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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
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness
Moderate: Body horror, Medical content, Grief
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Infidelity, Mental illness, Grief
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I personally didn’t like the Plot. I didn’t like how the process was slow, there wasn’t much developement at all (aside from MC growing up) and the Ending was very open without any strings resolved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Abandonment
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Self harm, Toxic friendship
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This book was a gut punch. It was consistently sad the whole way through, but it ends on a hopeful note, at the very least. It's about an emotionally broken family that never heals. It's about childhood disappointments that turn into regrets in adulthood. It's about not fitting in, no matter your age or position in life. This is not a pick-me-up and does not take the tack of “it gets better,” but it is beautifully written. The gorgeous language is what made me keep turning the pages, and quickly, too, but overall, the story was lackluster. Which is disappointing because I could see what the novel could’ve been with another round of editing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abandonment
Moderate: Body horror
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Toxic friendship