A review by hermusings
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

challenging emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I’m honestly finding it so hard to express my thoughts and feelings towards this book in a concise way.
First off, makkai’s choice to make main character, Bodie, address the person she thinks is guilty, Mr. bloch, the entire book was refreshing and interesting. It allowed us to be even more within Bodie’s head as she gets personal and open in a way you only can with someone you knew and believed you could trust.

I adored the little scenarios for each person that could have done it. Something new would always resurface during these — whether about the murderer or the surroundings (both physical and social) in which it happened.

Granby, the boarding school & setting for the majority of the book, is this looming character the entire book. Personally, one of the most relatable parts of the book is Bodie’s changing perspective of the school itself and her time there. Part of it is obviously because of the murder but some of it is because she’s in her 40s and has hindsight. Multiple times we are faced with the question of whether things may not have been as she remembered or perceived at the time.

This book felt rich as makkai dived into multiple side characters. By the end it felt like I was in on most references these characters, specially Bodie, would bring up — fireflies.

Most importantly, this book touches on a lot of important social topics — racism, relationship dynamics, unresolved trauma, sexism/misogyny and how our formative teenage years can affect us down the line.
Truly at times it felt a bit ambitious how many of these topics Makkai discussed.
However, I think she encapsulated the overwhelming weight of when things go wrong because of more than one social issue.

Finally, I’ve seen a lot of reviews talk about the ending. Besides it feeling a bit rushed, I personally felt it was true to the story for it to end in that matter.