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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I heard some rumbling and mumbling about people comparing this book to Evelyn Hugo? Why I thought ? What could these two books possibly have in common ? So I went for it and I am so happy I did. This is a lot better compared to Evelyn (in my opinion) The only similarities between the two ladies involve the theme of death but I think the way Dava handled it was managed better. It was thought out in more ways than one. This book also encompasses the issues of abandonment, adoption, interracial marriages, racism, and other complex family dynamics. Dava’s four children also have their own distinct personalities as well as the grandchildren. Diversity in characters and sexualities was a nice surprise. Dava is of Indian decent. Her children are a blend of her and her husband (who is not Indian.) Her eldest son is gay and we meet his husband & their children. Her youngest daughter is in a poly relationship with a married couple (although it’s revealed not to be a healthy one.) This takes you through a matter of days during the winter month of December as we realize Dava made an important decision and we are met with flashbacks & present day ideas of how everyone feels. A character driven novel that if you listen to the audio, you are welcomed to a short snippet of the song that Dava said was inspired by her !
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Is this how it feels to have Latinx or Asian rep in Pixar movies , because damn.. I finally know what it's like.. my native language is telugu and even with Indian rep it's always Hindi , so listening to south indian words like Amma and Rasam so many times in the book gave me life.
But that being said representation itself can't save this book, what should have been complex unlikeable characters came off as plainly shallow and the overall story fell flat . I DID NOT feel anything for this family , the audiobook just droned on as I lay around , nothing piquing my interest. Tell me how is that possible when each character is supposed to have quite a bit of dirty laundry ?
Older thoughts:
DNF @20% atleast for now
I'm always looking for my next Evelyn Hugo fix , make that Indian and I'm doubly excited.
My first sign should have been me stalling to read a mere 10% throughout the whole month on and off.
But the thing is I really wanted to like it so much that I was pushing through it. But in reality everytime I was to start it I was like "not this again!"
And tbh , the concept is very good. The problem I think is the execution. I couldn't care less for any of them. From what I've read I didn't really get to witness the white portion of Dava's morally grey sphere. And just calling her a philanthropist every 2 seconds won't cut it , if I don't get to see it.
Even now I feel like maybe if I get my hands on an audiobook I can skim through this one , but at this point what's the point in that.
And I just feel sad because I really wanted to love this book so much. Maybe if the stars align I might give this another chance , but the chances are really slim.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness