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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was enjoyable, for the most part. It's a short novel about a sister mourning the death of her twin by suicide.
The whole thing is told via vignettes. I think it works rather well with the book because it gives it the vibe of a collection of memories more less ordered. The mc is tries and fails to make sense of her brothers actions, and the structure of the book reflects that. Some of the pop culture feel superfluous, but it's not that much of an issue.
The whole thing is told via vignettes. I think it works rather well with the book because it gives it the vibe of a collection of memories more less ordered. The mc is tries and fails to make sense of her brothers actions, and the structure of the book reflects that. Some of the pop culture feel superfluous, but it's not that much of an issue.
I really enjoyed this book about mental health written in vignettes. The narrative sometimes goes off on a tangent and I’m not sure how some details add to the story (what’s the part with Donny T?). The distant writing style and structure won’t be for those who seek deep character development. I recommend this to those who enjoyed INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SPACE and SORROW AND BLISS
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“I didn’t understand that what is comforting to one person can stifle another.”
“To be a natural presence, you shouldn’t take up too much space, which I always found easy at the beginning of friendship. It felt nice to reshape myself into precisely the right format until the moment came, usually once I’d shrunk to my minimum size, when I got moody. […] it wasn’t fair to pretend I was something other than who I really was, to keep shapshifting like some kind of Barbapapa. I’m either too much or too little. I’m terrible at dispensing the right dose of myself.”
From:
“To be a natural presence, you shouldn’t take up too much space, which I always found easy at the beginning of friendship. It felt nice to reshape myself into precisely the right format until the moment came, usually once I’d shrunk to my minimum size, when I got moody. […] it wasn’t fair to pretend I was something other than who I really was, to keep shapshifting like some kind of Barbapapa. I’m either too much or too little. I’m terrible at dispensing the right dose of myself.”
From:
I knew this was going to be heavy, and the depth and manner that suicide is talked about here means I would be so hesitant to recommend this to anyone that would find that a sensitive topic. But the relationship between the siblings and her thoughts and processing of their childhood and trying to understand him when he was alive and after was all very well-done and sad but I enjoyed the humanness and reflection of their relationship.
I only learned after finishing it that this was fiction and not a memoir, and honestly that does change my rating from a 4 to a 3. Some of things that happened especially the focus on Nazis and Mengele's twin experiments were strange but when you're young you can get hyper focused on things and retain that info and interest, but learning that that was purely a creative choice to include is very weird to me. Less problematic but the other repeating tropes throughout previously felt like a genuine look into the things that made up their relationship (sweaters, Survivor, Twin Towers/height, 1 2 3 4, Ween) but now just seem strange and overdone.
I only learned after finishing it that this was fiction and not a memoir, and honestly that does change my rating from a 4 to a 3. Some of things that happened especially the focus on Nazis and Mengele's twin experiments were strange but when you're young you can get hyper focused on things and retain that info and interest, but learning that that was purely a creative choice to include is very weird to me. Less problematic but the other repeating tropes throughout previously felt like a genuine look into the things that made up their relationship (sweaters, Survivor, Twin Towers/height, 1 2 3 4, Ween) but now just seem strange and overdone.