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rebeccahk's review against another edition
4.0
This book gave me all the feels that I love in contemporary books. It was a heartbreaking story about how a family coped after the death of a son/brother, not knowing at first what had happened, but as the book progresses there is that revelation of the darkness that came with such death. The saying 'it was an emotional rollercoaster', was just how I felt and it left me feeling a bit helpless. But I was glad to had finally picked up the book after it was on my goodreads 'to-read' for over a year, because it's one of those stories that open up to a better understanding of mental health, especially what a family goes through, having a family member suffering from something so dark.
nikmahie's review against another edition
5.0
Dit is geen boek om blij van te worden. Wel zo eentje die sleurt aan je hart.
Het boek wordt opgedeeld in 3 delen en de verschillende hoofdstukken worden wisselend vanuit de verschillende personages verteld. Je krijgt een inkijk in de gedachten en leefwereld van Emma, Jamie, Rose, Joe en Sam. Het is hartverscheurend om te merken dat elk van hen geraakt en deels kapotgemaakt werd door het overlijden van Kit.
Het is heel goed geschreven en de auteur heeft ook de tijd genomen om elk gevoel zo goed mogelijk uit te werken. Ik voelde dan ook oprecht met de personages mee en wou weten hoe het verhaal afliep, hoe het met hen afliep. Een goed verhaal schrijven rond zelfmoord is tricky, maar het is Rebecca Wait gelukt.
Zeker een aanrader.
Het boek wordt opgedeeld in 3 delen en de verschillende hoofdstukken worden wisselend vanuit de verschillende personages verteld. Je krijgt een inkijk in de gedachten en leefwereld van Emma, Jamie, Rose, Joe en Sam. Het is hartverscheurend om te merken dat elk van hen geraakt en deels kapotgemaakt werd door het overlijden van Kit.
Het is heel goed geschreven en de auteur heeft ook de tijd genomen om elk gevoel zo goed mogelijk uit te werken. Ik voelde dan ook oprecht met de personages mee en wou weten hoe het verhaal afliep, hoe het met hen afliep. Een goed verhaal schrijven rond zelfmoord is tricky, maar het is Rebecca Wait gelukt.
Zeker een aanrader.
ruthie_the_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
Terribly sad but funny too. Beautifully depicted characters and a really well written story.
vgk's review against another edition
5.0
This book is devastating, beautiful and honest. Wait expresses complex, difficult and dark emotions with startling clarity and truth. As I finished the last page, I was ready to turn back to the first and read it again. My favourite novel so far of 2013.
knitter22's review against another edition
3.0
The View On The Way Down is a solid 3 stars; Rebecca Wait was able to help me begin to understand depression and its many repercussions. The opening scene of a happy family enjoying a day at the beach shifts abruptly to what has become of that same fractured family five years after the suicide of older son Kit. Younger son Jamie was estranged from the family on the day of Kit's funeral; Emma, the youngest child, is left not knowing exactly what happened, but trying to cope with the losses of her brothers through Jesus and food, and parents Rose and Joe are understandably just barely hanging on. Jamie's ex-girlfriend has a chance meeting with him, and this encounter sets in motion the events that may begin to help these utterly broken people become less so.
I haven't had any personal experience with depression, so I know I don't fully understand it. I appreciate it is far beyond sadness, and I certainly recognize that "Don't worry, be happy" won't work with clinical depression, but through her character portrayals, Wait was able to give me at least an introduction to understanding the depths of depression, and how suicide could possibly become more attractive than living. The middle of the book details the back story through letters from Jamie to his father. These may not be entirely realistic, but they do provide necessary detail in a poignant way. I found Emma a bit too childlike in some instances, but she is forced to bear the brunt of absent brothers and uncommunicative, shattered parents, so immaturity may be the result of her circumstances. It's a bit ironic that many family members don't want to talk about things to avoid causing more pain for themselves or others, but by refusing to face the situation that is exactly what has happened. The ending is appropriate, especially for a book that deals with difficult subjects and can be uncomfortable to read at times. I love that Wait never resorts to platitudes or becomes maudlin in The View On The Way Down. This is a book that will make you think - about depression, loss, sibling relationships, and families.
