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rhubarb_crumbl's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.0
I really wanted to have liked it, but the book has that awful 'autism as fae/magical/supernatural' trope, as well as the clearly autistic boy being everybody's favourite special little guy. (It wasn't stated that he's autistic, but it's very clear that's what he's supposed to be, and the mother saying things like 'the doctors have a word for it, but she knows her son is special and was born being able to see into the spirutual world' or something like that.)
The ending alsowould have worked so much better if it wasn't the non-verbal son who had been narrating. It was sad in a cathartic way, but was ruined by the jarring dissonance of learning that a non-verbal character had just told you the whole story. I just get so annoyed when I reflect on this book. It would be at least 4-star rated from me if the son had just been a regular son, because I think the book does a good job of looking at the tragedy of losing a son/brother, as well as weaving more mythical stuff into it. It would have worked so much better without the terrible autism take.
The ending also
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism
Very strong 'neurodiversity is supernatural' trope tied to the clearly autistic boy, which is very uncomfortable to read.
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