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A review by vaniavela
Solitaire by Alice Oseman
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Solitaire deals with issues such as anxiety and depression. This is not a book for everyone. The topics touched on may be heavy for some and if read without having previously seen the trigger warnings, may make the reader uncomfortable. It is a fairly heavy and graphic book on mental health.
I think this is one of those books that you either love or despise. I will try to cover both perspectives. First, the fact that it is promoted with the tagline "this is not a love story" strikes me as somewhat ironic since there is indeed a love story. Honestly, the love story was almost one of my favorite parts.
Another aspect is that Charlie was really having a terrible time. There were too many signs, there was a suicide attempt, and there's really no mention of what happens next. There is a small mention of going to the hospital, but other than that I would have liked to see some real support from his parents. I would have liked to see him recovering at least a little.
On the other hand, Tori's development was very minimal. I have depression, and I understand how hard it is, and I also understand that it's different for everyone. There are times when I really feel so annoyed out of nowhere and explode at others without meaning to. To some extent it was realistic, but I would have liked to have seen her slowly come out of it, or even slowly accept herself for who she is. I would have felt capable of being able to do the same. I understand that she's supposed to be dealing with her mental health, but some of her comments were uncomfortable to read since they were never addressed.
Mind you, gosh, reading a protagonist who hates to read was very conflicting for me. I love to read. Its literally one of the reasons I'm still alive. Constantly reading how Tori hates books and finds them horrible hurt me.
Despite all of this, I know Alice Oseman has gotten better at dealing with these issues. Even that, it's a good book for being her first and written at such a young age.
TW: References to suicide and suicide attempts, Suicidal ideation, Self-harm, Depression, Eating disorders, Obsessive-compulsive behaviours, Narrator has implied undiagnosed depression, Brief incidents of homophobia, Unchallenged misogyny and ableism.
I think this is one of those books that you either love or despise. I will try to cover both perspectives. First, the fact that it is promoted with the tagline "this is not a love story" strikes me as somewhat ironic since there is indeed a love story. Honestly, the love story was almost one of my favorite parts.
Another aspect is that Charlie was really having a terrible time. There were too many signs, there was a suicide attempt, and there's really no mention of what happens next. There is a small mention of going to the hospital, but other than that I would have liked to see some real support from his parents. I would have liked to see him recovering at least a little.
On the other hand, Tori's development was very minimal. I have depression, and I understand how hard it is, and I also understand that it's different for everyone. There are times when I really feel so annoyed out of nowhere and explode at others without meaning to. To some extent it was realistic, but I would have liked to have seen her slowly come out of it, or even slowly accept herself for who she is. I would have felt capable of being able to do the same. I understand that she's supposed to be dealing with her mental health, but some of her comments were uncomfortable to read since they were never addressed.
Mind you, gosh, reading a protagonist who hates to read was very conflicting for me. I love to read. Its literally one of the reasons I'm still alive. Constantly reading how Tori hates books and finds them horrible hurt me.
Despite all of this, I know Alice Oseman has gotten better at dealing with these issues. Even that, it's a good book for being her first and written at such a young age.
TW: References to suicide and suicide attempts, Suicidal ideation, Self-harm, Depression, Eating disorders, Obsessive-compulsive behaviours, Narrator has implied undiagnosed depression, Brief incidents of homophobia, Unchallenged misogyny and ableism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Eating disorder, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, and Ableism