should they go to reach out and truly try to help an individual - especially a child - in need?
Is it truly best for a child to stay with their biological parents if one or both parents are mentally ill or in some way simply unable to take care of their child the way they should?
Is it okay for a child to stay with their biological parent who has mental health struggles, but, despite that, is putting in the work to cope and do the best they can to raise their child?
This book paints a very clear picture in the ways, often, that school systems, adoption agencies, police, and children protective services fail children who most desperately need help. How could we, as a society, reform these institutions to better support and care for children in need? What resources could we supply teachers, for instance, with where they could not only better care for kids in school but perhaps even extend help for kids who need it at home?
My first read through, I read this book in a day. The pace is little slower than some, but I didn’t find it sluggish or difficult to get through at all. In fact, I would say the style of writing in this book is some of the best I’ve ever encountered. It manages to blend beauty and poetry with themes of pain and tragedy. I absolutely have to praise the author for an outstanding job of creating prose that is elegant and eloquent despite the devastating scenes she delivers to the reader.
I found Chrissie’s internal thought process and the way in which she navigates the world to be both fascinating and, at times, unfortunately relatable. If you live with certain forms of mental illness or disorder or if you lived with abuse or neglect growing up, you will definitely find many instances where you can relate to some of Chrissie’s experiences.
One of the only “flaws” I noticed with this book is the pervasive use of the word “fat” as an insult or derogatory word. However, ninety-nine percent of these instances are out of the mouth of a young child who has a severe eating disorder and malnutrition. I believe the language is used with the intention of showing the child’s envy that other kids are actually being fed and perhaps even because the malnourished child is so thin that everyone else looks “fat” to their perspective. Nonetheless, the presence of fatphobia is sprinkled throughout.
The only other issue I noticed in this book was the term “Chinese burn”, which is used twice. I’ve never heard this term, myself, but I do live in the US so perhaps it’s more of a UK phrase. The phrase seems to have the same connotation as “Indian burn” had here in the US, from what I can find online, and because of this I can only assume it’s an outdated, culturally insensitive phrase that probably could have been easily replaced.
Overall, I think this is an excellent book that I will probably read again in the future. The author delves into much deeper topics than just the murder of a child, and the intricacies of the story are what kept me deeply invested from start to finish.
There is a lot of nuance in this book and I would definitely recommend not forming judgments as you read but considering every situation from multiple avenues. Chrissie is not always a reliable narrator and it’s important to be able to determine the ways in which things might not always be as she presents them.
There are definitely a lot of trigger warnings for this book, and I recommend checking them out if you have any concerns before venturing in.
It’s taken me some time and a second read to fully process everything this book made me feel, considering it made me feel A LOT. Which is exactly what I look for in a book - something I can emotionally connect with that makes me feel real things. That’s a huge A+ for me.
However, that definitely doesn’t dampen just how brutally dark, tragic, and devastating this book is.
The First Day of Spring delves into the ripple affects that mental abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, malnutrition, and genetic mental issues can cause in the life of a young child.
Chrissie is only eight years old when we meet her and we are introduced as she is murdering another child. From that point on, the book leaps into Chrissie’s history and begs the reader to consider many questions.
Who would Chrissie be if she were cared for, loved, and not mistreated?
What are the responsibilities of individuals on the outside? The ones looking in who only see glimpses of the tell-tale signs of abuse and neglect? How far should they go to reach out and truly try to help an individual - especially a child - in need?
Is it truly best for a child to stay with their biological parents if one or both parents are mentally ill or in some way simply unable to take care of their child the way they should?
Is it okay for a child to stay with their biological parent who has mental health struggles, but, despite that, is putting in the work to cope and do the best they can to raise their child?
This book paints a very clear picture in the ways, often, that school systems, adoption agencies, police, and children protective services fail children who most desperately need help. How could we, as a society, reform these institutions to better support and care for children in need? What resources could we supply teachers, for instance, with where they could not only better care for kids in school but perhaps even extend help for kids who need it at home?
My first read through, I read this book in a day. The pace is little slower than some, but I didn’t find it sluggish or difficult to get through at all. In fact, I would say the style of writing in this book is some of the best I’ve ever encountered. It manages to blend beauty and poetry with themes of pain and tragedy. I absolutely have to praise the author for an outstanding job of creating prose that is elegant and eloquent despite the devastating scenes she delivers to the reader.
