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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
I didn’t love it. It felt a little erratic while also being slow. The characters jumped from one problem to the next with little resolution, though that may have been a stylistic choice to reflect the lack of control felt with middle age? Don’t know. I liked reading about Syracuse though, and I appreciated the complicated framing of current issues.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-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
Can’t decide if I liked this book or not. It has moments that are funny & insightful but I felt like it really dragged in places. The writing is good but the plot & characters are just okay.
Three and a half stars.
There are parts of this novel that are relatable if you angry about the state of our country (minus the pandemic since this was written before it happened) and beyond terrified about the catastrophes that are all around us, coming fast and hot. The main character of Wayward is so angry and frazzled that she impulsively buys a dilapidated house in a poor neighborhood in Syracuse and leaves her husband and high school age daughter to live there. What happens beyond that, Sam's new friends, her paring down of everything, her broken connection to her daughter, add up to less than a reader might expect of a novel that is almost all about her. A character certainly doesn't have to be likable. But she can be evaluated based on how well her motivations are articulated and enacted. Maybe that's the analogy, that none of us, no matter how much we'd like to be able to influence our futures for the better, have agency or an ability to do that. And it hurts to think about. The novel has to be given credit for the discussion.
There are parts of this novel that are relatable if you angry about the state of our country (minus the pandemic since this was written before it happened) and beyond terrified about the catastrophes that are all around us, coming fast and hot. The main character of Wayward is so angry and frazzled that she impulsively buys a dilapidated house in a poor neighborhood in Syracuse and leaves her husband and high school age daughter to live there. What happens beyond that, Sam's new friends, her paring down of everything, her broken connection to her daughter, add up to less than a reader might expect of a novel that is almost all about her. A character certainly doesn't have to be likable. But she can be evaluated based on how well her motivations are articulated and enacted. Maybe that's the analogy, that none of us, no matter how much we'd like to be able to influence our futures for the better, have agency or an ability to do that. And it hurts to think about. The novel has to be given credit for the discussion.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
