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readersreadingnook's review
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Mental illness, Self harm, Child abuse, Racism, and Vomit
burnyayhayley's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Egmont Audio for providing me with this audiobook to listen to in advance of its release!
This story is a bit difficult to summarize, as a large aspect of it is its lacking linearity (I never really felt certain if that was a purposeful effect, or me not being able to follow). Ruby, the protagonist, decides at a young age to stop speaking. So she moves throughout this book recounting to the reader (but not aloud to her peers) anecdotes and defining moments of her childhood/adolescence as she deals with being ostracized for her lack of speech, and being the daughter of a mentally ill woman.
There were two major issues for me, despite the writing of this being crisp, engaging and occasionally upsetting (intentionally). Firstly, this is clearly a book that suffers in audiobook form. This was meant to be read from the page, not listened to. I think I would have been able to follow a lot easier, and reread more closely, passages on the page, as opposed to the audiobook version. The benefits and enjoyment derived from an audiobook are lost when there isn't a solid reference point to follow— and I say this as someone who listens to audiobooks often.
The second issue is an addendum to the first, and I already hinted at it: the narrative structure is confusing. I get the sense that the effect that is meant to be achieved is one of a sort of continuous dreamlike state, and gentle but also visceral vignettes of the sharp memories of Ruby's life. This certainly works as a literary concept, of course, but in this form, it was difficult for me to establish connections or visualize the world when it felt that the timing and chronology of the scenes were so vague.
Overall, these issues were large and impacted my experience greatly. As I said, the writing is strong, and the narrating was clear as well, but there was also an utter lack of clear resolution or finality. And that is perhaps a silly nitpick to pull, as any story could have an open ending because that is the most realistic kind of ending one could give a story.
But in this case, it felt a bit blunt, and like the story was just left at a random moment. There are many things that never recurred or were never explained, and again, I don't believe those things are owed to the reader every time, but already with my difficulty in connecting to the story, this left me feeling like I had missed something. The poetic language would have had a stronger impact if the story felt clearer and more cohesive.
This story is a bit difficult to summarize, as a large aspect of it is its lacking linearity (I never really felt certain if that was a purposeful effect, or me not being able to follow). Ruby, the protagonist, decides at a young age to stop speaking. So she moves throughout this book recounting to the reader (but not aloud to her peers) anecdotes and defining moments of her childhood/adolescence as she deals with being ostracized for her lack of speech, and being the daughter of a mentally ill woman.
There were two major issues for me, despite the writing of this being crisp, engaging and occasionally upsetting (intentionally). Firstly, this is clearly a book that suffers in audiobook form. This was meant to be read from the page, not listened to. I think I would have been able to follow a lot easier, and reread more closely, passages on the page, as opposed to the audiobook version. The benefits and enjoyment derived from an audiobook are lost when there isn't a solid reference point to follow— and I say this as someone who listens to audiobooks often.
The second issue is an addendum to the first, and I already hinted at it: the narrative structure is confusing. I get the sense that the effect that is meant to be achieved is one of a sort of continuous dreamlike state, and gentle but also visceral vignettes of the sharp memories of Ruby's life. This certainly works as a literary concept, of course, but in this form, it was difficult for me to establish connections or visualize the world when it felt that the timing and chronology of the scenes were so vague.
Overall, these issues were large and impacted my experience greatly. As I said, the writing is strong, and the narrating was clear as well, but there was also an utter lack of clear resolution or finality. And that is perhaps a silly nitpick to pull, as any story could have an open ending because that is the most realistic kind of ending one could give a story.
But in this case, it felt a bit blunt, and like the story was just left at a random moment. There are many things that never recurred or were never explained, and again, I don't believe those things are owed to the reader every time, but already with my difficulty in connecting to the story, this left me feeling like I had missed something. The poetic language would have had a stronger impact if the story felt clearer and more cohesive.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
Minor: Vomit
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