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sharonus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Emotional short stories about young people (mostly) in Alaska. The stories were different, but the characters from one chapter showed up in others as they were tied together by a loose yarn. This was a hard book to read because of the topics but was definitely worthwhile. Check trigger warnings so you know what you to expect.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Excrement
juliezantopoulos's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I adore Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock's The Smell of Other People's Houses and this book felt a lot like a love letter to that novel. I don't think it tied together the storylines quite as well as Other People's Houses did, though. I saw the threads, but there were SO many characters that keeping everything straight for really difficult. Still, the stories held up on their own beautifully.
There was a content warning at the start of the book, but frankly, I'm not sure it was enough. It says:
"One of the many story strands in this novel is connected to sexual abuse (not graphic), which may be a sensitive issue for some readers."
I'm not sure how "non-graphic" it is. It's not necessarily off screen and is told in a way that the reader feels very present during the abuse. I will also say that the book covers the loss of a sibling, abduction, trauma, grief, cheating, and sexual abuse of children by adults (specifically clergy).
There was a content warning at the start of the book, but frankly, I'm not sure it was enough. It says:
"One of the many story strands in this novel is connected to sexual abuse (not graphic), which may be a sensitive issue for some readers."
I'm not sure how "non-graphic" it is. It's not necessarily off screen and is told in a way that the reader feels very present during the abuse. I will also say that the book covers the loss of a sibling, abduction, trauma, grief, cheating, and sexual abuse of children by adults (specifically clergy).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
Minor: Addiction and Excrement
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