A review by hespib
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Wow this was a beautiful book. After reading and loving A Little Life last year, I naively thought nothing could be more traumatic than that, but I was wrong. This was very graphic and hard to read in parts so definitely check the content warnings before going in. 

That said, the prose is so lyrically stunning and the story of family and coming of age brings plenty of beauty despite the many harrowing incidents. I loved the stories Landon tells and the meaning they have despite knowing they’re made up if only you choose to see beyond that. 

I love this book even more for being based on a true story. Immediately after finishing, I wanted to know more about the family and found a page on Tiffany McDaniel’s website including photos and further detail about Betty and the rest of the family, including that beyond the book (photos of Betty in 2020 🥹). I would really recommend reading that after the book as it brings the story to life even more and you appreciate how much of a feat this novel is, both for Tiffany to have written it about her own family and for her family to have lived through it and seemingly prospered on the other side despite significant adversity. 

Devastating but so beautiful. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings