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A review by utopiastateofmind
The Comeback by E.L. Shen
emotional
hopeful
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I have always believed figure skaters should be superheroes. How they can glide on top of ice, have the bravery to launch themselves into the air. The Comeback was an incredibly emotional story for me as a Chinese-American. Both Maxine and I grew up in mostly white neighborhoods and while the racism she encountered is worse than I did, my heart went out to her. The ways we are supposed to shrug off the jokes. That silent moment after the joke where amidst the laughter, we pause.
So many experiences within the book (like double eyelid tape) could have been taken straight out of my childhood. The ways that people assume you're good at math? All of it. The Comeback was a charming story about skating and friendship. While also being a story about a person's comeback. About finding the right retort. It is tempting to want to lash out, to make them feel the sting of our words. But what we each have to learn is that feeling is temporary. That to concentrate on ourselves, our success and dreams, is the ultimate comeback.
So many experiences within the book (like double eyelid tape) could have been taken straight out of my childhood. The ways that people assume you're good at math? All of it. The Comeback was a charming story about skating and friendship. While also being a story about a person's comeback. About finding the right retort. It is tempting to want to lash out, to make them feel the sting of our words. But what we each have to learn is that feeling is temporary. That to concentrate on ourselves, our success and dreams, is the ultimate comeback.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism