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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Warning: SA
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Honor Jones's debut novel Sleep opens with ten-year-old Margaret soaking up the suburban summer with her friends. Life isn't perfect, what with her father's past affair, her mother's self-absorption and her brother's strangeness, but Margaret still finds joy in things. All that starts to gradually change with a series of subtle but traumatic incidents that she has no one to turn to with and years later, as a newly divorced mother of two young girls, Margaret grapples with the long lasting effects of what happened, still wondering if she was making a big deal out of nothing.
For a relatively thin book, this sure packs a lot. A poignant story, so exquisitely written that you wouldn't know it was a debut novel, Sleep perfectly captures the conflicting emotions Margaret experiences when it comes to her dysfunctional family, the hopes and fears she has for her own daughters as a mother, and the long-reaching effects a few simple actions can have on the entire life of a person.
I generally enjoy stories told through the eyes of a child so I preferred the first part of the book and would have been happy with reading more about Margaret's childhood but of course, the whole point of that section was to set the stage for the events that unfolded in her life as an adult, forcing her to come to terms with the abuse that was inflicted on her. Through Margaret's thoughts and relationships, and her fears regarding her own daughters, the author explores how a traumatic childhood experience, especially an unresolved one, can colour a person's entire future.
The characters were crafted with an insightful level of depth. I liked that Margaret's mother especially wasn't painted as completely evil and that their relationship was a complex love-hate one. Margaret's guilt over not giving her kids some of the same experiences she had growing up is something I find myself feeling often and many of the parts in the book about motherhood were equally relatable.
Towards the end, Margaret finally confronts her abuser and asks him why he did what he did, and the short answer he gives was one of the most impactful lines in the book. It just highlighted the fact that in cases like these, the actions of the abuser may be something small to him, something he doesn't think about often afterwards. But to the victim, it becomes like a second skin, always present and forever affecting their life.
Book Report: Sleep
At First Glance: STUNNING! The whole thing… Stunning!
The Gist: The story of a newly divorced young mother forced to reckon with the secrets of her own childhood when she brings her daughters back to the big house where she was raised.
My Thoughts: Another one straight to my favorites shelf. The timing of this one was impeccable, I tell ya! I had just finished Spectacular Things last month and have been searching for a book that has similar vibes… while Sleep is 💯 a different story it has similar bones… mothers, daughters, childhood experiences and heart & humor that feels achingly relatable. Moments… we too, watch Home Alone 2 everyday of the year, in fact it has to be on for people to fall asleep. For the love of Puzzles, I giggled so hard at this part and you would not believe it but I too have had a similar conversation about dish soap as Margaret had with her father except mine was with my mom… (and many other changes to products over the years… I’m looking at you Bisquick and white bread) Back to the book… I am attached to these characters and moments that Honor wrote effortlessly with beautiful language. I paused at multiple sentences that were about simple things but so gorgeously written I wanted to revisit it twice. This will be a future reread for sure. I listened to the audio and Rebecca Lowman nailed it. The same week a physical copy showed up on my doorstep so I’m excited to go back through and markup all my favorite bits.
My Question for Honor: I’m so curious about the title. How did you land on it?
Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted ALC
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.Andthebookshelf/
At First Glance: STUNNING! The whole thing… Stunning!
The Gist: The story of a newly divorced young mother forced to reckon with the secrets of her own childhood when she brings her daughters back to the big house where she was raised.
My Thoughts: Another one straight to my favorites shelf. The timing of this one was impeccable, I tell ya! I had just finished Spectacular Things last month and have been searching for a book that has similar vibes… while Sleep is 💯 a different story it has similar bones… mothers, daughters, childhood experiences and heart & humor that feels achingly relatable. Moments… we too, watch Home Alone 2 everyday of the year, in fact it has to be on for people to fall asleep. For the love of Puzzles, I giggled so hard at this part and you would not believe it but I too have had a similar conversation about dish soap as Margaret had with her father except mine was with my mom… (and many other changes to products over the years… I’m looking at you Bisquick and white bread) Back to the book… I am attached to these characters and moments that Honor wrote effortlessly with beautiful language. I paused at multiple sentences that were about simple things but so gorgeously written I wanted to revisit it twice. This will be a future reread for sure. I listened to the audio and Rebecca Lowman nailed it. The same week a physical copy showed up on my doorstep so I’m excited to go back through and markup all my favorite bits.
My Question for Honor: I’m so curious about the title. How did you land on it?
Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted ALC
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.Andthebookshelf/
For being one of many books just like it, this was quite good.
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
This books smells like fresh cut grass and tastes like the olive from a martini. It pushes and pulls between shrimp cocktail on the back patio and goldfish crackers on a wooden park bench. It is a reminder that a mother is still deeply woman. And that all women are deeply flawed in the most beautiful ways.