A review by lindseyas
Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a tough book to get through in multiple senses of the term. The prose, while beautiful and spellbinding and fitting the scene and characters perfectly, was pretty uppity and unsuitable for a proper reading experience. I found myself spending more time trying to decipher what the characters and narration was trying to say than actually paying attention to the plot of the novel. But, I think that Blake's niche: fluffy, flowery language that shows off what a great author she is to ask the flaws of her characters. And, in fact, these characters were pretty flawed. I think there is no one out there that can judge either one of these characters when they are inspired by Blake's own struggle with bipolar disorder, herself and medication/therapy — there's just no way to do that. I can't help but say that I see a lot of myself in Aldo: putting my problems aside to be the caretaking companion, even though it sometimes just breaks you down. I think the character study was pretty masterful in the book, but my GOD did the writing style make this a tough lesson to crack.
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