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butyougotmysoul's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Hm. I don't know how I feel about this book. I do think I will be thinking about it for a long time to come. Ultimately, I don't know if framing it through the lens of the time in which it was taking place is enough to make up for the way Lily's character was portrayed as being, ultimately, completely different from Einar. I can see the ways in which it could make sense, if you know that there wasn't necessarily the language to describe how Einar probably felt when he could present himself as Lily, however currently having the language means this book feels terribly outdated and incorrect in the ways we would present a transgender person now. Considering this was written in 2010, I feel that the story could have been told with much better language while still conveying how Lily felt throughout the book in the time period in which she lived through. Overall, I don't regret reading the story, but I can't really recommend the book either. I do feel like it could be a good read to induce conversation, but other than that - not really recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Violence
This book uses outdated language and incorrect assumptions about being transgender.
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