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A review by couillac
Mimi by John Newman
4.0
Mimi knows exactly how many days it's been since her mother was killed in a bike accident. The youngest and only adopted daughter in a close-knit Irish family, she has become comfortable in a new life shaped by her family's grief. Her father does nothing but stare into space and burn frozen pizzas nightly while Mimi and her two older siblings neglect their homework, stay up into the early hours of the morning, arrive late at school, and generally ignore each other and the situation. If not for a team of caring aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, the kids probably wouldn't even leave the house.
At first, I was just appalled at how neglectful a father could be - he is essentially unaware of his children's existence. But everything fits together so realistically, from his early behavior and the obvious effects it has on Mimi and her siblings to his relationships with other people and his slow development as a more defined character in his children's lives. Mimi adores her afterschool hours with her family members (who remain unaware of just how bad things have become in the children's home), and dreads showing up late to class with more excuses. This whole family is drawn with care and complexity and affection, and readers can't help but fall right into Mimi's mind as she relates all their little quirks. Even her father has a simple but realistic journey as he goes from abandoning them to becoming a stern taskmaster to finally allowing the four of them as a family to come together and pull themselves out of the darkness.
A beautifully written story full of delicate but memorable characters, and a realistic portrait of grief at its darkest and what can come out it.
At first, I was just appalled at how neglectful a father could be - he is essentially unaware of his children's existence. But everything fits together so realistically, from his early behavior and the obvious effects it has on Mimi and her siblings to his relationships with other people and his slow development as a more defined character in his children's lives. Mimi adores her afterschool hours with her family members (who remain unaware of just how bad things have become in the children's home), and dreads showing up late to class with more excuses. This whole family is drawn with care and complexity and affection, and readers can't help but fall right into Mimi's mind as she relates all their little quirks. Even her father has a simple but realistic journey as he goes from abandoning them to becoming a stern taskmaster to finally allowing the four of them as a family to come together and pull themselves out of the darkness.
A beautifully written story full of delicate but memorable characters, and a realistic portrait of grief at its darkest and what can come out it.