the_midwest_library's profile picture

the_midwest_library 's review for:

Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill
4.0
challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This is the debut novel of Heather O'Neill, an author I love. Her literary fiction has a speculative element about it that makes the time, characters or plot seem otherworldly or out of body. Her focus is on young girls, girlhood or the female experience from a really raw and honest perspective. This was no exception. I do think her writing has only improved and that's why I'm giving this a 4 star rating over the 5 stars of her other books I've read. 

On its face the story is about a young girl who grows up in dire circumstances, finds herself in a playground of addicts and pimps. But the story is really about childhood, Innocence and the normality of the abnormal for those raised within it. I could see myself rereading this time and time again.