I haven't had any personal experience with depression, so I know I don't fully understand it. I appreciate it is far beyond sadness, and I certainly recognize that "Don't worry, be happy" won't work with clinical depression, but through her character portrayals, Wait was able to give me at least an introduction to understanding the depths of depression, and how suicide could possibly become more attractive than living. The middle of the book details the back story through letters from Jamie to his father. These may not be entirely realistic, but they do provide necessary detail in a poignant way. I found Emma a bit too childlike in some instances, but she is forced to bear the brunt of absent brothers and uncommunicative, shattered parents, so immaturity may be the result of her circumstances. It's a bit ironic that many family members don't want to talk about things to avoid causing more pain for themselves or others, but by refusing to face the situation that is exactly what has happened. The ending is appropriate, especially for a book that deals with difficult subjects and can be uncomfortable to read at times. I love that Wait never resorts to platitudes or becomes maudlin in The View On The Way Down. This is a book that will make you think - about depression, loss, sibling relationships, and families.
talyahonor23's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
bloodruby29's review against another edition
4.0
I borrowed this online from OpenLibrary and maybe the fastest book I returned in so far.
I was deeply immersed with the story. everything seemed so humane (except the run into the wood-thing) and it’s relatable to me in such ways.
oh i might cry now..............
AAAAA This book is criminally underrated!!!
I was deeply immersed with the story. everything seemed so humane (except the run into the wood-thing) and it’s relatable to me in such ways.
oh i might cry now..............
AAAAA This book is criminally underrated!!!
dawncox's review against another edition
2.0
Why oh why oh why would you subject yourself to this?
Ok this is an afternoon of meloncholy between two covers.
Why would you want to read this book?
1, you need a good cry.
2, You want to understand depression a bit better.
3, You want to commit suicide and need to see how this may affect your loved ones.
4, You like to feel like your heart has been stomped on.
5, You enjoyed Watership down.
I read it with a big sigh. I've been depressed and I know what that tired and can't go on feeling is like. I had to give 2 stars it's an ok book but I could have lived without the feels.
Well written, quick read. Might need some ice cream and a funny film now.
Ok this is an afternoon of meloncholy between two covers.
Why would you want to read this book?
1, you need a good cry.
2, You want to understand depression a bit better.
3, You want to commit suicide and need to see how this may affect your loved ones.
4, You like to feel like your heart has been stomped on.
5, You enjoyed Watership down.
I read it with a big sigh. I've been depressed and I know what that tired and can't go on feeling is like. I had to give 2 stars it's an ok book but I could have lived without the feels.
Well written, quick read. Might need some ice cream and a funny film now.
hey_laura_mc's review against another edition
3.0
I found the subject matter interesting, hence I read this in almost one sitting. However, stylistically, it didn't do it for me. There was too much clumsiness and 'telling' rather than 'showing'. I could see the author's history in scriptwriting quite clearly in the desperate need to make everything crystal clear for the reader. Emma, whose viewpoint is used for much of the novel, wasn't entirely credible - far too childlike for a 14 or 15 year old. ('Jamie and I went for a milkshake....And I had a chocolate brownie' she prattles at one point). I thought the parents, the mum in particular, were thinly sketched. However, having had some experience of suicide within the family, I thought that the description of the shock it instills was accurate ('it was like Kit had shut himself off from me through this one, unbelievable act') and the religious references, although sometimes heavy-handed, were sometimes brilliant ('Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also'). The ending felt fresh and honest, too.
All in all, a 3/5. It was an easy read, and captivating at points when I wasn't frustrated by the style. Or perhaps I'm just jealous that this author hasn't even hit her late twenties yet and has her first novel published? ;)
All in all, a 3/5. It was an easy read, and captivating at points when I wasn't frustrated by the style. Or perhaps I'm just jealous that this author hasn't even hit her late twenties yet and has her first novel published? ;)