A review by grizzlysnack
Solitaire by Alice Oseman

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

As someone who relates to Tori Spring, and has since been out of high school for a couple years, I felt a truck hit me when I was looking through the eyes of our 16 year-old protagonist.

I do understand the reviews with an opposite rating I’ve given (reading the updated August 2020 edit,) could be from the different edition of text. To those who said it was trying too hard to be edgy and dark, I think they missed the whole point of Tori’s narrated world view. She’s not supposed to be a likable character. You’re not meant to make Tori a role model. You’re meant to see that mental illness can slowly kill you, regardless of how old you are when you start feeling ‘off’ or ‘wrong’. 

Overall I feel Oseman was able to portray mental illness in a realistic way. Distancing yourself from others because it’s easier than explaining what’s going on in your head. Getting bouts of anxiety, anger, and hopelessness seemingly out of nowhere. Even seeing forms of media in a completely different light than your peers.

This story resonated so deeply for me. I hope it does for others as well. 
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