I found Chrissie’s internal thought process and the way in which she navigates the world to be both fascinating and, at times, unfortunately relatable. If you live with certain forms of mental illness or disorder or if you lived with abuse or neglect growing up, you will definitely find many instances where you can relate to some of Chrissie’s experiences.
One of the only “flaws” I noticed with this book is the pervasive use of the word “fat” as an insult or derogatory word. However, ninety-nine percent of these instances are out of the mouth of a young child who has a severe eating disorder and malnutrition. I believe the language is used with the intention of showing the child’s envy that other kids are actually being fed and perhaps even because the malnourished child is so thin that everyone else looks “fat” to their perspective. Nonetheless, the presence of fatphobia is sprinkled throughout.
The only other issue I noticed in this book was the term “Chinese burn”, which is used twice. I’ve never heard this term, myself, but I do live in the US so perhaps it’s more of a UK phrase. The phrase seems to have the same connotation as “Indian burn” had here in the US, from what I can find online, and because of this I can only assume it’s an outdated, culturally insensitive phrase that probably could have been easily replaced.
Overall, I think this is an excellent book that I will probably read again in the future. The author delves into much deeper topics than just the murder of a child, and the intricacies of the story are what kept me deeply invested from start to finish.
There is a lot of nuance in this book and I would definitely recommend not forming judgments as you read but considering every situation from multiple avenues. Chrissie is not always a reliable narrator and it’s important to be able to determine the ways in which things might not always be as she presents them.
There are definitely a lot of trigger warnings for this book, and I recommend checking them out if you have any concerns before venturing in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Moderate: Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Blood, Bullying, and Body shaming
Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Cursing
There is an extensive use of the word “fat” as a derogatory term and as an insult in this book. Ninety-nine percent of these instances are out of the mouth of a young child who has a severe eating disorder and malnutrition. I believe the language is used with the intention of showing the child’s envy that the other kids are being fed and perhaps even because the malnourished child is so thin that everyone else looks “fat” to their perspective. It is very pervasive language used in the book, though.
Death / murder in the book is very vivid and detailed, though not particularly gruesome nor bloody at all.
There are a few brief scenes of domestic abuse involving physical violence, seen through the perspective of a child.
There is one scene between two minors, the girl being 8 and the boy being 12, in which the girl offers to let the boy put his hand inside her underwear. He does and just leaves his hand there for a few moments before leaving, supposedly embarrassed.
There is one scene in the book that talks about an adult’s first time having sex. The adult doesn’t really seem to have much of an understanding of what sex is or how it works, and this definitely creates a sense of dubious consent, at best. This character never seems to enjoy the act, either, and the entire scene is intentionally very uncomfortable.
novelyon's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Murder, Child abuse, Child death, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, and Vomit
Minor: Cursing and Suicidal thoughts
megmccreery's review
2.0
DNF @ 30%
Chrissie was 8 years old when she killed another kid, and now she's 28 with a daughter of her own. Chrissie grew up in a terrible household with a negligent mother, absentee father, and had to scrounge for any crumbs of food she could find. She was a creepy little kid whose blood fizzes with excitement when she kills, thinks about killing, or sees someone else get hurt. Somehow, after all of that, she supposedly has a redemption arc as a kind and caring mother to a 5-year old.
I don't actively hate this book; I'm just bored. 100 pages in, the plot has remained a flat line, and I don't want more. According to the reviews, there's no twist, and it just dives deeper into child neglect, abuse, trauma, and food trauma. I don't need to read more of that!
Chrissie was 8 years old when she killed another kid, and now she's 28 with a daughter of her own. Chrissie grew up in a terrible household with a negligent mother, absentee father, and had to scrounge for any crumbs of food she could find. She was a creepy little kid whose blood fizzes with excitement when she kills, thinks about killing, or sees someone else get hurt. Somehow, after all of that, she supposedly has a redemption arc as a kind and caring mother to a 5-year old.
I don't actively hate this book; I'm just bored. 100 pages in, the plot has remained a flat line, and I don't want more. According to the reviews, there's no twist, and it just dives deeper into child neglect, abuse, trauma, and food trauma. I don't need to read more of that!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Child abuse, Child death, and Emotional abuse
mayflower828's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
Moderate: Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, and Alcoholism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
bookswithbreck's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Emotional abuse, Child death, Murder, Confinement, Child abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body shaming, Classism, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault
emily842752's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Bullying and Domestic abuse
Minor: Eating disorder
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