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A review by margueritestjust
The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is one of the most beautiful novels that I read this year, and I'm glad that I finally got around to it.
The atmosphere of the high school drama department was so realistic as someone who did theatre all through high school - and the story of losing your dreams and having to build other ones is one that is near and dear to my heart along with many other artistic and creative people. I really loved the complicated way that the characters related to each other, with their issues of pettiness and hurting each other without meaning to (and sometimes meaning to), and also how they learned to look past the way that things have always been and decide to do something that is better and more beautiful.
This book explores complex familial relationships, complex relationships to the art that you make and the art that you are now longer making, ambition, jealousy, grief, and what it means to exist in an unjust world, particularly in the arts and its own legacy of racism and marginalization. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has in interest in theatre or dance, and especially to teenagers who are pursuing those fields creatively.
The atmosphere of the high school drama department was so realistic as someone who did theatre all through high school - and the story of losing your dreams and having to build other ones is one that is near and dear to my heart along with many other artistic and creative people. I really loved the complicated way that the characters related to each other, with their issues of pettiness and hurting each other without meaning to (and sometimes meaning to), and also how they learned to look past the way that things have always been and decide to do something that is better and more beautiful.
This book explores complex familial relationships, complex relationships to the art that you make and the art that you are now longer making, ambition, jealousy, grief, and what it means to exist in an unjust world, particularly in the arts and its own legacy of racism and marginalization. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has in interest in theatre or dance, and especially to teenagers who are pursuing those fields creatively.