A review by marinapetal
The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree by Paola Peretti

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

such a wholesome book! it’s told from a 10 years old girl point of view. she has a stargardt disease, which means she won’t be able to see anything very soon, or will be “in the dark”, as she says herself. and it’s own voice story as well.

mafalda is such a great main character. never did i feel like she was whining or complaining, which i think she had the right to considering her situation. on the contrary, she is very brave, can stand up for herself and for others being mistreated. she has her own opinions and things she wants to do in life, it seems like no one can stop her from doing what she wants. 

throughout the story she talks about her disease, how nobody can see it because it’s on the inside, how people treat her differently, pity her. 
yes, her situation is difficult. when i read these kind of thoughts, it made me cry a lot and feel angry at the world and its unfairness.
for example, every time she looks up at the sky she thinks: “this could be the last time i see the stars”. 
also there was a moment when she had a huge breakdown, felt absolutely hopeless and was screaming how she hates everything and especially her condition.
or when she went on a school trip, she was surrounded by plenty of people, yet she felt lonely, like she didn’t belong. “even though I’m in a room with loads of other people, I feel like the only girl in the world.” but when she and filippo exchanged light signals to say goodnight, she didn’t feel so alone anymore.

and this continues throughout the story, in the end having a friend is essential for all of us. so it’s nice to see that she has friends who don’t bring any more attention to her condition than it needs to. 

her classmate filippo, who is also going through a hard time due to his parents’ divorce and has been acting up. but when it comes to mafalda, he is almost gentle with her, considerate, takes care of her and helps her a lot, gets in trouble with the school principal to protect her, the list goes on. i think they are good for each other, it’s great that they both found a friend during this hard period of their lives.

the school janitor estella, her story line is so heartbreaking!! her letter to mafalda broke me and my heart can’t be repaired. estella is the one who always meets mafalda at the school gates in the morning and walks her there to her parents after lessons. they talk about life and different things a lot, she gives mafalda advice, explains things and gives her lots of support.
i love this conversation about love:
“Love is always good news, Mafalda. Never forget that. Everyone falls in love. Children and old people and people who live far away and bad people . . . they all fall in love.”
“Bad people? You mean like Dracula?”
“Yes. Even Dracula had a wife. It may sound strange, but it’s true. Do you know why it’s so wonderful? Because it means we’re all equal. In love, the poor are richer and the rich are happier.”

this book should be loved for its wonderful characters and the fact that it managed to have a happy and sad ending at the same time. also i kept thinking it could be a great studio ghibli movie.

i wanna end with this banger of a quote: “Some kinds of news should only be given if you have a cat on hand to hug.”
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