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emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Over a decade ago I looked up books to read and made a long list from several articles of books to convince my mom to buy. She didn't buy a single one. I remember this being on the list. And now I'm like, why? Thank goodness I found this at a used bookstore shop in Pasadena. It was a cute read, very creative, very fun. Beautiful gowns. I have the opinion that white people can't / shouldn't write magical realism because they never quite get it right. This book is only more evidence toward my theory, but it was a good effort, Miss Bender. I'll give you that. I had fun but I wasn't blown away.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Suicide, Grief, Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Eating disorder
Minor: Ableism, Medical content
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A really, beautifully bittersweet book. As someone who has both issues around eating and a mother who had an affair, it's possible this hit me much harder than it might hit another reader. Even then, I'd recommend trying it, with the caveat that this is much less about Rose's powers, and much more of a classic Bildungsroman.
The "powers" that arise in the book are intriguing and odd. Often in contemporary literature it feels like the characters are just an assembly of quirks—here we have, for instance, a fear of hospitals so bad it keeps Rose's father from attending either of their births—with nothing truly human or relatable layered underneath. Aimee Bender avoids that neatly, carefully capturing realistic emotions, responses and relationship subtleties which flesh all the characters out well beyond those token quirky traits.
I found the writing engaging and easy to read, with a simple beauty to it without turning to purple prose, and the stylistic choice not to use quotation marks (which I've seen before occasionally in other works) fits well here. I also felt that the ending worked well, and I'm surprised to read in other reviews that people found it came out of nowhere or ruined things. Rose's journey from being a child overwhelmed by the information her ability reveals to her to an adult who's found her own way to survive is the main emotional arc of the book, and it closes well.
The "powers" that arise in the book are intriguing and odd. Often in contemporary literature it feels like the characters are just an assembly of quirks—here we have, for instance, a fear of hospitals so bad it keeps Rose's father from attending either of their births—with nothing truly human or relatable layered underneath. Aimee Bender avoids that neatly, carefully capturing realistic emotions, responses and relationship subtleties which flesh all the characters out well beyond those token quirky traits.
I found the writing engaging and easy to read, with a simple beauty to it without turning to purple prose, and the stylistic choice not to use quotation marks (which I've seen before occasionally in other works) fits well here. I also felt that the ending worked well, and I'm surprised to read in other reviews that people found it came out of nowhere or ruined things. Rose's journey from being a child overwhelmed by the information her ability reveals to her to an adult who's found her own way to survive is the main emotional arc of the book, and it closes well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Toxic friendship
Minor: Death, Drug use, Suicide, Dementia, Abandonment, Alcohol
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Eating disorder, Infidelity
Minor: Death, Vomit, Toxic friendship
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Okay so. What the fuck.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Medical content, Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Toxic friendship