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christinasun's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
brynnab's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mohginreads's review
3.0
⭐️ finished: 2/4/23
⭐️ rating: 5/10
⭐️ takeaway: Two sisters in their fifties move in together in the wake of their divorces. The narrator (Joyce) hopes this will be her chance for closeness with Lydia that they never had during childhood, which they both spent in the long shadow of their deceased middle sister’s severe disability and early death. When being at close quarters with Lydia, the arrival of new and extremely noisy upstairs neighbors, and the barrage of “dangerous” memories Joyce encounters through her work as a digital archivist all becomes too much, Joyce reformats posts from her neighborhood message board app, Small World, into poems in spare notebooks. Overall, nothing really happens plot wise, and the characters finish with minimal emotional advancements. There is no acceleration or resolution to any of the tension, and the characters are quirky but only in an unsettling way, not in an interesting way. I considered DNFing this several times, but I kept expecting it to pick up.
⭐️ rating: 5/10
⭐️ takeaway: Two sisters in their fifties move in together in the wake of their divorces. The narrator (Joyce) hopes this will be her chance for closeness with Lydia that they never had during childhood, which they both spent in the long shadow of their deceased middle sister’s severe disability and early death. When being at close quarters with Lydia, the arrival of new and extremely noisy upstairs neighbors, and the barrage of “dangerous” memories Joyce encounters through her work as a digital archivist all becomes too much, Joyce reformats posts from her neighborhood message board app, Small World, into poems in spare notebooks. Overall, nothing really happens plot wise, and the characters finish with minimal emotional advancements. There is no acceleration or resolution to any of the tension, and the characters are quirky but only in an unsettling way, not in an interesting way. I considered DNFing this several times, but I kept expecting it to pick up.
k8iedid's review
4.0
Ooooooh the Mellishman sisters went THROUGH it. I loved how all the different pieces came together.
servemethesky's review
5.0
Oh my goodness, Laura Zigman is wonderful. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I loved [b:Separation Anxiety|45859492|Separation Anxiety|Laura Zigman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565778861l/45859492._SY75_.jpg|70670230] and figured this one was worth a try. Wow! She does such a great job blending realness, emotion, and humor.
I really enjoyed the way she interwove Joyce and Lydia's childhood memories with their present as late 40/early 50-something sisters who have recently gone through divorces. It threw me off a little at first that she wrote the childhood scenes in second person, but I found they hit harder that way. The way Zigman approached writing about a sibling with disabilities was really interesting--both compassionate and honest, especially in terms of how it affected the two able bodied daughters as they received shockingly little attention from their preoccupied mother.
The beef with Sonia and Stan was a little silly, but it felt fitting for Joyce's character. So too did the little detail of her editing the photos she worked on at her archivist job so people would be safer and following the rules.
My only complaints are 1) it was a little hard to keep track of all the L names (particularly Lydia being the sister and Louise being the mom) and 2) it ended a bit abruptly.
All in all, loved the emotion and depth in this one, and the super relatable theme that sometimes you have to explore and understand the past before you can move forward. Will definitely keep reading Zigman's work.
I really enjoyed the way she interwove Joyce and Lydia's childhood memories with their present as late 40/early 50-something sisters who have recently gone through divorces. It threw me off a little at first that she wrote the childhood scenes in second person, but I found they hit harder that way. The way Zigman approached writing about a sibling with disabilities was really interesting--both compassionate and honest, especially in terms of how it affected the two able bodied daughters as they received shockingly little attention from their preoccupied mother.
The beef with Sonia and Stan was a little silly, but it felt fitting for Joyce's character. So too did the little detail of her editing the photos she worked on at her archivist job so people would be safer and following the rules.
My only complaints are 1) it was a little hard to keep track of all the L names (particularly Lydia being the sister and Louise being the mom) and 2) it ended a bit abruptly.
All in all, loved the emotion and depth in this one, and the super relatable theme that sometimes you have to explore and understand the past before you can move forward. Will definitely keep reading Zigman's work.
msseviereads's review
3.0
A book about characters more than plot driven. Was only okay for me. Written for adults -- not for middle school shelvs.
alisonroot's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
popsicleplease's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Chronic illness
pikasqueaks's review
i picked this up because of the connection to the facsimile of the "nextdoor" app. but this is a story about two jewish sisters coming to terms with their childhood of emotional neglect in the face of their sibling. i found it incredibly poignant at times and difficult to get through at others.
however, the one sister has a line where she's like "i don't get why people are always talking about the weather here. in california, we don't have weather, so be tall about other things."
and i just can't help but reflect on just how sad that is.
however, the one sister has a line where she's like "i don't get why people are always talking about the weather here. in california, we don't have weather, so be tall about other things."
and i just can't help but reflect on just how sad that is.