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Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Dysphoria
Graphic: Cancer, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism, Grief
What a joy it was to read this. This is a book about relationships - romantic ones but mostly between sisters, and parents and children, and also friends. We see what happens when parents turn away from their children and siblings away from each other. We also see the dangers of people living the wrong life. This is a story about sad dysfunctional people, but also about strong women, and William and Julia who married for the wrong reasons - she because she was after a traditional ideal, and he because he had a lonely childhood and fell in love with the entire Padavano family and their love for each other. His wife didn't stand by him after his mental breakdown (nor did his parents who still grieved his dead sister) but he was allowed a second chance through the love of a second Padavano sister - a decision that tore Julia and her daughter away from the rest of the family for the longest time. It is sad that a reunion and forgiveness was only possible at the end due to a tragedy but the whole book operated on the premise of "when one door closes, another one opens."
As an aside, I couldn't figure out what Julia's high-powered job was for the entire book - she works for her uni professor on a time-limited project but that suddenly morphs into a permanent job with clients and a fancy office in the New York division? What kind of professor has these kinds of jobs to offer?
Apart from that, great literature, and the portrait on the cover is gorgeous, as if it was painted by Cecelia herself.
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Grief, Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Infidelity
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Cancer
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Cancer
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, Abandonment
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts