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A review by emjayknocks
Go Ask Alice: 50th Anniversary Edition by
challenging
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book terrified me as a kid. I decided to read it as an adult because I discovered that it wasn’t a “found diary”, but rather a hoax - and there’s a documentary about it that I want to read. So, back to the source material!
I’m not sure if the knowledge that an adult wrote this book has tainted my view…but WOW is it terrible. It’s scaremongering effort feels so transparent that it’s almost laughable. The character goes from innocent virgin schoolgirl to homeless drug addled prostitute in a mere 40 pages, and reads very much like “teenager written through the eyes of an adult who’s forgotten what it’s like to be an actual teenager”. The velocity with which she oscillates between Puritanism and heroin-fiend is jarring and unbelievable, clearly written by someone with no experience of drugs or addiction. And that ending? <insert “Get out” Cary Grant gif here>
I’m not sure if the knowledge that an adult wrote this book has tainted my view…but WOW is it terrible. It’s scaremongering effort feels so transparent that it’s almost laughable. The character goes from innocent virgin schoolgirl to homeless drug addled prostitute in a mere 40 pages, and reads very much like “teenager written through the eyes of an adult who’s forgotten what it’s like to be an actual teenager”. The velocity with which she oscillates between Puritanism and heroin-fiend is jarring and unbelievable, clearly written by someone with no experience of drugs or addiction. And that ending? <insert “Get out” Cary Grant gif here>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Addiction
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Rape, and Sexual violence