What the community thinks
summary of 281 ratings (see reviews)
Content warnings
Graphic
Domestic abuse (1 reviewer) and Emotional abuse (1 reviewer)Moderate
Physical abuse (1 reviewer)Moods
dark 55%
hopeful 55%
reflective 44%
challenging 22%
inspiring 22%
sad 22%
funny 11%
informative 11%
tense 11%
Pace
Strong character development?
Yes: 100%Loveable characters?
It's complicated: 66% | Yes: 33%Diverse cast of characters?
No: 66% | It's complicated: 33%Flaws of characters centre-stage?
Yes: 100%Average rating
Buy Still Life with Tornado
United States
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Other countries
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Blackwell's
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Actually Sarah is several human beings. At once. And only one of them is sixteen. Her parents insist she’s a gifted artist with a bright future, but now she can’t draw a thing, not even her own hand. Meanwhile, there’s a ten-year-old Sarah with a filthy mouth, a bad sunburn, and a clear memory of the family vacation in Mexico that ruined everything. She’s a ray of sunshine compared to twenty-three-year-old Sarah, who has snazzy highlights and a bad attitude. And then there’s forty-year-old Sarah (makes good queso dip, doesn’t wear a bra, really wants sixteen-year-old Sarah to tell the truth about her art teacher). They’re all wandering Philadelphia—along with a homeless artist allegedly named Earl—and they’re all worried about Sarah’s future.
But Sarah’s future isn’t the problem. The present is where she might be having an existential crisis. Or maybe all those other Sarahs are trying to wake her up before she’s lost forever in the tornado of violence and denial that is her parents’ marriage.
“I am a human being. I am sixteen years old. That should be enough.”
Buy Still Life with Tornado
United States
Bookshop US
Other countries
Bookshop UK
Blackwell's
The StoryGraph is an affiliate of the featured links. We earn commission on any purchases made.
Actually Sarah is several human beings. At once. And only one of them is sixteen. Her parents insist she’s a gifted artist with a bright future, but now she can’t draw a thing, not even her own hand. Meanwhile, there’s a ten-year-old Sarah with a filthy mouth, a bad sunburn, and a clear memory of the family vacation in Mexico that ruined everything. She’s a ray of sunshine compared to twenty-three-year-old Sarah, who has snazzy highlights and a bad attitude. And then there’s forty-year-old Sarah (makes good queso dip, doesn’t wear a bra, really wants sixteen-year-old Sarah to tell the truth about her art teacher). They’re all wandering Philadelphia—along with a homeless artist allegedly named Earl—and they’re all worried about Sarah’s future.
But Sarah’s future isn’t the problem. The present is where she might be having an existential crisis. Or maybe all those other Sarahs are trying to wake her up before she’s lost forever in the tornado of violence and denial that is her parents’ marriage.
“I am a human being. I am sixteen years old. That should be enough.”
What the community thinks
summary of 281 ratings (see reviews)
Content warnings
Graphic
Domestic abuse (1 reviewer) and Emotional abuse (1 reviewer)Moderate
Physical abuse (1 reviewer)Moods
dark 55%
hopeful 55%
reflective 44%
challenging 22%
inspiring 22%
sad 22%
funny 11%
informative 11%
tense 11%
Pace
Strong character development?
Yes: 100%Loveable characters?
It's complicated: 66% | Yes: 33%Diverse cast of characters?
No: 66% | It's complicated: 33%Flaws of characters centre-stage?
Yes: 100%Average rating